Mudbugs Weekly

Published on April 13, 2010 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Northern Conference Finals: #3 Bossier-Shreveport vs. #1 Rapid City

Game 1: Saturday, April 10 Rushmore Plaza Civic Center L 5-4 (OT)

SERIES NOTES: Les Reaney scored at 5:06 of overtime as Rapid City handed the Mudbugs their first loss of the playoffs by a final score of 5-4 Saturday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Northern Conference Finals. Despite a hefty shot edge for the Rush throughout, the Mudbugs rallied from three separate one-goal deficits to tie the game and even take a 4-3 lead at one point. Clay Plume scored two goals for the 'Bugs against his former team, while the other tallies came on the powerplay from Joe Ori and Simon Mangos. Ken Carroll stopped 39 shots in goal as four of the Rush's five goals came on rebounds.

Game 2: Sunday, April 11 Rushmore Plaza Civic Center W 4-3

SERIES NOTES: The Mudbugs built a 4-1 lead on their way to an eventual 4-3 victory over Rapid City in Game 2 of the Northern Conference Finals Sunday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. With the victory, the Mudbugs even the best-of-seven series at one game apiece with the next three games to be played at the CenturyTel Center. Performing under the playoff microscope, goaltender Parker Van Buskirk made 26 saves in to earn the victory in his Mudbugs debut. The offense was paced by Joe Blaznek's three assists, while Jamie Milam scored the game-winning goal. Justin Aikins, Simon Mangos, and David Rutherford also found the back of the net as well. The 'Bugs also scored two powerplay goals on six chances.

THIS WEEK

Northern Conference Finals: Series Tied 1-1

Game 3: Wednesday, April 14 CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

Game 4: Friday, April 16 CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

Game 5: Saturday, April 17 CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

SERIES NOTES: After the teams split the first two games in Rapid City, the Northern Conference Finals will now shift to the CenturyTel Center. The series has effectively become a best-of-five with the Mudbugs owning the home-ice advantage, as all of the next three games will be played in Bossier City. Bossier-Shreveport has a history of success in series that are tied at one, winning five of seven all-time series that were tied after the first two games. The 'Bugs are 2-0 at home so far in the playoffs, while the Rush is 2-0 on the road. If neither club manages to win three consecutive games this week, the series will be ensured a return trip to the Black Hills for a Game 6 and possibly Game 7.

WEEKLY NOTES

It Doesn't Get Much Tighter

Just as you would expect the series to be, this year's Northern Conference Finals have been as close as ever through two games. Not only are the Mudbugs and Rush tied at one game apiece going into Wednesday's Game 3, but both contests have been decided by a single goal. Rapid City needed overtime to earn a 5-4 victory in the first game, while Bossier-Shreveport countered with a 4-3 decision in Game 2 to even the series. Four of the Mudbugs' six playoff games thus far have been one-goal games and four of their last five meetings with the Rush (regular season and playoffs) have been decided by one tally as well.

Spreading the Wealth

Through six playoff games so far, the Mudbugs now have seven players who have chipped in at least five points. After recording three assists in Game 2 on Sunday, Joe Blaznek is now the club's leading scorer with eight points (2g, 6a) in the postseason. Travis Clayton and Shawn Limpright (each with 3g, 3a) are also averaging one point-per-game in the playoffs and are tied with Dave Pszenyczny for the team lead in goals. Looking further down the lineup, 12 different Mudbugs players have scored goals and ten players have registered at least four points so far in the postseason.

Well Isn't That Special?

Special teams play has been a big key for Bossier-Shreveport thus far in the playoffs, especially the club's production on the man-advantage. The Mudbugs have scored nine powerplay goals in 29 chances so far in the postseason (5 of 19 in the Colorado series and 4 of 10 so far against Rapid City) for an impressive 31% success rate on the PP. Those powerplay tallies have accounted for nearly 40% of the Mudbugs' postseason offense to date. At the other end of the ice, the 'Bugs have killed off nine of ten Rapid City powerplays so far in the series, surrendering only a 5-on-3 goal to the Rush in the first period of Game 2.

PVB Shows his Mettle

Goaltender Parker Van Buskirk stepped right into a pressure-filled playoff situation in Game 2, stopping 26 shots to earn a huge 4-3 victory in his Mudbugs debut. Van Buskirk played in place of an injured Ken Carroll in the second game of the Northern Conference Finals, just four games after joining the club for Game 3 of the Colorado series. Van Buskirk, 22, signed as Bossier-Shreveport's emergency goaltender when John DeCaro was lost for the playoffs with a long-term injury in Game 2 against the Eagles. The 6-0, 205-pound netminder played four seasons in the OHL before turning pro last spring and has now appeared in a total of 35 pro games including regular season and playoffs.

If You Want to Be the Best...

After defeating the three-time defending Northern Conference Champion Colorado Eagles in the last round, the Mudbugs are now facing the North's 09-10 regular season champion in Rapid City. This series marks the sixth time the 'Bugs have matched up against a #1 seed in the conference finals. Bossier-Shreveport is 1-1 in that scenario since the CHL/WPHL merger, beating Governors' Cup Champ Colorado in 2006 and falling to top-seed Memphis in 2002. The 'Bugs won two of three such series in the WPHL, besting Tupelo in 2001 and Central Texas in 2000 on their way to President's Cup Championships in both seasons. In their expansion year of 1998, the Mudbugs fell to #1 Fort Worth in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Plume Steps Up Against Former Mates

Defenseman Clay Plume enjoyed one of the best offensive nights of his career in Game 1. Plume scored two goals in the third period Saturday, giving him the first multi-goal game of his six-year professional career (regular season or playoffs). The former Rapid City blueliner, who was acquired by the Mudbugs in December trade, has now scored three goals in a Mudbugs uniform - with all three coming against the Rush. Plume scored at 2:50 of the third frame to tie the game at two and then tallied again at 13:14 of the period to give Bossier-Shreveport a 4-3 lead.

Season Series Breakdown

Bossier-Shreveport and Rapid City saw each other only three times during the regular season, with each team winning once in extra time and the Mudbugs taking the only game decided in regulation to finish 2-0-1 in the series. The Rush visited Bossier City back on November 14 and took a 2-0 first period lead before the 'Bugs came back to tie and eventually win the game 3-2 in a shootout. Rapid City then hosted a back-to-back set here at Rushmore Plaza in January, winning the first game 4-3 on Jamie VanderVeeken's overtime winning goal. The Mudbugs rebounded to score three third-period goals in the second game and John DeCaro made 41 saves in a 4-2 victory. Bossier-Shreveport leads the all-time series between the teams with a record of 4-1-1 in six regular season meetings.

The Second Season Now in its Third Phase

With five playoffs wins so far in 2010, the 'Bugs have whittled their quest down to seven more victories this season, an accomplishment which, if completed, would end an eight-year Championship drought and earn the team its fourth President's Cup. Against Colorado, the Mudbugs won a best-of-seven series for the first time since the 2007 conference quarterfinals. They are now looking to get back to the President's Cup Finals for the first time since falling to Laredo in 2006.

Loose Pucks

F Travis Clayton has ten goals and 17 points in 13 playoff games as a Mudbug and scored back-to-back game winners to end the Colorado series... F Joe Blaznek has 15 points (3g, 12a) in 13 playoff games with the 'Bugs... D Simon Mangos has nine points (5g, 4a) in eight career games vs. Rapid City... F Joe Ori has 18 points (7g, 12a) in his last 17 playoff games dating back to 2008... F Brett Smith has racked up 11 points (5g, 6a) in his last ten playoff games....

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 April 13, 2010


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