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Mudbugs Weekly

November 15, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Tuesday, November 9 at Laredo Laredo Energy Arena W 4-3

GAME NOTES: Steven Crampton scored with only 34 seconds left to break a 3-3 tie and help the Mudbugs to a 4-3 victory over Laredo Tuesday at the Laredo Energy Arena. The win improved Bossier-Shreveport to 5-1 on the road this year and 8-4-0 overall. David Rutherford scored two goals as the Mudbugs built a 3-1 lead before Laredo rallied in the third period. Crampton teamed up with Justin Aikins and Brett Smith on the game-winner in the final minute and Brian Foster made 33 saves at the other end as the 'Bugs were outshot 36-25.

Friday, Nov. 12 vs. Rio Grande Valley CenturyTel Center W 4-3

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs scored three unanswered goals in the middle of the game to move in front to stay in a 4-3 win over Rio Grande Valley Friday at the CenturyTel Center. On a night of crazy bounces, nearly every goal in the game was scored off either a strange re-direction or a rebound as the 'Bugs improved to 4-3 at home and 9-4 overall this year. Justin Aikins scored one goal and assisted on another by Steven Crampton, while Travis Clayton and David Rutherford also found the back of the net.

Saturday, November 13 vs. Laredo CenturyTel Center W 5-1

GAME NOTES: David Rutherford scored twice and added an assist to help the Mudbugs roll over Laredo 5-1 on "Military Appreciation Night" Saturday at the CenturyTel Center. The Mudbugs have now won three straight games to stand at 10-4-0 this season. In addition to Rutherford's three points, Travis Clayton tacked on two helpers and Steven Crampton, Justin Aikins and Joe Blaznek scored the other three Mudbugs goals as Bossier-Shreveport outshot Laredo 32-20.

THIS WEEK

Friday, Nov. 19 vs. Rio Grande Valley State Farm Arena 7:30 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs venture to Hidalgo, Texas for the first time this year on Friday night for their third matchup of the season with Rio Grande Valley. The 'Bugs are 2-0 against the Killer Bees this year after a pair of one-goal wins in Bossier City, 4-3 Friday night and 2-1 in a shootout on October 28. Bossier-Shreveport has visited the Valley just once in each of the past two seasons, losing 7-1 on January 10, 2009 and 5-3 on November 25, 2009.

Saturday, November 20 at Laredo Laredo Energy Arena 7:30 pm

GAME NOTES: The 'Bugs and Bucks are set to meet for the third time in 12 days Saturday at the LEA. Bossier-Shreveport won a pair of games over Laredo last week by scores of 4-3 and 5-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the season series with five head-to-head matchups remaining. The Mudbugs enter this week on the three-game winning streak, while Bucks have lost four straight games in regulation for the first time since January of 2005. Laredo faces Texas on Friday before hosting the 'Bugs Saturday.

WEEKLY NOTES

Rutherford, Aikins Among League Leaders

Forwards David Rutherford and Justin Aikins are not only tied for the team lead in scoring, but also rank among the top scorers in the entire CHL in a number of categories. Rutherford scored five goals in three games last week to stay in a tie with Allen's Nino Musitelli for the league lead in goals this season with 11. He also chipped in two assists to move into a tie with Aikins for the team lead in scoring with 18 points. Rutherford has recorded at least one point in 35 of his last 39 regular season games. Aikins totaled five points (2g, 3a) last week to stay within one point of the league lead in scoring, currently held by Evansville's Nicklas Lindberg (19 points.) Aikins also leads the CHL in plus/minus rating at +13, followed closely by Rutherford and Wichita's Steve Kaunisto at +12.

Balanced 'Bugs

With nine players on their roster in double-digit scoring this year, the 'Bugs sport a remarkably balanced offensive attack. Bossier-Shreveport and Allen (8) are the only teams in the CHL with more than five players in double-digit scoring. The 'Bugs also have four players (Aikins, Rutherford, Martens, and Smith) averaging at least one point-per-game this season, with all four ranking among the league's top 20 scorers. All of the 18 skaters who have played at least three games for the 'Bugs this season have recorded at least one point.

Making the Most of Their Chances

The Mudbugs are currently the second-highest scoring team in the CHL despite ranking last in the league in shots per game. The 'Bugs have scored a league-most 52 goals in 13 games this year, good for an average of exactly four per game. However, Bossier-Shreveport averages fewer shots on goal than any other team in the league at just 26.2 shots per game. That breaks down to one goal scored out of every 6.5 shots on goal the Mudbugs take.

South Texas Series Continues

Last Tuesday's victory in Laredo opened a stretch of five straight games for the Mudbugs against the Bucks and Killer Bees. After hosting the two teams last weekend, the 'Bugs are set for a return to South Texas this week to visit the Killer Bees on Friday and the Bucks again on Saturday. The mini-series reflects a scheduling trend that has the Mudbugs playing only seven different teams over their first 21 games this year and eight teams in their first 32. In those first 32 games, the 'Bugs play only one club (Missouri) from the Turner Conference.

Putting the Power in Powerplay

The Mudbugs have scored seven powerplay goals in their last six games to keep their impressive season average over 25 percent for the year. The 'Bugs currently boast the CHL's second best powerplay unit entering tonight at 25.3%, bettered only by Rapid City's 25.9% success rate. They have scored at least one powerplay goal in ten of 14 games this season and notched multiple PPG's six times.

The Road Warriors Return

This year's Mudbugs have picked up where the 2009-10 team left off in terms of success away from the CenturyTel Center. Bossier-Shreveport is currently tied with Allen for the CHL's best road record at 5-1-0 this season, while Colorado sits at 4-0 away from home as well. The Mudbugs started 4-0 on the road last season and finished second only to Governors' Cup Champion Odessa with a 19-9-4 overall record away from Bossier City in 09-10.

Another Familiar Face Returns

With Shawn Limpright landing on I.R. last week and the 'Bugs down to only eight healthy forwards, another former Mudbug came out of retirement to help out his former club. Forward Joe Ori, who played four seasons for the 'Bugs before retiring at the end of last year's playoffs, stepped back in the lineup for two games last weekend. From 2006 to 2010, Ori scored 60 goals and totaled 150 points in 217 games with the 'Bugs. He ranks 7th in team history with 17 game-winning goals and sits in the top 10 in assists and points by a forward. Ori's return followed that of goaltender David Cacciola, who re-joined the club for two games last month.

Loose Pucks

The Mudbugs earned their 300th regular season home win in franchise history Friday night.... Saturday's 5-1 win ended a stretch on six consecutive one-goal games for the 'Bugs... Bossier-Shreveport ranks fourth in the CHL on the penalty kill at 85.7%... The Mudbugs outshot Laredo 32-20 Saturday night, making it just the third time this year they have posted more shots than their opponent... D Kevin Seibel recorded his first points as a Mudbug over the weekend with two assists... The Mudbugs released F Tyler Burton on Wednesday after he recorded one assist and a -2 rating in three games...

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.

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