Killer Bees game notes

February 25, 2006 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release

The Killer Bees (23-21-5, 51 pts) face off against the Memphis RiverKings (18-28-3, 39 pts) in a non conference matchup. The Bees are coming off a 5-1 win over Austin last night and are now two points behind the third place spot in the Southern Conference playoff race. Thanks to an Odessa comeback last night (4-3) the Bees are now also tied with Amarillo. Bret DeCecco had a pair of goals last night, his 21st and 22nd, while Evan Lindsay made 25 saves for his 18th win. Memphis has had a tough stretch as of late, going winless in eight games (0-7-1) including last night's 5-4 overtime loss at Fort Worth. Jimmy Sokol had the game-tying goal for the Brahmas with 3:04 left in regulation, then scored the game-winner 1:07 into overtime. Tonight's game features the CHL's third-best power play (Memphis, 18.36%) squaring off against the third-best penalty-kill (Bees, 85.48).

RADIO/TV

Radio: ESPN 1240; Live Audio at killerbeehockey.com; audio/video stream at chltv.com

TV: Televisa (XERV 9, Cable 19)

SEASON SERIES

This is the second of three meetings between the teams...The Bees fell 5-1 at Memphis on Jan. 22 to begin an eight-game (0-7-1) winless slide...Rio's only goal (Clay Plume) came via the power play...The teams play here again on March 18.

ALL TIME SERIES

The Killer Bees are 0-4-2 vs. the RiverKings all time

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Saturday, February 25 vs. Memphis, 7:35 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240) NASCAR night presented by HEB, hand clappers to the first 2500 fans; Bees wear special NASCAR jerseys to be auctioned after the game (benefits Killer Bee Foundation); Fans who wear NASCAR attire can buy $11 tickets to the game.

Sunday, February 26 at Corpus Christi, 5:05 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

Wednesday, March 1 at Laredo, 11:00 a.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

Friday, March 3 at Odessa, 7:00 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

Tuesday, March 7 vs. Bossier-Shreveport, 10:30 a.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240) Special kid's day game. No tickets available.

Wednesday, March 8 vs. Bossier-Shreveport, 7:35 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

TONIGHT'S OPPONENT

The Lubbock Cotton Kings scored four third period goals to break open a tie game en route to a 7-4 victory over the Memphis RiverKings Tuesday night at the DeSoto Civic Center. It was just Lubbock's second game in their history at the DCC and the first since November of 2001. Nolan Graham had a hat trick and two assists, helping his team snap a three game losing streak. Derek Landmesser had a goal and two assists as Memphis came back from a 3-0 hole after the first period to tie the game entering the third... Landmesser has surpassed his goal output of last season after scoring his 11th of the season on Tuesday night... Memphis is the only team in the league that hasn't had a game go to a shootout. They are also the only team that has not won a game when trailing after the first period (0-17-1).

TEAM NOTES

DOWN THE STRETCH

Including tonight, the Killer Bees have 15 games left in the season. Of their remaining games, eight are away from the Dodge Arena. The Bees face Conference rivals Odessa and Amarillo two more times and close out the regular season on the road at those two cities.

Home: Memphis (2), Bossier-Shreveport (2), Lubbock (1), Corpus Christi (1), Laredo (1)

Road: Corpus Christi (2), Laredo (1), Odessa (2), Lubbock (1), Amarillo (2)

TEAM GOALS AGAINST IN TOP FIVE

The Killer Bees are fifth in the CHL with a 3.04 team GAA. Memphis is last at 3.82.

ANOTHER NEW SHOTS RECORD

The Killer Bees set a franchise record with 57 shots in a game vs. Austin in a 5-1 win on Feb. 25. That breaks the previous record of 55 set this season on Dec. 31, 2005 vs. Fort Worth. The Bees had 24 shots in the first period vs. Austin, which surprisingly is not a record. The 2004-05 team put 27 shots on goal in the second period of a 4-1 win over Odessa on Jan. 6, 2005. The Bees have pit 50-plus shots on goal in three of their last six games.

JUST SHY OF SHOTS RECORD

The Killer Bees put 54 shots on Corpus Christi's Scott Reid on Feb 12 in a 5-0 win. They fell one shot short of tying the former franchise record for shots on goal in one goal (55, set Dec. 31, 2005 vs. Fort Worth).

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Rio Grande Valley's playoff picture is tied in part to how the team performs on the road in the final 20 games. The Killer Bees play 10 of their final 20 games away from Dodge Arena. The Killer Bees are winless in their last 10 road outings (0-8-2). They have not collected a solid two points on the road in 12 games, dating back to a 4-1 win at Fort Worth on Dec. 30 (The only road win in since Dec. 30 was a 3-2 shootout victory at Corpus Christi).

TRADE WINDS

The Killer Bees acquired All Star winger Bret DeCecco from Fort Worth for center Bobby Davis and future considerations on Wednesday, Feb 8, 2006. DeCecco played in San Angelo last season, where he was a teammate of Killer Bees Trevor Weisgerber, Nathan Rosychuk and Matt Medley.

CRAZY FINISH

The Killer Bees were down 3-0 to Youngstown on Feb. 18 until Bill Newson scored twice to bring the team within a goal, and then Bret DeCecco batted a puck out of mid-air for his 20th goal to tie the game late in the third. Just 10 seconds later (16:59), Mario Chinelli scored to re-take the lead for Youngstown. Daymen Bencharski erased that deficit by scoring his 19th with 1:13 left and Terry Dunbar pulled for the extra skater. The teams battled through overtime and seven shooutout rounds until Trevor Weisgerber bagged the winner.

SHOOTOUTS IN BUNCHES

The Killer Bees have played two straight shootout games twice this season. They went 1-1 in the extra-extra Jan. 13 and 14, winning 3-2 at Corpus Christi and losing 2-1 at Austin. The Bees lost at home to Corpus on Feb. 17 by a 3-2 final, then came back vs. Youngstown 5-4.

SHORT BENCH

The Killer Bees played with just 14 skaters in the 3-2 overtime loss at Laredo on February 8. Daymen Bencharski missed the game with a groin injury, while the team was short to begin with due to the Davis/DeCecco trade.

TOUGH TIMES

The Killer Bees went 2-6-2 in games 31-40, their worst 10-game stretch of the season. They were outscored 27-17 and managed just five power play goals on 65 chances. They set a season-high with a six-game road winless skid from Jan. 14-Feb.3 (0-5-1). By comparison, the team went 9-1-0 in games 21-30.

MIDWEEK BLAHS

Midweek games have not been fun for the Killer Bees this season. They are 1-8-1 in weekday games and have been outscored 35-20. The lone win was a 6-3 victory on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Corpus Christi.

CONFERENCE CALL

The Killer Bees are 18-13-4 vs. Southern Conference teams and 5-8-1 vs. Northern Conference clubs.

ONE GOAL GAMES

The Killer Bees are 10-5-5 in one-goal games.

FIRST GOAL IS THE GOAL

The Killer Bees are 16-5-2 when scoring first and 7-18-3 when allowing the first goal.

FINALLY, BEES COME BACK AFTER 40 MINUTES

The Killer Bees finally came back from a deficit entering the third period to win on Feb. 18 vs. Youngstown. They are now 1-17-0 when trailing after two periods. When trailing after the first, the Bees are now 2-11-1, also earning a point in an overtime loss to Colorado on Nov. 11. Rio's 4-1 win over Corpus Christi on Dec. 16 marked the first time the team came back from trailing after the first period to win.

ONE, TWO THREE.....WE WANT FOUR! The Killer Bees are a perfect 19-0-0 when scoring four or more goals and 4-0 when scoring six or more. When scoring three or fewer goals, the record is just 4-21-5.

MONTH BY MONTH

The Bees got off to the best start in franchise history, going 4-1-0 in October. After a tough November (3-7-1), the Killer Bees went 9-3-0 in December and went 4-5-2 in January. They are 3-5-2 in February so far.

BEES STRONG AT HOLDING LEADS

At 18-2-2 when leading after two periods, the Bees have been strong with the lead. The Bees led 3-2 at Oklahoma City entering the third period but fell 5-3. They had not given up a third period lead since a 6-3 loss vs. Austin on Nov. 12.

NEW FRANCHISE ROAD-WINNING STREAK

The Killer Bees set a new franchise record with their fourth consecutive road win Dec. 30 at Fort Worth. The previous mark of three in a row last occurred Feb. 15-21, 2004.

BEES SET FRANCHISE WINNING STREAK

With a 5-4 win in overtime on Dec. 18, the Bees set a new franchise streak with five wins in a row. They extended the streak to six games overall with a 5-1 win at Corpus Christi on Dec. 23 The team had two previous win streaks of four wins in a row, most recently Feb. 15-21, 2004.

ALL TIME SHOTS RECORD SET

The Killer Bees broke another franchise record Dec. 31 by firing 55 shots at Fort Worth's Larry Sterling. The previous mark of 54 happened Jan. 6, 2005 vs. Odessa. The teams combined for 93 shots (a Bees record) and fell eight shots short of the CHL season high of 102 set by Colorado and Odessa on Oct. 22.

BEES AND RAYZ COMBINE FOR PIM HIGH

The Bees and Corpus Christi Rayz combined for 112 PIM on Dec. 23, the most this season between the Bees and an opponent. Ryan Shmyr set a team high with 26 PIM, while the Rayz' Shawn Legault racked up 29 PIM.

SPECIAL TEAMS

POWER PLAY (16.85%)

The Killer Bees are tied for fourth in the CHL with 62 power play goals...The Bees are 12-for-57 (21.05%) over the last nine games, and had a three-game scoring streak snapped at Oklahoma City on Feb. 14...They broke an 0-for-21 slide over four games with a pair of power play goals at Laredo on Wednesday, Feb. 3...The team went 5-for-65 (7.69%) in games 31-40 after going 16-for-87 (18.39%) in games 21-30...The Killer Bees set a franchise record with four power play goals Dec. 10 at Austin and matched that performance Dec. 31 vs. Fort Worth...Daymen Bencharski (8) and Trevor Weisgerber (7) lead the team in power play goals.

PENALTY KILLING (85.48%)

The Killer Bees have allowed the fewest power play goals in the CHL (45) while they are tied for third with 11 shorthanded goals...The Bees had killed off 22 of 23 shorthanded situations over five games prior to allowing two goals vs. Corpus Christi on Feb. 17...Oklahoma City's power play goal on Feb. 14 snapped a streak of 17 straight kills over four games...The Bees are 5-for-44 over the last eight games (88.6%)...The penalty kill went 8-for-53 (84.9%) in games 31-40 after going 6-for-67 (91.04%) in games 21-30... They broke a franchise record Dec. 31 vs. Fort Worth with their ninth SHG...Trevor Weisgerber (3), Dwayne Hay and Daymen Bencharski (2) lead the team in SHG.

NEW POWER PLAY OPPORTUNITES HIGH SET

The Killer Bees went 3-for-14 on the power play Dec. 23 at Corpus Christi and tied a franchise high set Feb. 14, 2004 vs. Laredo when the Bees went 2-for-14 on the man advantage. It eclipses the season-high of 12 power play chances, set Dec. 17 at Laredo when the Bees went 2-for-12.

FRANCHISE POWER PLAY GOALS RECORD SET, AGAIN

A four-goal night (4-for-11) on the power play set a franchise record Dec. 10 at Austin. The Bees matched that output Dec. 31 vs. Fort Worth, going 4-for-13. The Bees have scored three power play goals numerous times, including a three-goal performance on Dec. 3 at home vs. the Ice Bats, a 3-for-14 night Dec. 30 at Fort Worth, and a 3-for-7 night vs. Corpus Christi Feb 12.

GOALIE NOTES

LINDSAY AMONG GOALIE WINS LEADERS, EARNS SECOND SHUTOUT

Evan Lindsay's 18 wins are fourth in the CHL and he is among the leaders in minutes played. He picked up his 17th win and his second shutout of the season with a 34-save performance Feb. 12 vs. Corpus Christi. He earned his first shutout of the season Jan. 7 vs. Corpus Christi with 24 saves. His closest shutout bid prior to that was ended with Derrick McIver's goal with only 19 seconds in regulation at Corpus Christi on Dec. 23.

LINDSAY EARNS GOALIE OF THE WEEK NOD, AGAIN

Evan Lindsay earned his second nod as the Oakley CHL Goalie of the Week for Week 17. Lindsay began his week with a 42-save performance Feb. 8 in a 3-2 overtime loss in Laredo, and then made another 34 saves Sunday, Feb 12 to blank visiting Corpus Christi 5-0. He went 1-0-1 on the week, his 1.45 GAA and .962 save percentage leading the team out of an eight-game winless slide. Lindsay was also named the Oakley CHL Goalie of the Week after earning two wins the weekend of Jan. 6 and 7. The Bees edged Austin 4-3 in OT on Lindsay's 29 saves and Kurtis Dulle's OT winner. Lindsay made 24 saves in a 1-0 win over Corpus Christi the following night.

DUNBAR GETS EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT

Terry Dunbar (DOB 12/31/79) earned his fourth win of the season and second in a row with 23 saves just hours before turning 26 at Forth Worth on Dec. 30.

DUNBAR SNAPS PERSONAL WINLESS SKID

Terry Dunbar snapped a three-game personal winless skid with a 15-save shootout win over Youngstown on Feb. 18. Dunbar was 0-2-2 in his previous four starts despite allowing just 10 goals (2.46 GAA) and making 110 saves (.916) over that stretch.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

ROSYCHUK SCORES GAME-WINNER IN RETURN

Nathan Rosychuk scored the game-winner vs. Austin on Feb. 24 after missing the previous 18 games with an injury. His power play goal in the second period came one minute after Austin tied the game. Overall, it was his third goal of the season and second on the man advantage.

ROSYCHUK RETURNS; KUCZMANSKI PLACED ON IR

Nathan Rosychuk was activated from the 45-day injured reserve today, while Jason Kuczmanski was placed on 45-day injured reserve retroactive to Tuesday night's game. Rosychuk had been out since Jan. 8, a span of 18 games. Overall, he has missed 21 games due to injury this season after being placed on 14-day injured reserve back in late October. In 26 games this season, he has 18 points (2-16-18) including a power play tally. This is the second time Kuczmanski has been placed on the 45-day injured reserve list. He missed 21 games from Nov. 15 - Jan. 8. In 10 games prior to his injury, the rookie out of SUNY-Geneseo had two goals. He earned one assist prior to his most recent IR placement.

BENCHARSKI RETURNS AFTER MISSING FIVE

Daymen Bencharski missed five games from Feb 8-17 with a groin injury. He returned to the lineup on Feb. 18 vs. Youngstown and contributed with a goal and an assist. His goal at 18:47 of the third forced overtime (and the eventual shootout, which the Bees won 5-4.

DECECCO SCORES IN BEES DEBUT

Bret DeCecco bagged his 19th goal of the season in the third period of Rio Grande Valley's 5-3 loss to Amarillo on Feb. 10 in his Killer Bees debut.

EGELAND WINS AS HE REACHES 200 PRO GAMES AS HEAD COACH

Tracy Egeland earned a win in his 200th pro game as a head coach on Friday, Jan. 13, 2006. The Bees edged Corpus Christi in a shootout 3-2 at American Bank Center.

BENCHARSKI BAGS A PAIR IN ALL-STAR GAME; LINDSAY SAW A SHOT PER MINUTE

Center Daymen Bencharski, a starter in the Obra Homes CHL 2006 All Star Game at Dodge Arena, bagged two goals in the South's 10-9 shootout loss to the North. Evan Lindsay saw nearly a shot per minute (26 saves, 31 shots in 35:29).

SMITH REACHES 250 PRO GAMES

Darcy Smith appeared in his 250th pro game Sunday, Jan. 8 at Austin. Already this season, he has surpassed career highs with three goals and 13 points (previous highs 2-10-12).

KRALJ HAS KNACK FOR BIG GOALS

Matic Kralj's game-winner in the shootout Jan. 13 at Corpus Christi was his third of the season. He has been involved in four overtime/shootout-winners, scoring vs. Laredo (Nov. 19), setting up an Aaron Phillips overtime goal with a clean faceoff win on Dec. 18, and scoring in the above mentioned shootout. He scored the game-tying goal Jan. 6 vs. Austin.

MUSHALUK AMONG ROOKIE LEADERS

Jeff Mushaluk is among CHL rookie scoring leaders with 21 points (4-17-21).

WEISGERBER SETS FRANCHISE ASSIST STREAK

Trevor Weisgerber's assist on Daymen Bencharski's goal Dec. 23 at Corpus Christi set a new franchise-high for consecutive games with an assist. The streak was broken Dec. 27 vs. Laredo in a 3-1 loss. Weisgerber's six-game streak eclipsed the five-game mark set by Joe Guenther in 2004.

BENCHARSKI NAMED OAKLEY CHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR WEEK 8

Daymen Bencharski has been selected as the Week Eight recipient of the Oakley Central Hockey League Player of the Week award. Bencharski registered eight points (4-4-8), including three multiple-point outings in four games, and his second natural hat-trick of the season.

SCORING STREAKS

- Bret DeCecco has points (4-3-7) in six of seven games since being acquired from Fort Worth.

- Dwayne Hay has points (3-6-9) in six straight games.

- Matt Medley has points (0-3-3) in two straight and in four of his last six (2-5-7).

TRANSACTIONS

02/24/06 ADD Rosychuk, Nathan (LW) activated from IR 02/21/06 DEL Kuczmanski, Jason (F) placed on 45 day IR

02/08/06 , ADD DeCecco, Bret (RW) acquired in trade from Fort Worth

02/08/06 , DEL Davis, Bobby (C) traded to Fort Worth

01/22/06 , DEL Gajda, Tyson (G) waived

01/22/06 , ADD Dunbar, Terry (G) activated from leave by league

01/18/06 , DEL Dunbar, Terry (G) granted leave by league

01/18/06 , ADD Gajda, Tyson (G) signed contract

01/10/06 , ADD Kuczmanski, Jason (F) activated from IR

01/08/06 , ADD Shmyr, Ryan (RW) activated from suspension

01/07/06 , DEL Rosychuk, Nathan (LW) placed on 45 day IR

12/28/05 , DEL Shmyr, Ryan (RW) placed on league suspension for 5 games

12/16/05 , ADD Kralj, Matic (C) activated from IR

11/20/05 , DEL Kralj, Matic (C) placed on 14 day IR

11/16/05 , ADD Cherneski, Phil (LW) signed contract

11/15/05 , DEL Kuczmanski, Jason (F) placed on 45 day IR

11/11/05 , ADD Rosychuk, Nathan (LW) activated from IR

11/05/05 , ADD Phillips, Aaron (RW) activated from suspension

11/02/05 , DEL Phillips, Aaron (RW) placed on league suspension for 1 games

10/28/05 , DEL Rosychuk, Nathan (LW) placed on 14 day IR

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from February 25, 2006

Eagles Down Blazers 4-3 in Shootout - Colorado Eagles
Ice Bats End Bat Cave Run in Style, 4-3 - Austin Ice Bats
Lubbock Edges Amarillo 2-1 - Lubbock Cotton Kings
Laredo beats Corpus Christi 4-2 - Corpus Christi IceRays
Bucks Beat Rayz 4-2 - Laredo Bucks
Bees swarm RiverKings for seven goals - Mississippi RiverKings
Hounds lose to Bossier-Shreveport - Youngstown SteelHounds
Killer Bees game notes - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
Postgame party Saturday night at Flying Saucer - Fort Worth Brahmas
Darryl Lloyd Earns Second Call-Up To The AHL - Youngstown SteelHounds
RiverKings road game preview - Mississippi RiverKings
Sunday Game Reminder - Lubbock Cotton Kings
Cotton Kings Game Night Preview vs. Amarillo - Lubbock Cotton Kings

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Stories