Big First Sinks Caps 4-3
Another tight contest in the NA3HL Showcase for the Capitals ends with the same result: A 4-3 loss. The Revolution took a two-goal lead in the opening period and held on for their first victory of the 2013-2014 season despite being outplayed by Topeka for much of the game.
Battle Creek's Michael Schmidt was the star of the first frame, scoring two goals (at :58 and 10:34 respectively) sandwiched around Hardijis Kupaks netter (assisted by Griffin Leach and Nick Rizzo at 10:18) making it 2-1 Revolution. Eric Stewart capped off the period with a goal at 13:49, sending the boys to the locker room trailing 3-1.
Nolan Stanley cut the lead to 3-2 at 1:32 of the second with a goal assisted by Jayden Munnelly and Trenton Faber. Later on in the period, Chris McCausland made it 4-2 Revolution, scoring at 14:25. But on a power play in the final two minutes, Nick Manney closed the gap to one (assisted by Yu Hikosaka and Hardijis Kupaks) to make it 4-3 heading into the decisive third.
Battle Creek goaltender Zach Cooie stood strong for the last 20 minutes as he had all game under a relentless assault by the Capitals. Despite the final score, the Revolution was outshot 43-19 by Topeka but managed to make the most of the opportunities that they had in earning their first win of the season (1-17-0).
The Capitals look to rebound Sunday at 4pm against the Michigan Mountain Cats. On Monday, they will wrap up the Showcase against the Granite City Lumberjacks. For more information on upcoming Capitals games, call 785-286-PUCK or visit www.topekacapitals.com.