‘Runners knock off Tornado

Richard Kelly

Nate Milam has a habit of scoring shorthanded goals. He scored a crucial one on Thursday night.

Milam notched a goal at the 15:33 mark of the third period to break a 2-2 tie as the RoadRunners defeated the Texas Tornado 3-2.

After a scoreless first period, Joe Van Antwerp started the scoring for the RoadRunners at 8:11 with a rocket shot from the point past Jimmy Kruger. Nathan Swilinksi put Texas (29-13-6) on the board at 18:01 to tie the game going into the final frame.

Milam’s third period goal was his fifth of the season, tying the team record for the most shorthanded goals in a season. Earlier in the third period, Zach Schrotenboer tied it for Topeka (36-9-3) at 8:06 after Texas scored a questionable goal early in the third period to give them the lead.

In the victory, Rasmus Tirronen stopped 26 of 28 shots, while Kruger turned away 21 of 24.

An NBA Development League game Friday will prevent the two teams from tangling on consecutive nights. The RoadRunners and Tornado pick the action back up Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. It will Topeka’s final game of their seven-game roadtrip