Knight Monsters take care of Tulsa Oilers in front of packed houses at Tahoe Blue Event Center

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The Tahoe Knight Monsters made their last home stand of 2024 count as they hosted the Tulsa Oilers at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. The home team lost the first in the three-game series on Friday but got the job done on Saturday and Sunday. All of the action was done in front of sold-out crowds.

Friday

The Tahoe Knight Monsters fought valiantly against the Tulsa Oilers, but were defeated 4-3 in overtime in front of a sold-out crowd at the Tahoe Blue Event Center.

In their return back home after dropping two of three in Utah, Tahoe ceded the first goal of the game to Reid Petryk under four minutes in. Just a few minutes later though, the Knight Monsters notched the equalizer on a Troy Loggins strike off a perfect feed from Logan Nelson.

Tahoe was outshot 20-7 in the first period, but netminder Jesper Vikman made 19 saves to keep them in the game through 20 minutes.

The second period was action-packed, as the Knight Monsters took the lead on a Logan Nelson goal. Following an equalizer from Ruslan Gazizov, Patrick Newell gave Tahoe the lead right back with a power play goal.

And right after the goal, Anthony Collins electrified the crowd by taking down Keshaun Gervais in a spirited bout.

The Buzzer sounded on the end of the second period with Tahoe up 3-2, but Gervais would get his retribution in the form of the game-tying goal just minutes into the final frame.

Time ticked down in the third, with the Knight Monsters notching three penalty kills, including a four-minute double minor midway through the period.

Overtime began in earnest, with Tahoe notching seven shots on goal. But they were unable to solve Tulsa goaltender Talyn Boyko, who made multiple fantastic saves.

And following a near-miss chance from Patrick Newell in the final two minutes of overtime, Jeremie Biakabutuka took the puck the other way and buried a shot past Vikman from the far side faceoff dot.

Saturday

The Tahoe Knight Monsters took down the Tulsa Oilers 5-3 in front of another sold-out crowd at the Tahoe Blue Event Center to break their three-game losing streak. Jett Jones scored twice, Anthony Collins fired up the fans with another fight, and Jordan Papirny made 29 of 32 saves in the win.

The fun started just minutes in, as Collins got into it with Tulsa forward Paxton Leroux for his second fight in as many days.

Tahoe was able to strike first in the opening frame with a goal from Jake Johnson, his first of the season. It was created on a crash play on the doorstep, and Johnson was there to tuck it in.

The first period ended with the Knight Monsters dominating shots on goal 17-3, but only leading 1-0 because of some great stops by Tulsa goalie Talyn Boyko.

In the second, both teams scored twice, with Logan Nelson ambushing the Oilers just nine seconds in with a partial breakaway goal to make it 2-0. Simon Pinard then tacked on a one-timer strike in transition to increase the lead to three.

But Tulsa clawed their way back with two goals in the final two minutes of the frame to make it 3-2 entering the third period.

The score would stay there until Jett Jones took a perfect pass from Troy Loggins and roofed it from the goalmouth for his 12th goal of the season. Just three minutes later, Michael Farren got that goal back for Tulsa to make it 4-3.

But Jones would seal the deal three minutes later with an empty netter to secure a huge Knight Monsters victory that catapulted them back to second in the Mountain Division.

Sunday

Jett Jones wasn’t about to let a sold-out crowd leave the Tahoe Blue Event Center disappointed. The star forward scored the overtime game-winning goal against the Tulsa Oilers, propelling the Tahoe Knight Monsters to a series win by beating Tulsa -. Simon Pinard scored twice and Jesper Vikman notched his 11th victory to lead Tahoe in front of their third straight sold-out crowd.

Pinard started the party in the first with a wraparound goal against Tulsa netminder Talyn Boyko. It was his 16th tally of the year and 8th in the season series against the Oilers.

The buzzer sounded on the first with the Knight Monsters leading 1-0, but Troy Loggins rang the iron on a power-play wrister with just seconds to go in the frame.

In the second period, Tahoe doubled their lead with a strike from Matt Murphy, who took the shot from the right circle. His first goal since being traded to Tahoe was their only tally of the frame.

Tulsa got the goal back with a power play rocket from Jeremie Biakabutuka to make it 2-1 heading into the third period.

And the Oilers would strike two times in quick succession to open the third, and completely flip the script on Tahoe. But the Knight Monsters got the game-tying goal minutes later, with another Simon Pinard goal to make it 3-3.

It only made sense that the game would require overtime, and it did for the second time in the three-game series. But after losing in the extra frame back on Friday, Tahoe came out on top in game three.

Off of a great pass from Sloan Stanick, Jones cut to the doorstep and slid the puck past Talyn Boyko to seal the game and the series win for Tahoe.

The Knight Monsters now embark on a three-week, nine-game, road trip that takes them first to Maine for a three-game set with the Mariners. Puck drop for game one is scheduled for 3 pm on Friday, January 3.

Next homestand for the Knight Monsters starts January 24 against the Ft. Wayne Komets. For tickets, visit HERE.