Mudbugs Slip by Tulsa in a Shootut
December 19, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release
BOSSIER CITY, LA - Travis Clayton scored two goals and Joe Blaznek had the shootout game-winner to go with two assists as the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs edged the Tulsa Oilers 4-3 Friday night at the CenturyTel Center. The Mudbugs are now 3-0 against the Oilers this season heading into tomorrow night's game in Tulsa.
Brett Smith also scored in the shootout and assisted on Chris Brassard's goal that tied the game at three for Bossier-Shreveport in the third period. The Bugs held a 2-0 lead after one period but then had to rally in the third after three Tulsa goals late in the second period.
The Mudbugs set the tone for the first period with a great penalty kill just a few minutes into the game. The Bugs PK unit shut down a 5-on-3 powerplay that lasted 1:52 for Tulsa to keep the Oilers off the board. Late in the period, Travis Clayton scored twice in a span of 1:31 to give the Bugs a two goal cushion after one period. Clayton tipped in a great centering feed from Joe Blaznek on the powerplay for the first goal of the game at 17:12. A short time later, Blaznek fired a puck on net that Kevin St. Pierre stopped, but Clayton was on the doorstep to jam home the rebound and make it 2-0 Mudbugs after the first period.
Tulsa turned things around in the second period though, scoring three late goals to take the lead. The Bugs had killed of the first five Oilers powerplays in the game, but Tulsa capitalized on its second two-man advantage of the night when Sean Collins finished off a pretty play with his fourth goal of the season to cut the Mudbugs lead in half. Just 18 seconds later, Jeff Christian skated into the offensive zone and beat Jon Horrell with a slapshot that tied the game for Tulsa. The Oilers then took the lead with their third goal in 2:19 as Collins scored his second of the game on a breakaway. All of a sudden, Tulsa led 3-2 after the second period.
Bossier-Shreveport rallied immediately to start the third though, as Smith fed Brassard in the slot for his fifth goal of the season that tied the game just 1:26 into the third period. The teams played out the stalemate through the rest of the third and then into the overtime, eventually going to a shootout.
Jon Horrell stopped all four Tulsa shooters, including two saves on Christian after the Oilers' captain was given a second shootout try when Horrell left the post before Christian touched the puck on his first opportunity. Blaznek scored to give the Bugs the lead after two shooters and Brett Smith capped off the shootout as Bossier-Shreveport's fifth shooter, scoring to give the Mudbugs a 2-0 win in the shootout and a 4-3 victory in the game.
Horrell made 28 saves to improve his record to 4-0-1 on the year, while St. Pierre stopped 34 shots in the shootout loss. The Bugs finished with a 38-31 shot advantage and converted 1 of 5 powerplays while Tulsa was 2 for 7.
Tomorrow night the same two teams will meet again to finish out this weekend's home-and-home series at Tulsa's new BOK Center. Opening puck drop is set for 7:35 pm as the Mudbugs look to go 4-0 against the Oilers this season. The game will be broadcast on AM 1130 KWKH with pregame coverage beginning at 7:15 and will also be shown live online through the CHL Network.
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