Mudbugs Weekly

October 18, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Friday, October 15 vs. Mississippi CenturyTel Center W 10-1

GAME NOTES: Brett Smith set a franchise record with seven points and the Mudbugs scored 10 goals for the first time since 1999 Friday night, destroying Mississippi 10-1 at the CenturyTel Center. The ten goals scored and nine-goal margin of victory both tied franchise records for the 'Bugs. Smith broke the old team record of six points in a single game with his fifth career hat trick and four assists for a total of seven points. Jamie Milam (1g, 2a) and Steven Crampton (3a) each finished the game with three points, while Justin Aikins and Jeff Kyrzakos scored two goals apiece. The 'Bugs owned the special teams, finishing 4 for 9 on the powerplay and scoring three shorthanded goals to tie the all-time CHL record.

Saturday, October 16 at Mississippi DeSoto Civic Center W 2-1

GAME NOTES: Jeff Harvey made 32 saves and Shane Hart's first professional goal was also the game-winner as the Mudbugs edged the RiverKings 2-1 Saturday night at the DeSoto Civic Center. The come-from-behind victory gave the 'Bugs their second 2-0 start in the past three seasons. Mississippi outshot Bossier-Shreveport 33-27 in the hard-fought battle, but Harvey was beaten only once as the Mudbugs got goals from Brett Smith and Shane Hart in the last two periods.

THIS WEEK

Tuesday, October 19 vs. Tulsa CenturyTel Center 6:35 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs host the Tulsa Oilers Tuesday night in a re-scheduled game that was moved from it's original date of December 26. The Oilers are 2-0 so far this season after a pair of wins over Wichita during opening weekend. The 'Bugs have beaten the Oilers in 14 consecutive games, sweeping the season series in each of the past two seasons. Tulsa has not defeated Bossier-Shreveport since March 18, 2008.

Thursday, October 21 vs. Allen CenturyTel Center 6:35 pm

GAME NOTES: Thursday's game begins a back-to-back set of home games against Allen, who started the season 2-0 after sweeping an opening weekend set with cross-town rival Texas. The 'Bugs won just one of their five meetings vs. the Americans last season, finishing 1-3-1 against the first-year club. The defending Southern Conference Champions will make just their third visit to the CenturyTel Center Thursday after winning both of their games here last season.

Friday, October 22 vs. Allen CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: Friday the 'Bugs and Americans will finish out a back-to-back set with their second meeting of the season. The two clubs, who are separated by only 212 miles, will meet each other ten times this season after playing only five head-to-head games last season.

Saturday, October 23 at Texas NyTex Sports Centre 7:30 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs will travel to the Dallas metroplex for their second road game of the season on Saturday to meet the rival Texas Brahmas. Texas is 0-1-1 after dropping two games in Allen during opening weekend. Last season the 'Bugs and Brahmas split the eight-game season series with four wins apiece, but will see each other a season-high 11 times this year.

WEEKLY NOTES

What a Way to Make an Entrance

The Mudbugs opened the 2010-11 CHL season with a roar, scoring double-digit goals for the first time in over a decade in Friday's dominating 10-1 victory over the RiverKings. The 10-goal offensive onslaught tied Bossier-Shreveport's franchise record for goals in a game (reached four other times), although the 'Bugs hadn't scored 10 since December of 1999. The nine-goal margin of victory also tied a team record that had been reached four other times, most recently in a 9-0 rout of Odessa in February 2008. The Mudbugs beat the 'Kings again on Saturday night, winning a close 2-1 decision on the road.

Smith's Record-Breaking Night

Mudbugs Captain Brett Smith had one of those unforgettable games on Friday, becoming the first player in the 14-year history of the Mudbugs to record seven points in a game when he scored three goals and tacked on four assists. In addition to his fifth career Mudbugs hat trick, all of Smith's team-record-tying four assists were primary assists. In the 851 regular season Mudbugs games before Friday, no player had ever surpassed six points in one contest. The 7th-year pro then scored another goal Saturday in Mississippi to help solidify his first career Oakley/CHL Player of the Week award. Smith, who also surged past 300 career points over the weekend, is currently the CHL's leading scorer.

Extra Special Teams

Seven of Bossier-Shreveport's ten goals in Friday's game were scored on special teams, including four on the powerplay and three more shorthanded. The three shorthanded goals in one game tie the all-time Central Hockey League record, which has been met by a number of teams over the years but never surpassed. The Mudbugs did not score four powerplay goals in a single game last season and hadn't scored four times on the man-advantage since a 5 for 7 effort in a 9-3 win at Tulsa on Halloween in 2008.

Points All Around

12 of the 16 Mudbugs who played in Friday's game (including goaltender Jeff Harvey) got on the scoresheet with at least one point, while seven players finished with multiple points. In addition to Brett Smith's monster night, Jamie Milam (1g, 2a) and Steven Crampton (3a) each tallied three-point games, while both Justin Aikins and Jeff Kyrzakos scored two apiece. Jeff Martens and Clay Plume each chipped in two assists in the blowout as well.

Harvey Shuts Down the 'Kings

Rookie netminder Jeff Harvey enjoyed quite an opening weekend for the Mudbugs, surrendering only two goals on 58 shots while earning back-to-back wins. Perhaps lost in the offensive fireworks of Friday's victory was a solid showing by the University of Saskatchewan product, who stopped 24 of 25 shots. Harvey played even better on Saturday, making 32 saves including one a huge stop on Matt Boyd's third-period breakaway to preserve the 2-1 lead. Although he is classified as a rookie this season, the 27-year-old Harvey isn't seeing his first pro action. Between his Major Junior and college careers, Harvey played 10 games for Rockford of the United Hockey League during the 2004-05 season.

Gotta Have Hart

Rookie forward Shane Hart picked a great time to net his first professional goal Saturday in Mississippi, scoring the goal that broke a 1-1 tie in the third period to lift the 'Bugs to a 2-1 win. Hart took a pass from David Rutherford and deked Larry Sterling before shooting a backhander over his right pad at 6:58 of the third period to put Bossier-Shreveport ahead to stay

Aye, Captains

Last weekend Brett Smith began his sixth season with the Mudbugs and his second as team Captain, while Travis Clayton is serving as an Alternate Captain for the second straight year. The other Alternate Captain's "A" for this season has been sewn onto the sweater of second-year Mudbug and 2009-10 leading scorer Shawn Limpright. Limpright wore the Captain's "C" for two years with the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers before joining the 'Bugs.

Loose Pucks

Rookie goaltender Brian Foster (UNH), who was assigned to the Mudbugs by Florida of the NHL a week ago, has been recalled by Rochester of the AHL... The 'Bugs are now 8-6-0 all-time in season openers and 7-3-1 in home openers at the CenturyTel Center... The Mudbugs have won 16 of the past 24 meetings with the RiverKings... Bossier-Shreveport is 8-4-1 at the DeSoto Civic Center over the past two-plus seasons... The 'Bugs will play six games in the first nine days of this season... G John DeCaro, F Tyrel Lucas and D Kevin Seibel have started the season on IR, while D Simon Mangos is on a leave of absence...

TICKET INFORMATION: Season tickets, mini-plans and group ticket packages for the 2010-11 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: Back for 2010-11 is the latest version of CHL-TV, powered by NeuLion, Inc. Fans will have the chance to watch nearly 600 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 only their team's away games, an all-access league pass or many other options. All game archives are offered to catch up on the games you missed for just $4.00. Visit http://chltv.neulion.com/chltv/ for more information.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 18, 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.

OurSports Central