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Mudbugs Weekly

February 16, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Tuesday, February 10 vs. Corpus Christi CenturyTel Center L 3-1

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs and IceRays met for the fourth time this season last Tuesday at the CTC. The 'Bugs took a 1-0 lead just over a minute in when Travis Clayton banked the puck off goaltender Kris Tebbs and into net, but that was the only time Tebbs would be beaten in the contest. Jeremy Leroux scored in the first and then again in the second for Corpus Christi to give them a 2-1 lead before Chris Greene's late empty-net goal sealed the IceRays' win. Tebbs stopped 28 shots in the final two periods to hold the Mudbugs off the board and earn his 16th win of the year.

Friday, February 13 vs. Tulsa CenturyTel Center W 4-3 (SO)

GAME NOTES: Bossier-Shreveport capped off a seven-game homestand Friday night in its final game against Tulsa this year. The teams traded goals in each period to make it 1-1 after one period and 2-2 after two before Tyrel Lucas' great individual effort made it 3-2 Mudbugs in the third. Jason Weitzel scored for the Oilers just over a minute later though, tying it up once again and forcing overtime. It didn't look good for the 'Bugs when Tulsa held off a Mudbugs powerplay in the OT and then took an early 2-0 lead once the game went to a shootout, but Jon Horrell shut the door the rest of the way. Lucas, Simon Mangos and Mark Johnson all scored in the shootout to bring the 'Bugs back and help them to a 4-3 victory. Kevin St. Pierre made 57 saves as the Mudbugs tied a franchise record with 61 shots on goal in the game.

THIS WEEK

Friday, February 20 at Arizona Tim's Toyota Center 8:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs will journey to Prescott Valley, Arizona this weekend for their first-ever appearances at the Tim's Toyota Center, home of the Arizona Sundogs. Although this is Arizona's third year in the CHL, the teams had never played each other until the Sundogs came to CenturyTel Center back in early January and topped the Mudbugs 2-1. The defending President's Cup Champions hold just a one-point lead on Corpus Christi for the last playoff spot in the Southern Conference entering this week and the 'Bugs are still in a tough Northeast Division race, so both teams will have plenty to play for out in Arizona this weekend.

Saturday, February 21 at Arizona Tim's Toyota Center 8:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The 'Bugs and 'Dogs will cap off their three-game regular season series Saturday night at the Tim's Toyota Center with their final regular season meeting. It is also Bossier-Shreveport's last game this year against a team from the Southwest Division. The Mudbugs will head to Oklahoma City from there to finish off a three-game road trip next Wednesday against the Blazers.

A Perfect 8-0

Friday night's game was a battle all the way to the finish, but the Mudbugs triumphed 4-3 over Tulsa to sweep their eight-game season series against the Oilers this year. That marks the first time since the 2005-06 season that Bossier-Shreveport has beaten the same opponent more than seven times in one season (the 'Bugs went 9-3-0 against the then-Memphis RiverKings in 05-06). Of their eight wins over Tulsa, two came in shootouts, one was in overtime and another was also decided by a single goal in regulation.

The Jockeying Continues

While the Mudbugs got to rest up with a slow, one-game weekend, they also subsequently lost their Northeast Division lead to the Mississippi RiverKings. The 'Kings swept a three-in-three on the road last weekend with two wins at Colorado and another at Rocky Mountain to take over first place in the Division with 67 points. Bossier-Shreveport stands just two points back though, and also has one game in hand on Mississippi. Also right in the mix is Oklahoma City, won Saturday night to move just one point behind the Mudbugs in the Northeast.

Shots Fired!

Friday night the Mudbugs tied a franchise record that has stood since their inaugural season, firing 61 shots on goal during their 4-3 win over the Oilers. The 'Bugs had 19 shots in the first period, 16 in the second, 19 again in the third, six in overtime and they were credited with one more upon winning the shootout to finish with 61 shots in the game. That total tied a franchise mark that was set all the way back on December 19, 1997, when the 'Bugs beat the Austin Ice Bats 5-4. Their previous season high this year had been 49 shots on goal during a 3-2 loss to Colorado on October 30.

All Streaks Come to an End

The Mudbugs saw two significant streaks come to their end during Tuesday night's game vs. Corpus Christi. Coming into that game, the 'Bugs were the hottest team in the CHL with a season-high seven game winning streak. The IceRays ended that run with a 3-1 victory and scored their first goal of the night on the powerplay to end the other impressive streak. That goal snapped a streak of 49 consecutive shorthanded situations the Mudbugs had killed off over their previous 7-plus games. In that time, the 'Bugs PK unit moved from fifth in the CHL all the way to first while holding opposing powerplays scoreless for 23 consecutive periods and a grand total of 472:17. That is believed to be the longest successful penalty-killing streak in the CHL over the past several seasons. The Mudbugs currently rank second in the league with a PK success rate of 86.3%.

Lupul Leads the Way

Defenseman Dale Lupul had one assist for the 'Bugs on Friday night, giving him exactly 100 helpers in his four-year pro career. Lupul was last week's Oakley/CHL Player of the Week after recording three goals and three assists for six points, a +4 rating and 14 shots in three games. Even after being held off the scoresheet Tuesday against Corpus Christi, Lupul has recorded 10 points (3g, 7a) in his last seven games to bring his season total to 38 points (9g, 29a). That places him fourth on the team and ties him for sixth among CHL defensemen in scoring this season.

Carroll Continues to Climb

Mudbugs goaltender Ken Carroll has moved into a tie with Amarillo's Mike Gorman for third in CHL history in wins. Carroll has a 17-5-2 record this season, extending his career total to 169 CHL/WPHL wins in eight seasons with the Mudbugs. The Oil City, Ontario native leads the league with a .930 SV%, ranks fourth with a 2.35 GAA, and has gone 10-1-1 in his last 12 decisions. Gorman is in his ninth season in the league with his third different team, and has an 8-14-1 record with the Gorillas this season.

One-Timers

Joe Blaznek is closing in on 600 points in his pro career (he currently has 597)... Simon Mangos is coming up on 300 pro games played (he has 298 coming into this week)... Travis Clayton's +18 rating ties him for 8th in the CHL... The Mudbugs are 22-0-2 when leading after two periods... Friday night will mark the furthest West the Mudbugs have ever played a game in their 12-year history...

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.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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