CHL Mississippi RiverKings

Laredo outlasts battered 'Kings, Wins 4-3

Published on March 5, 2004 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS – The two-time defending CHL champion Memphis RiverKings came up one goal short against the CHL-leading Laredo Bucks as they fell 4-3 in front of an announced crowd of 6,098 at the DeSoto Civic Center.

Laredo sealed the win 7 minutes into the second period when Bucks forward Steve Simoes found a rebound and pushed it past 'Kings goaltender Jean-Francois Racine. The goal was Simoes' 16th this season.

The Bucks opened the scoring at the 3:18 mark of the first period when forward Max Birbraer slotted home a Patrik Nilson pass for his 14th tally and his first of the game.

Memphis responded a little over a minute later on the power play. Defenseman Derek Landmesser found a loose puck and fired a shot past goaltender David Guerrera with 4:49 gone in the period. Landmesser's 7th goal came after a flurry of ‘Kings shots in front of the net.

4 minutes later the 'Kings jumped ahead, again on the power play, this time courtesy of forward Brian Tucker. Tucker's 11th of the season came at 8:09 and would be followed 6 minutes later by captain Don Parsons' 35th to push the lead to 2 goals.

The lead would not last long, a mere 13 seconds to be exact. At 14:49 Birbraer lit the lamp for the second time and less than a minute later Serge Dube pulled the game level with 15:27 left until intermission.

From then on out the game belonged to Guerrero, who faced a deluge of Memphis shots en route to his 26th win in a season that has already seen him nominated for CHL Goalie of the Year and CHL MVP. Guerrero turned aside 37 RiverKings shots.

Racine took the loss, only his 8th this year, stopping 21 of the 25 shots fired on net. The loss drops Memphis to 33-23-4 with 70 points. The ‘Kings are locked up in a tie with the Wichita Thunder and only a single point ahead of an Indianapolis squad with 2 games in hand as the season hits it's crescendo.

A Memphis squad already beleaguered by injuries skated without yet another key player, Jonathan Gagnon, whose injury will likely keep him out of tomorrow night's contest against the Bossier-Shreveport MudBugs. The meeting will be the last time the two teams face off during the regular season. Gametime is set for 7:005 PM CST at the CenturyTel Center.

The Bucks, meanwhile, head into Tulsa for a showdown with an Oilers squad currently in a three game losing streak.

All 64 RiverKings games can be heard on Easy 680 AM, as well as worldwide via SportsJuice.com. RiverKings games can also be heard inside the DeSoto Civic Center on FM frequency 107.9 FM. Select RiverKings games will also be available through CHL TV, a league-wide video streaming enterprise. CHL TV is available at www.CHLTV.com. Information on the RiverKings, including the latest roster moves, press releases, and pictures, is available at www.riverkings.com.

Group and individual game tickets for all remaining RiverKings games are available. For more information, telephone (662) 342-1755.

RiverKings Rule!

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2004


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