Mississippi RiverKings goalie Tim Boron makes a save as Allen Americans' captain Jarret Lukin tries to get the rebound in the second period of Friday night's game. Allen won the game, 5-2. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

Coming off of a difficult 6-1 road loss in Laredo on Thursday, the road-weary Allen Americans came home to the Allen Event Center on Friday to open a series of back-to-back games against the Mississippi RiverKings.  The Americans powered their way to victory thanks to a four-goal outburst in the third period and a four-point night by Justin Bowers, and won the game 5-2.

“We’re running through a tough stretch, so there’s been a little bit of inconsistency,” Americans head coach Dwight Mullins said.  “But, you can expect that a little bit this time of year when you have a lot of guys in and out of your lineup on different nights.  We’re just trying to hold this thing together and track down (first-place) Odessa as best we can, and also head into the playoffs with some momentum.”

The Americans didn’t waste any time before getting on the scoreboard.  Just 44 seconds into the opening period, Justin Bowers broke into the RiverKings zone and sizzled a wrister past Mississippi goaltender Tim Boron.

Allen carried that 1-0 lead into the 1st intermission, and then through a scoreless 2nd period.

In the 3rd period, the puck found it’s way into the net a lot more regularly.  A total of six goals were scored in the twenty-minute frame.

37 seconds in, Bruce Graham scored his 27th goal of the season, and gave Allen a 2-0 lead.

It looked like Allen was going to run away with the game when Justin Bowers scored his second goal of the game about three minutes later.  Bowers picked up a rebound from a point shot made by Ryan Fairbarn, and stuffed it past Boron to put the Americans up 3-0.

The RiverKings finally got on the board with a little over 12 minutes to play in the game.  Ryan Held skated in on Chris Whitley and beat him high to the blocker side, putting Mississippi on the board, 3-1.

The Americans quickly re-established their 3-point lead, though, as Brandon Straub picked up his second goal of the year on a cannon-like shot from the blue line.

Both teams added another goal in the period, with Held scoring his second of the game for the RiverKings, and the Americans captain, Jarret Lukin, putting one in as well.

The newest member of the Americans, Tyler Shelast, appeared to have a breakaway goal in the final half of the 3rd period, but the goal was waived off because it was played with a high stick.  They then gave Shelast a penalty shot at center ice, but he was unable to convert it.  You can listen to his thoughts about it here: Tyler Shelast Interview 3/5/10.

The Americans and RiverKings will play part two of their showdown Saturday night at the Allen Event Center.

Americans' goaltender Chris Whitley reacts after the RiverKings get the go-ahead goal on an unexpected bounce off the boards.

They’d practiced the play a hundred times, and worked on it as recently as that morning.

When Derek Landmesser, a defenseman for the Mississippi RiverKings, shot the puck around the boards in the third period, Allen Americans goalie Chris Whitley went out to cut off the puck.  Whitley expected to stop the puck and set it up for one of his forwards, but when Whitley left his crease, things got odd.

The puck took a strange carom off the wall as it rounded the boards, and landed on the stick of RiverKings forward Louis Dumont.  With an open net in front of him, it was one of the easiest goals he’s probably ever scored.  And, just like that, the visiting Mississippi RiverKings took a 2-1 lead in the tightly contested hockey game.

Americans coach Dwight Mullins was as surprised by the carom as anyone else in the arena that night.  Probably moreso, as his team spends time in every practice doing the same thing Landmesser was doing on that play.

“We spent at least a good ten minutes this morning in that exact end,” Mullins said to the media after the game.  “I mean, you guys saw it, he (Landmesser) probably couldn’t do it again.  But, that’s what happens.”

“We’ve done that in practice how many times?   And never have I seen it carom at that point,” said Whitley, still in some disbelief.  “It was a bit frustrating, especially at that point in the game with only seven or eight minutes left.  But, it’s part of the game.  You’re not going to get every bounce.”

The game started off in Allen’s favor.  Forward Nino Musitelli scored the game’s opening goal about eight and a half minutes into the opening frame.  Musitelli has had a bit of a hot hand of late, getting points in each of the last nine games.  His goal would stand as the only goal until amost half way through the third period, when Landmesser tied the score.  A minute later, he set up Dumont with the weird carom.

The RiverKings salted the game away with their third goal.  Cam Severson scored on the power play with just over a minute left to play, giving Memphis a two-goal lead and the eventual win.

“I’m not disappointed in the way we played the hockey game,” Mullins said.  “I look at the chances and the opportunities to win the hockey game, and (the loss) wasn’t for lack of execution.  I thought their goaltender played extremely well, and I’d like us to clean up a few things.   I’m disappointed we lost, but we have to move past this.  We’re still in a good place.”

Americans goaltender Charlie Effinger was called up to the Texas Stars today.

NOTES: Americans goaltender Charlie Effinger was called up to the Texas Stars today.  Francois Lemay has once been retained as a backup for Chris Whitley, and will serve in that capacity until Effinger is returned to the Americans.  He was on the bench in Cedar Park on Friday, when the Texas Stars won an overtime thriller, 2-1, in the shootout. … Americans defenseman Chris Kaufman was activated from Injured Reserve on Friday before the game, and was on the ice against the RiverKings.

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Photos by: John O’Neill