Speedy goal swats Bees
Shaun Landolt set the SteelHounds record for quickest goal -- 10 seconds.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The quickest goal in franchise history propelled the Youngstown SteelHounds to a romp.
After playing overtime shootout contests on Friday and Saturday, the SteelHounds and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees were a bit gassed by the time Sunday's late-afternoon contest began.
But Shaun Landolt motored the SteelHounds into the fast lane, firing a shot off a Killers Bees defender past goaltender Jeff Van Nynatten just 10 seconds into the game.
Garrett Larson, Tab Lardner, Stephen Margeson and Jeff Christian added goals as the SteelHounds walloped the Bees, 5-0.
"They won the [opening] draw, actually," said Landolt of his 11th goal of the season. "Their d-man bobbled the puck a little bit. Lardner got in on it quick and blocked their clearing attempt. The puck came to me at the side of the net."
Landolt said the route relieved some tension.
"We've concerned about scoring -- with 45, 55 shots, we're hoping to get more scoring," Landolt said. "So getting one like lifts your confidence."
Scoring first is key
The SteelHounds are 14-4-2 in games they score first.
SteelHounds coach Kevin Kaminski said the quick lead "was a shot in the arm. You could see it on our bench -- everybody jumped up. They [found they] had energy.
"Tonight, we played with a killer instinct instead of letting leads slip away and teams get back into games," said Kaminski, referring to the 3-0 lead the SteelHounds squandered on Saturday before winning in a shootout.
"The effort is there, we've just got to learn to love winning," Kaminski said. "Get that taste in our mouths, learn to give a little extra to get the job done."
Kaminski praised Lardner's efforts to get more scoring from the team's second line.
SteelHounds goalie Brad Roberts stopped 23 shots to earn his first shutout of the season.
"It's the easiest way to play when the team gets you a good lead, at least three goals," said Roberts, whose record improved to 10-7-3. "Then you can play a lot more relaxed and take a couple of more risks."
Relaxed? When?
"With our team, maybe about 30 second to go in the game," Roberts said with a laugh. "You never know what's going to happen in the third period."
Pressure on goalies
Lardner said Roberts "played steady, played hard. There's been a lot of pressure on our goalies, especially with the close games.
The 1-0 lead doubled early in the second period when the SteelHounds scored their second of four even-strength goals.
Near the side boards, Richards fed Christian the puck behind the net. The SteelHounds captain put the puck into the slot where Garrett Larson tapped it past Van Nynatten.
Midway through the game, Lardner was set up by Margeson for a 3-0 lead.
With two victories in 24 hours, Lardner said, "It's quite a turnaround there. We went on a little slide there and to get five out of six points this weekend is a big thing for us.
"We played hard and everybody played their role well," Lardner said.
The victory lifted the SteelHounds (18-13-8, 44 points) into fourth place in the Northern Conference standings, a point ahead of Oklahoma City (19-11-5, 43 points).
Playoff chase
In this year's CHL playoffs, the top six teams from each conference qualify for the first round. The highest seeded losing team moves on to the conference semifinals.
"I've gone over it a few times," Lardner said. "The higher you finish the better. It's a little different -- I've never heard of anything like it."
The SteelHounds iced the Killer Bees' hopes 90 seconds into the third period when Margeson crashed the Killer Bees' net to score his seventh goal of the season. Chris Richards and Lardner set up the four-on-four goal.
About Lardner, Kaminski said, "He's good at protecting the puck and he's got good speed wide. When he's skating wide and taking pucks to the net, that's when he's best."
Larson earned another assist midway through the third period when he set up Christian's 23rd goal of the season. The Central Hockey League scoring leader has 67 points, two more than teammate Richards.
williams@vindy.com