For only the second time in current franchise history, the Tulsa Oilers finished the regular season with 40 wins and are headed to the ECHL playoffs for the second year in a row.
Tulsa beat the Allen Americans, 7-2, on Saturday, to clinch the sixth spot in the Western Conference and fourth place in the Mountain Division. For the second consecutive year, Tulsa will face the division leading Kansas City Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
Kansas City finished with 49 wins, 18 losses, 4 overtime losses and 1 shootout loss for 103 points. The Oilers finished the regular season with a record of 40-24-5-3 and 88 points.
The Oilers set franchise records this season, in road victories (22) and average attendance (7585), while scoring more than 240 goals for just the second time since joining the ECHL (2014-15). The Oilers 88 points in the standings were also second-best in franchise history, trailing only the 2018-19 team that won the Mountain Division title.
Tulsa is the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Just like in minor league baseball, sometimes when players get called up or sent down, it can disrupt the chemistry and momentum of a team, however, this season, the opposite was true for Tulsa. There were several players who made appearances in Tulsa this season who were on loan from Anaheim or San Diego, including a goaltender, and it helped to strengthen the team’s performance.
The Oilers will open the post-season with games one and two at Kansas City on Friday and Saturday night. Game three and four will be at home at the BOK Center on Tuesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 24. Game five, if necessary, will also be in Tulsa on Friday, April 25. Tickets can be purchased at tulsaoilers.com.
OILERS FOOTBALL LOSES IN OT
The Tulsa Oilers Indoor Football League team lost at Green Bay on Friday night, 74-68, in overtime. The Oilers record dropped to 1-2 on the season.
A first half highlight came on the Oilers first possession as JuJu Augustine returned a kickoff for a touchdown on a run from the back of his own endzone. Tulsa led at halftime, 40-38. Phazione McClurge, Cole Blackman and Augustine, all caught touchdown passes in the first half.
Tulsa received the ball to start the second half and began the third quarter scoring with a touchdown catch from McClurge to take a 47-38 lead. TJ Edwards added three straight rushing touchdowns in the second half to keep the game tight. Tulsa led 68-61 with 0:43 to go in regulation.
Green Bay tied the score to force overtime where the Oilers had their field goal attempt blocked, leading to an eventual touchdown by the Blizzard on the following drive to end the game.
Tulsa will play its first home game of the season, this Saturday, April 19, against the San Antonio Gunslingers. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the BOK Center.
ORU WOMEN’S TENNIS IN TOURNY
The 2025 Summit League Women’s Tennis Championship, hosted by the University of Denver at the Denver Tennis Park is this Friday and Saturday. The four-team tournament will feature top-seeded Denver, along with No. 2 Oral Roberts, No. 3 Omaha, and No. 4 North Dakota, all vying for the championship title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Denver enters the championship having won its 11th straight Summit League regular season title. The Pioneers completed yet another undefeated conference campaign, marking their 11th consecutive season without a league loss. Denver (10-9; 6-0 SL) will face No. 4 North Dakota (14-7; 3-3 SL) in the first women’s semifinal match on Friday at 4:00 p.m. CDT.
No. 2 Oral Roberts (9-11; 4-2 SL) edged out No. 3 Omaha (14-9; 4-2 SL) for the second seed, holding a tiebreaker advantage following their head-to-head 5-2 victory over UNO. The two squads will meet again in the second women’s semifinal match on Friday, at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
The winners will advance to the championship match on Saturday, at 2:00 p.m. CDT. Fans can catch all the action live, with individual court streams available on Track.Tennis and wraparound coverage featuring broadcasters streaming on the Summit League Network. All Summit League Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship matches will be available free of charge.
TULSA BEACON RADIO
Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national level guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. My guest this week will be international evangelist Danniel King of King Ministries in Tulsa. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.