Mudbugs Weekly

October 20, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


MUDBUGS OFF TO 2-0 START

With a pair of victories during the CHL's opening weekend, the Mudbugs have started the season 2-0-0 for the first time in three seasons. In 2005-06, Bossier-Shreveport started the year at 5-0-1 before their first regulation loss. Tuesday night in Mississippi, the Mudbugs will look to start the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The only time in franchise history the team has enjoyed a better start was its inaugural season of 1997-98, when the Bugs won their first five games of the season.

POWER-FUL PLAY

It certainly hasn't taken the Mudbugs long to get their powerplay going early in the season. Out of the seven goals the team has notched so far this year, six of them have been with the man advantage. The Bugs were 4 of 7 on the powerplay Friday night and 2-10 on Saturday. That puts Bossier-Shreveport's powerplay percentage at a whopping 35.3 percent (3rd in the CHL) after two games.

CLARK MAKES AN IMPRESSION

The Mudbugs signed Neil Clark on Friday afternoon, just in time for the third year forward to suit up and play against Texas. It didn't take long for the Burnaby, British Columbia native to mix it up with the Brahmas, though. Clark fired up the CTC crowd late in the third period by impressive winning a fight against Texas' Greg McConnell. He also fought Saturday night in Laredo. Clark was in training camp and played two regular season games with the AHL's Rochester Americans before joining the Bugs.

MIOR'S STYLISH START

Mudbugs rookie goaltender Ryan Mior looked good in his pro hockey debut on Saturday, stopping 27 of 28 Laredo shots on his way to a win over the Bucks. Adam Rivet's first period one-timer was the only Laredo shot to beat Mior, who otherwise shut the door on the high-powered Bucks - who scored seven goals the night before against Rocky Mountain.

IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER

It certainly hasn't taken long for the Mudbugs to play some key games in the 2008-09 season. All of their first five games this year are against teams that qualified for the CHL playoffs in 2008. The Bugs have already faced two of the four CHL conference finalists from last year (Texas and Laredo) and will take on a third (Colorado) next week. The other two games are against tough division rival Mississippi. The Mudbugs were 6-5-1 against the RiverKings last season.

LAST WEEK

Friday, October 17 vs. Texas CenturyTel Center W 5-1

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs special teams play earned them an opening night win on Friday against rival Texas, with four powerplay goals leading them to a sound 5-1 defeat of the Brahmas. Bossier-Shreveport scored three goals in the second period, chasing Texas starting goaltender David Cacciola from the nets in the process, to take control of the contest. Ken Carroll looked good in his first start of the season, stopping 37 of 38 shots. Kevin Cooper had three points for the Bugs.

Saturday, October 18 at Laredo Laredo Entertainment Center W 2-1

GAME NOTES: Rookie goaltender Ryan Mior made 27 saves in his professional debut as the Mudbugs earned their first road win of the season in Laredo. A pair of powerplay goals by Travis Clayton and Chris Brassard in the second period brought the Bugs back from an early deficit to give them a 2-1 victory and a 2-0 start to the season.

THIS WEEK

Tuesday, October 21 at Mississippi DeSoto Civic Center 7:05PM

GAME NOTES: Bossier-Shreveport heads back to the place where it held training camp in 2008 and played two exhibition games against the RiverKings. This game will be the first of 12 regular season meetings between the fierce division rivals. The Bugs went 6-5-1 against Mississippi in last year's tough season series.

Saturday, October 25 vs. Mississippi CenturyTel Center 7:05PM

GAME NOTES: The RiverKings make their first visit of the season to CenturyTel Center as the Mudbugs look to go 2-0 at home on Saturday night. After a Friday night off, the Bugs welcome in a Mississippi team that is playing in Oklahoma City the night before.

TICKET INFORMATION: Season and group tickets for the 2008-09 season of Mudbugs hockey are available at the team office: 2000 CenturyTel Center Drive, Bossier City, LA 71129. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Individual game tickets can be purchased at the CenturyTel Center box office between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday - Friday, by calling Ticketmaster at (318) 741-9700, or online at Ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.mudbugshockey.com or call the team office at (318) 752-2847.

MUDBUGS RADIO: All Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs games, both home and away, are broadcast live on "The Home of the Legends" AM 1130 KWKH or Newsradio 710 AM KEEL in Shreveport. Both stations provide free online streaming online at www.kwkhonline.com and www.710keel.com.

CHL Network: Never Miss Another Away Game! The Central Hockey League and Network Foundation Technologies are pleased to renew their partnership that will provide a "FREE-for-View" experience for all CHL hockey fans through the CHL Network. The 2008-2009 CHL season will be broadcast live over the Internet utilizing Network Foundation Technologies' NiFTy Online Television product.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2008


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