Arizona Closes Out 2009-10 Road Schedule with 5-3 Loss to Laredo
March 13, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Arizona Sundogs News Release
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - Skating in their final road game of the 2009-10 season the Arizona Sundogs fell 5-2 to the Laredo Bucks Saturday night at the Laredo Entertainment Center, failing to match a franchise-best 16 road wins in a season first set during the team's 2007-08 campaign.
J.F. Perras, making his first start in net for Arizona since a December 13th injury sidelined him for three months, made 31 saves in the loss.
Kyle Hood extended his scoring streak to seven games assisting on rookie defenseman and former college teammate Nick Biondo's second of the season midway through contest.
Twice the Sundogs cut Laredo's lead to one in the second period only to have the Bucks respond less than a minute later to regain a two-goal lead.
Trailing 2-0 and skating 4-on-4, Arizona connected on a tic-tac-toe play at 12:37 of the middle frame as Biondo netted his first goal since February 12.
Creating a turnover at his own blue line and trailing the play, Biondo fired a wrist shot past Pier-Olivier Pelletier as alternate captains Jason Visser and Hood traded passes inside the offensive zone crossing-up the Laredo defenders.
Curtis Billsten notched his second of the game 41 seconds later to make the score 3-1 in favor of the Bucks, converting on an Eric Giosa pass from behind the net.
Three minutes passed before Marc Belanger snapped a 10-game goal scoring drought with his 19th of the year and 10th since joining the Sundogs to pull his club back to within one.
Stationed in the slot, Belanger lifted a Linus Fagemo centering feed over Pelletier at 16:21.
Maxime Lincourt reclaimed a two-goal lead for Laredo less than a minute later with his first of two tallies in the game, beating Perras blocker side on a second-chance shot from the slot with 2:43 to play in the period.
The Bucks never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in an opening frame that saw both teams collect quality scoring chances.
Laredo netminder Pelletier kept Arizona off the scoreboard in the first period with 10 saves, his biggest coming against Visser and rookie forward Joey Sides.
Visser one-timed a Konrad Reeder pass from the slot that Pelletier turned aside at the seven minutes into the contest before denying Sides on a backhand-to-forehand breakaway with nine minutes to play in the first.
Billsten opened scoring 4:57 into the game collecting a Lincourt neutral zone feed and splitting the Sundogs defense at the blue line before snapping a wrist shot far side past the glove of Perras.
Sylvain Deschatelets stretched Laredo's lead to two with 1:24 to play in the first, one-timing a Darryl Smith pass from the slot high glove side.
Lincourt scored his second of the game 4:17 into the third on a long rebound chance as Perras was sliding across the crease after making the initial save on Billsten on the far post.
Fagemo added his team-leading 23rd of the year with 15 seconds to play in the contest sending a backhand high over the net that caromed off the glass before bouncing off Pelletier and over the goal line.
Neither team was able to capitalize with the extra skater as the Sundogs finished 0-for-3 on the power play while Laredo failed to score of five man-advantage chances.
Arizona (23-32-6) closes out the 2009-10 regular season with three straight against the Colorado Eagles at Tim's Toyota Center beginning Wednesday, March 17 at 7:05pm. Tickets start at just $14 and are available by phone at 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), online at www.gettix.net and in person at the Tim's Toyota Center Box Office.
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