The Topeka RoadRunners have been on the disappointing end of a lot of close games this season.

Saturday, they were able to be in the positive side.

Armed with a solid effort from start until finish, Topeka (20-8-5) killed off multiple penalties in the third period and added an insurance goal late, winning 3-1 over the Springfield Jr. Blues at Landon Arena.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the RoadRunners. Scott Langer, Topeka head coach, said his team has been playing well recently but stepped up their game Saturday.

“I didn’t think we gave up a whole lot again. It was just nice to see some of our quality chances hit the net tonight,” said Langer. “Like I’ve said all along, I don’t think we’ve been playing bad hockey. It’s just going to be matter of us continuing to work hard to put pucks in the back of the net.”

In the first period, Topeka got going early.  At 5:42, defenseman Michal Pastor fired a shot from center slot through the legs of goaltender Ryan Kellenberger to give the RoadRunners a 1-0 lead.

The lead stood until 13:28 of the second period, when forward Nate Chasteen buried a shot for a Springfield powerplay goal. Topeka responded soon after. At 18:07, defenseman Patrick Pollock scored his first goal of the season, on the powerplay.

“I kind of slid back door and (Kyle) Sharkey made a beautiful pass to me,” said Pollock. “It was really just a tap-in. It was a huge goal on the power play.”

In the third period, Springfield (13-19-2) had multiple chances early to tie the game, but Topeka withstood the pressure. At 14:15, forward Brandon Broissoit scored his third goal in three games, as he poked in a shot by forward Kyle Sharkey.

Langer said the addition of Broissoit, who has played four games with Topeka, has been visible.

“He’s always thinking way ahead, and that’s the nice thing you see with him,” said Langer. “He’s a very talented player.”

In the victory, goaltender Spencer Viele stopped 16 of 17 shots. In the loss, Kellenberger made 29 saves on 32 shots.

Topeka now heads on a four-game road trip beginning with two games at Wichita Falls next weekend.