Killer Bees a Buzz Kill vs. Bugs
January 24, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release
BOSSIER CITY, LA - Evan Rankin's goal late in the second period proved to be the game-winner as the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees defeated the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs 4-1 on Saturday night at the CenturyTel Center. The Killer Bees led 2-1 after two periods, but added two insurance goals early in the third to put the game out of reach.
Brett Smith scored the only goal for the Mudbugs, converting a penalty shot mid-way through the second period to tie the game at one. Ken Carroll made 33 saves in the defeat, his first regulation loss in his last seven starts.
The Mudbugs came out strong to start, outshooting Rio Grande Valley 9-2 in the opening minutes. The Killer Bees found their legs though and took a 1-0 lead on the powerplay when Nicolas Dumoulin's point blast was deflected in front and bounced over Carroll's shoulder to make it 1-0 after one period.
Bossier-Shreveport battled back in the second though, getting a penalty shot when Smith was pulled down on a breakaway after a nice feed from J.J. Martin. Smith sped into the zone on the penalty shot and fired a hard wrist shot into the top corner to tie the game at one with his 14th goal of the year. With just over three minutes remaining though, Evan Rankin broke into the zone and rifled a great shot just over Carroll's left pad, off the far post and into the net for a 2-0 Rio Grande Valley lead after 40 minutes.
Early in the third, Aaron Lee and Jesse Bennefield both scored on odd-man rushes just over a minute apart to give the Killer Bees a three-goal cushion that they wouldn't relinquish. Christian Boucher made 12 third-period saves to preserve the lead in a 4-1 Rio Grande Valley victory.
The Killer Bees outshot the Mudbugs 37-32 in the game. Bossier-Shreveport finished 0 for 4 on the powerplay, while Rio Grande Valley was 1 for 3. Boucher stopped 31 shots en route to his seventh win of the year.
The Mudbugs will now get ready to face Laredo on Monday night in their final regular season meeting of the year with the Bucks. Monday's game is Laredo's only visit to CenturyTel Center this season as the two teams renew one of the best rivalries in the CHL at 7:05 pm. Individual tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster, while group and flex ticket packages are available at the Mudbugs office inside CenturyTel Center or by calling 318-752-BUGS.
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