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Mudbugs Weekly

January 4, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Wednesday, December 30 at Texas NyTex Sports Centre W 4-3 (SO)

GAME NOTES : Trailing the Brahmas 3-1 after two periods Wednesday night in Texas, the Mudbugs mounted an impressive third period comeback against their rivals to win 4-3 in a shootout. Jeff Kyrzakos scored midway through the third and then Travis Clayton tied the game with only 49 seconds left in regulation to force overtime before the 'Bugs outscored Texas 2-1 in the shootout, with Mark Johnson netting the clinching goal.

Friday, January 1 at Corpus Christi American Bank Center W 3-2 (OT)

GAME NOTES : Ken Carroll backstopped Bossier-Shreveport to victory against Corpus Christi in its first game of 2010. Carroll made 46 saves to help the 'Bugs maintain a 2-2 tie until Chris St. Croix capped of the win, scoring the overtime game-winning goal with only 47 seconds remaining in the extra session. Shawn Limpright and Tyrel Lucas scored the other two goals as the Mudbugs won for the 17th time this season.

Saturday, January 2 vs. Missouri CenturyTel Center L 5-3

GAME NOTES : After a dominant first period in which the Mudbugs jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Missouri took over to earn a 5-3 comeback victory. The Mavericks outshot the 'Bugs 23-5 over the last two periods and scored five times to even the season series at 1-1 between the two teams.

THIS WEEK

Tuesday, January 5 at Missouri Independence Events Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES : The 'Bugs will play the second of two straight games against the Mavericks with their first ever visit to Missouri's brand new Independence Events Center on Tuesday night. The Mudbugs are 1-1-0 against the Mavs this season after a 3-2 win on November 28 and Saturday's 5-3 loss at the CTC. Missouri sits just three points out of a playoff spot and five points behind Bossier-Shreveport in the Northern Conference standings.

Fri. & Sat., Jan. 8 and 9 at Rapid City Rushmore Plaza Civic Center 8:05 pm

GAME NOTES : The Mudbugs will continue a five-game road trip this weekend in South Dakota with a pair of games against Rapid City. The 'Bugs came from behind to win 3-2 in a shootout back on November 28 at the CTC in the only other meeting between the teams this year. The Rush currently sit eight points ahead of the Mudbugs in second place in the Northern Conference standings entering this week's action.

WEEKLY NOTES

Northern Exposure

Saturday night started a stretch of six consecutive Northern Conference games for the Mudbugs, who currently sit in third place in the North. Only 12 of Bossier-Shreveport's 29 games before this stretch were played against their own conference. The 'Bugs have started impressively within the conference however, winning ten of 13 conference games to stand at 10-3-0 against Northern foes entering this week.

Dramatic Finishes

The Mudbugs went right down to the wire in three straight games last week, with all three decided in overtime or a shootout. After a 4-3 shootout loss in Allen on Sunday, the 'Bugs came from behind to beat Texas in the same fashion on Wednesday before topping Corpus Christi 3-2 in overtime on Friday. Bossier-Shreveport is now 5-1 in games going past 60 minutes this season with a pair of overtime decisions and wins in three of four shootouts. The Mudbugs also own the CHL's best record in one-goal games this season with 12 wins in 15 games (12-2-1).

Road Warriors Roll On

After making a quick stop at home to play Missouri Saturday night at the CTC, the Mudbugs now venture out on their longest road trip of the season starting Tuesday. The 'Bugs, who just completed a three-game trip, will play their next five games away from home, starting with a second straight matchup vs. Missouri on Tuesday. They will then head North and West to Rapid City and Colorado before returning home to face Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, January 20. The Mudbugs currently possess the best road record in the CHL at 11-4-1 in their 16 away games.

The Comeback Kids Strike Again

Wednesday in Texas the Mudbugs rallied from two goals down after two periods to defeat the Brahmas 4-3 in a shootout, marking the fifth time already this year the 'Bugs have come back to win a game in which they trailed after 40 minutes. Over the past two seasons, no team in the CHL has come close to rivaling Bossier-Shreveport's success rate when trailing after two periods. Last year the Mudbugs won a league-most seven times when trailing after two and this year the 'Bugs have rallied to win five of the 14 games in which they were behind entering the third.

Carroll Earns Accolades

Ken Carroll made a season-high 46 saves for the Mudbugs in Friday's overtime victory over the IceRays, giving him eight wins in his last ten starts. Carroll was honored twice by the CHL last week, first garnering a spot on the league's All-Decade First Team on Tuesday and then being named to his sixth career All-Star Game on Thursday. The 9th-year Mudbugs netminder will suit up for the CHL All-Stars as they take on the South Texas All-Stars on January 13 at the Laredo Entertainment Center. Carroll (8-5-0) brings a league-best.929 saves percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average (which ranks third in the CHL) into this week.

Clayton Named All-Decade, Hit 800 Games

Mudbugs center Travis Clayton, who played in his 800th professional game Wednesday at Texas, also garnered a spot on the CHL All-Decade First Team last week.

Clayton, 33, is currently in his 13th year in the CHL and has appeared in a league-record 788 CHL games. He ranks second all-time in league history with 357 career goals, 552 assists and 909 points and has played in seven All-Star Games. He is currently Bossier-Shreveport's second-leading scorer with 23 points (10g, 13a) in 28 games this season.

St. Croix Makes the Play

Defenseman Chris St. Croix has been a defensive stalwart all year for the 'Bugs, but lately he has shown off some offense as well. The 11th-year veteran had an assist Wednesday in Texas and added another during the second period Friday to set the stage for his biggest play as a Mudbug yet. With just 47 seconds remaining in overtime, St. Croix beat Corpus Christi goaltender Kevin Nastiuk during a 2-on-1 break to give the Mudbugs a 3-2 victory over the IceRays. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native now has two goals, ten assists and a +6 rating this season.

Loose Pucks

Head Coach Scott Muscutt is just one victory away from tying Chris Stewart for second in CHL history in career coaching victories with 375... D Dave Pszenyczny played his 200th professional game on Saturday... F Joe Blaznek is just one goal away from 300 in his career... The 'Bugs are a perfect 9-0 this year when they do not allow a powerplay goal... F Neil Clark returned to the lineup last Wednesday after missing 14 games with an injury...

TICKET INFORMATION:

Mini-plans and group ticket packages for the 2009-10 season of Mudbugs hockey are available at the team office: 2000 CenturyTel Center Drive, Bossier City, LA 71112. 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:

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

CHL TV:

New for 2009-10 is the latest version of CHL-TV, powered by Insinc Netcasting. Fans will have the chance to watch all 480 games on the CHL's regular season schedule for a small pay-per-view price. Packages are available as well that give fans the chance to order a month at a time or the entire season. All game archives are offered to catch up on the games you missed for just $3.95. Visit http://chltv.insinc.com for more information.

Season and group tickets are on sale by calling 318-752-BUGS (2847) or by visiting our website at www.mudbugshockey.com.



Central Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2010


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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