Mudbugs Weekly

January 26, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Thursday, January 22 at Tulsa BOK Center W 4-1

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs made their final appearance of the season at the BOK Center on Thursday night, finishing with wins in all five of their visits to that building in its inaugural year. Travis Clayton had two goals and two assists to lead the way for the Mudbugs in a 4-1 win. Dale Lupul also added a goal and two assists and Ken Carroll had a shutout going for over 52 minutes as the 'Bugs moved to 7-0 against Tulsa this season with one game remaining against the Oilers.

Saturday, January 24 vs. Rio Grande Valley CenturyTel Center L 4-1

GAME NOTES: Bossier-Shreveport played its first home game in nearly three weeks on Saturday night, falling 4-1 to the Killer Bees. Rio Grande Valley led 1-0 after one period before Brett Smith tied the game mid-way through the second on a penalty shot. Evan Rankin gave the Bees a 2-1 lead late in the second and they added two more goals early in the third.

THIS WEEK

Monday, January 26 vs. Laredo CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs and Bucks meet for the fourth and final time this year tonight at CenturyTel Center. The Mudbugs lead the season series 2-1, with all three of those games being played in Laredo. Both teams are fighting to get back into first place in their respective divisions when they renew their long-standing rivalry tonight at the CTC.

Tuesday, January 27 at Mississippi DeSoto Civic Center 10:05 am

GAME NOTES: Just about 12 hours after they step off their home ice on Monday night, the Mudbugs will have to lace up the skates again in Mississippi to play the RiverKings. Tuesday is Mississippi's "Face Off Field Trip" game for local school kids, meaning a 10:00 a.m. opening puck drop for this important Northeast Division battle. The RiverKings are tied with Oklahoma City for first in the division, with the Mudbugs just two points behind entering Monday.

Friday, January 30 vs. Rapid City CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The expansion Rapid City Rush make their first-ever appearance at the CenturyTel Center on Friday night against Bossier-Shreveport. The Mudbugs visited Rapid City for a pair of games in mid-December in the first meetings between the two franchises, splitting a pair of games at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Friday's game is the final regular season meeting between the two teams this year.

Saturday, January 31 vs. Wichita CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The Wichita Thunder come calling for the second time this season on Saturday night in Bossier City. The teams have met twice already this year, with Bossier-Shreveport winning a pair of one-goal games. The 'Bugs got a 1-0 shutout win at home on December 4 and followed that up by winning 2-1 in Wichita two days later.

Not the Return They Had Planned

The Mudbugs played their first home game in nearly three weeks on Saturday night, dropping a 4-1 decision to Rio Grande Valley. The 'Bugs came out strong, holding a 9-1 shot advantage a few minutes in, but the Killer Bees righted their ship and held a 2-1 lead after two periods. The Bees then scored twice early in the third to solidify their lead. Brett Smith scored the Mudbugs' only goal on a penalty shot.

Short Turnaround

By tomorrow afternoon, the Mudbugs will have played two hockey games in a span of about 18 hours - and neither one will be easy. Following tonight's game against a strong Laredo team, the 'Bugs will head to Mississippi for an important Northeast Division matchup with the RiverKings tomorrow morning. Opening faceoff is at 10 a.m. for Mississippi's "Face Off Field Trip" kids' game.

Look Out Lawrence

Mudbugs center and 2008 CHL All-Star Travis Clayton is just three points away from becoming the second-leading scorer in CHL history. After a four-point night Thursday at Tulsa, Clayton has 873 points in his CHL career, just two shy of Doug Lawrence's career total. Lawrence actually played part of one year for the Mudbugs, but most of his ten CHL seasons were spent with Tulsa. Clayton has already become the league's all-time leader in games played this year and passed Lawrence for second in career assists.

Steady Smitty

Center Brett Smith was the only Mudbug to record a point in Saturday night's loss, converting a second-period penalty shot that proved to be the team's only goal of the game. The goal was also the 99th of Smith's professional career. The fifth-year pro has recorded six points (3g, 3a) in his last six games and is averaging exactly one point per-game this season, with 32 points (14g, 18a) in 32 games. Smith also enters tonight's game needing one more point to reach 200 in his Mudbugs career, which is now in its 4th season.

300 for 34

If Ken Carroll plays in goal tonight for Bossier-Shreveport, it will be the 300th game of his professional career. The ninth-year pro from Oil City, Ontario has appeared in 261 games over eight seasons with the Mudbugs, another 37 games during one year in the ECHL (01-02) and one AHL game that same season. Carroll is a five-time CHL All-Star, two-time Goaltender of the Year and was also the 2001 WPHL Rookie of the Year while helping lead the Mudbugs to the President's Cup Championship. He is the third in CHL history in goaltender wins and the league's all-time record holder with 26 career shutouts.

Johnson Re-Joins His Mates

Forward Mark Johnson will be back in the lineup for the Mudbugs tonight after missing the team's last two games on a personal leave of absence. The 'Bugs will now have nine forwards available to them for tonight's game after playing their last two contests with just eight players up front. Three forwards are still missing from the lineup: Neil Clark (on recall with Rochester of the AHL), Kevin Cooper and Evgeny Saidachev (both on injured reserve).

The Wrong Kind of Shorthanded Streak

The Mudbugs started off the New Year by shutting out opposing powerplay units in three of their first four games of 2009. Since then though, the 'Bugs have allowed at least one powerplay goal in each of their past six games. In that six game stretch, the 'Bugs have been shorthanded 46 times and given up 8 powerplay goals for a penalty killing percentage of .826%.

One-Timers

Tyrel Lucas is approaching 100 professional games, with tonight being his 98th... Joe Blaznek is coming up on 600 points in his pro career (he enters tonight with 591)... Dave Pszenyczny had 17 penalty minutes Saturday against Rio Grande Valley to put him over 300 for his professional career... Todd Paul's next assist will be the 100th of his pro career... Simon Mangos scored his 50th pro goal last Saturday at Oklahoma City.

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 January 26, 2009


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