LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – The Tahoe Knight Monsters have won four games in a row as they head home to Lake Tahoe for a four-game series at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. They could lock a playoff birth at home.

Friday – Tahoe Rides Red-Hot Third Period to Extend Win Streak

The Tahoe Knight Monsters extended their win streak to three games as they defeated the Tulsa Oilers at the BOK Center 5-2. They had a four-goal explosion in the final frame with a multi-goal effort by Logan Nelson and a strong showing by Jesper Vikman.  

The Knight Monsters opened the scoring with a goal by Jake McGrew, marking his first goal against the Oilers this season. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived as 43 seconds later Tulsa forward Josh Nelson scored the game-tying goal to conclude the opening frame. 

Just under three minutes into the second period, Tulsa’s Daneel Lategan scored for the Oilers giving them their first lead in the game after crashing in on Vikman’s crease. 

That was the last goal that Tulsa managed to put behind Vikman, as he shut out the rest of the game to finish the night with an outstanding .943% save percentage and 33 saves.

And then in the third, the fun really started. 

Tahoe exploded offensively with four goals, including one in the opening minute. Simon Pinard started the comeback just 41 seconds in, scoring the equalizer and finishing a feed from Sloan Stanick. And with that goal, they had all the momentum they needed to finish off the game. 

Halfway through the final frame, the Tahoe scored three goals within three minutes. Starting the party was Logan Nelson, who deflected in a shot from Troy Loggins for a 3-2 lead.

Shortly after Nelson’s goal, the Knight Monsters were called with a tripping penalty. But instead of tying the game, Tulsa watched as instead, Nate Kallen scored shorthanded to double Tahoe’s lead. After the Tulsa powerplay, Logan Nelson found the back of the net again with a top-shelf missile to seal the deal and cement a 5-2 final score.

Saturday – Knight Monsters Sweep the Oilers in Tulsa

The Tahoe Knight Monsters brought out the brooms for a second straight week, defeating the Tulsa Oilers 2-1 to pull off another series sweep. Simon Pinard scored his 30th goal of the season and Jordan Papirny finished the night with 36 saves. 

The opening frame featured back-and-forth scoreless action until Bear Hughes broke the deadlock off a feed from Sloan Stanick behind the net with 15 seconds to go. Slava Demin received the secondary helper which extended his point streak to six games. 

The Oilers scored in the opening minutes of the second as Papirny kicked off a rebounded shot that landed in front of Michal Farren, who dished it past him for the equalizer. 

As the middle frame continued, momentum swings ensued between both teams until Simon Pinard fired a wrist shot in with about two minutes to go for his 30th goal of the season. Bear Hughes received his second point of the game off the primary helper and Evan Junker received his first pro point off the secondary assist. 

Pinard finishes the regular season series with 11 goals in 10 games against Tulsa, with six of those coming against netminder Vyacheslav Buteyets.

Tahoe clamped down defensively in the third, allowing just nine shots on goal and limiting Tulsa rushes in transition. The final buzzer sounded after a flurry of saves by Papirny, cementing a 2-1 victory and a sweep. 

Papirny racked up 36 saves and finished with a save percentage of .972%. He’s allowed just one goal in five of his past seven starts and is playing some of his best hockey in the home stretch of the regular season.

The Knight Monsters finished the season series against the Oilers with a 7-1-1-1 record and they have a potential to clinch a playoff spot next week as they return home to face the Idaho Steelheads. Game one of the four-game series is on Wednesday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. for pucks and paws night. Khalin Kapoor will be on the call on the Knight Monsters Broadcast Network and FloHockey.TV.