Mudbugs Escape Tulsa with Win
January 16, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release
TULSA, OK - Joe Blaznek scored twice and Travis Clayton moved into sole possession of second place in CHL history with the 528 assist of his CHL career as the Mudbugs edged the Tulsa Oilers 5-4 on Friday night at the BOK Center. The Mudbugs are now one point behind Oklahoma City (who defeated Mississippi 5-1 Friday night) for the Northeast Division lead heading into their match up with the Blazers Saturday night at the Ford Center.
Clayton had a goal and an assist, while J.R. Bria, Tyrel Lucas and Todd Paul each had two assists on the night for Bossier-Shreveport. The Mudbugs are now 6-0 against Tulsa this season after earning their 22nd win of the season.
The Oilers struck first as Bobby Reed made a nice power move to the front of the net to give Tulsa a 1-0 lead at the 4:33 mark. The Mudbugs got the offense going a short time later though, as Travis Clayton tipped in Todd Paul's shot from the point to tie the game at one near the halfway point of the period. Two minutes later, Joe Blaznek fired a long shot from the blueline that snuck through the five-hole of Tulsa goaltender Davis Parley to make it 2-0. Before the period was out, the âBugs fittingly took a 3-1 lead on a three-on-one break. Chris Brassard played give-and-go with Mark Johnson, getting a pass back from Johnson and finding the twine for his tenth goal of the year to put Bossier-Shreveport on top by two after one.
Tulsa cut the lead in half though on a nice goal by Brendon Hodge, who got around two Mudbug defenders and hit the top corner to make it 3-1. The Mudbugs got the two-goal advantage back though when Blaznek tipped Clayton's shot from the boards over Parley's head for his second tally of the game. With an assist on that goal, Clayton passed former Oklahoma City great Hardy Sauter for second in CHL history in assists. Tulsa again battled back though, getting Hodge's second of the night to make it 4-3 after 40 minutes.
Joe Ori's shorthanded goal two minutes into the third period extended the lead once again, making it 5-3 for the Mudbugs. As they did all night though, the Oilers rallied and got a powerplay goal from Jeff Christian to get back within one. The Mudbugs outshot Tulsa 15-6 in the third period though and were able to hang on to the lead and win 5-4.
Bossier-Shreveport was outshot 35-31 in the game, and went 0 for 4 on the powerplay, while Tulsa was 1 for 8. Ken Carroll made 31 saves to win his fourth straight game, while Parley stopped 26 shots in defeat.
The Mudbugs will now make the short journey across the state for their first meeting of the season with Oklahoma City. The Blazers have cooled a bit from their torrid pace to start the season and gotten in a logjam with Bossier-Shreveport and Mississippi atop the Northeast Division standings. The âBugs and Blazers only meet four times this season, so every head-to-head showdown is vital for the two teams. Opening faceoff at the Ford Center on Saturday night is set for 7:10 pm, with pregame coverage starting at 6:50 on AM 1130 KWKH. The game can also be seen live online on the CHL Network.
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Central Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2009
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- Eagles Make Roster Moves - Colorado Eagles
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