Mudbugs Weekly

Published on March 22, 2010 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Tuesday, March 16 vs. Mississippi CenturyTel Center W 5-1

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs clinched third place in the Northern Conference and a first-round playoff bye with a 5-1 victory over Mississippi Tuesday night at the CTC. Shawn Limpright led the way in this one with two goals and two assists, while Jeff Kyrzakos chipped in a goal and an assist as well. Tyrel Lucas and Jamie Milam also found the back of the net and John DeCaro stopped 24 shots while being beaten

Thursday, March 18 vs. Tulsa CenturyTel Center W 2-1 (SO)

GAME NOTES: David Rutherford and Chris St. Croix scored shootout goals to help the Mudbugs secure a 2-1 victory over Tulsa Thursday night at the CenturyTel Center. The contest went to a shootout largely due to the efforts of Tulsa goaltender Marty Magers, who gave up only one goal through regulation and overtime despite a 40-20 Mudbugs shot advantage. Travis Clayton scored the Mudbugs' goal and John DeCaro made 19 saves as the 'Bugs finished 6-0 against the Oilers this year.

Friday, March 19 vs. Missouri CenturyTel Center W 5-0

GAME NOTES: John DeCaro made 27 saves to earn his second shutout of the season and the Mudbugs scored four third-period goals on their way to a 5-0 victory over Missouri Friday at the CenturyTel Center. The win came on "Jim Sprott Night" as the Mudbugs retired the #33 jersey of their former Captain during the 2009-10 regular season home finale. All five Mudbugs goals came in the final 23 minutes of play as the 'Bugs won their season series with the Mavericks 3-1-1. Scott Kalinchuk, Jamie Milam and David Rutherford all finished with multiple points in the game.

Saturday, March 20 at Texas NyTex Sports Centre L 4-2

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs couldn't overcome an early 3-0 deficit in their regular season finale Saturday at the NyTex Sports Centre, falling 4-2 to Texas. The Mudbugs finish 2009-10 with a record of 38-22-4 (80 points) after climbing back within one goal before falling short. Jamie Milam and David Rutherford scored the goals for Bossier-Shreveport, who finishes the year with a 4-4-0 record against the rival Brahmas.

THIS WEEK

Northern Conference Semifinals: #2 Colorado vs. #3 Bossier-Shreveport

Game 1: Friday, March 26 Budweiser Events Center 8:05 pm

Game 2: Saturday, March 27 Budweiser Events Center 8:05 pm

SERIES NOTES: The third-seeded Mudbugs will start their 2010 CHL playoff run in a best-of-seven series against the second-place Colorado Eagles. The series follows a two-three-two format, meaning it will start in Colorado with Games 1 and 2 this weekend. The series will then shift to Bossier-Shreveport for Games 3, 4 and 5 next week before returning (if necessary) to Colorado for Games 6 and 7. The winner will advance to the Northern Conference Finals.

WEEKLY NOTES

Regular Season Recap

The Mudbugs have now completed the 13th regular season in franchise history with a record of 38-22-4 (80 points) for a winning percentage of .625. That qualifies as the fifth-best mark in the CHL this year, behind only Odessa, Rapid City, Colorado and Allen. The 'Bugs won four of their last five games and 16 of their last 21 to finish third in the Northern Conference and earn a first-round playoff bye. Bossier-Shreveport finished with the second-best road record in the league this year (19-9-4) and went 23-6-3 against Northern Conference teams.

Time for the Second Season

Now the 'Bugs turn their attention toward winning 12 more games this year, a feat which would earn them the team's fourth President's Cup and end an eight-year Championship drought. The third-seeded Mudbugs will start the postseason against the second-place Colorado Eagles in a rematch of last year's Northern Conference Semifinals. The Eagles edged Bossier-Shreveport in four consecutive one-goal games last year to advance to the Conference Finals, where they beat Mississippi before falling to Texas in the President's Cup Finals. The 'Bugs beat Colorado the first time the teams played in the playoffs, upsetting the favored Eagles in five games in the 2006 North Finals.

You Don't Mess Around with Jim

Former Mudbugs defenseman Jim Sprott once again proved his ability to help the Mudbugs win Friday night: all he had to do was step on the ice, albeit in dress shoes instead of skates, and before you knew it the 'Bugs were rolling to a 5-0 win over Missouri. Sprott became just the third player in Mudbugs history to have his jersey retired Friday when his #33 joined Dale Henry's #19 and Trevor Buchanan's #27 in the CenturyTel Center rafters. Sprott played seven seasons with the club from its inaugural year of 1997 until 2004, winning three President's Cup Championships in that time. He followed Henry as the team's second Captain and served in that role for three years. In 494 regular season and playoff games, Sprott accumulated more goals, assists, points and penalty minutes than any other defenseman in team history.

A Busy Final Week

Saturday's regular season finale completed the Mudbugs' toughest stretch of the year, when they played six games in the final eight days of 2009-10. Bossier-Shreveport earned wins in four of those six games, losing only the first and last contests during the stretch. The week before, they finished up a run of 11 games over the previous 17 days. Overall the 'Bugs played their last 17 regular season games in just 30 days.

March Madness, CHL Style

Entering last Friday's games, one CHL playoff team had yet to be decided and five of the ten seeds were not yet locked in place. In the North, Rapid City gained one point to secure the top two seeds, while Mississippi's win over Tulsa clinched the bottom two in place (the RiverKings at #4 and Missouri at #5). In the South, Corpus Christi finally got the win it needed to lock up the #5 seed, eliminating Rio Grande Valley and setting up an opening round series with Texas.

Leader of the Pack

Shawn Limpright registered 18 points over the final 14 games of the regular season to finish as the Mudbugs' leading scorer with 53 points (18g, 35a) in 60 games. Limpright became the second consecutive player to lead the 'Bugs in scoring in his first year with the club, following Joe Blaznek's team-high 63 points last season. Blaznek finished in a tie with Travis Clayton for second on the team in scoring with 50 points this year, while pacing the club in goals for the second year in a row after scoring 23 times to edge Jeff Kyrzakos (22 goals).

Loose Pucks

Mudbugs players combined for a total of 19 two-goal games this year without a single hat trick... Mudbugs skaters were a combined +20 in Friday's 5-0 win over the Mavericks... F Brett Smith is three points away from 300 in his career... F David Rutherford finished the regular season on a nine-game point streak and had at least one point in 25 of his last 26 regular season appearances... D Dave Pszenyczny had three goals in his last five games... F James DeLory registered his first career assist Tuesday... Goaltenders Ken Carroll and John DeCaro each recorded two assists this year... The Mudbugs finished 23-6-3 against the Northern Conference this year, but just 15-16-1 vs. the South... G Ken Carroll had 14 wins this year to tie Tony Martino for 2nd in CHL history with 187 victories

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.

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2010


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