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Mudbugs Weekly

January 31, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Tuesday, January 25 vs. Texas CenturyTel Center W 6-2

GAME NOTES: David Rutherford ‚¬â„¢s first career hat trick was the highlight of a great night at the CTC as the Mudbugs ended a seven-game winless streak with a 6-2 victory over rival Texas. Rutherford ‚¬â„¢s three tallies put him back into a tie for the league lead in goals this year, while Shawn Limpright scored two goals and assisted on another. Simon Mangos had three assists on the night and James DeLory turned in a "Gordie Howe hat trick" with a goal, an assist and a fight

Friday, January 28 vs. Fort Wayne CenturyTel Center L 5-3

GAME NOTES: Fort Wayne scored three goals on its first six shots and led throughout a 5-3 win over the Mudbugs Friday at the CenturyTel Center. Jamie Milam netted a pair of powerplay goals in the contest, while Shane Hart notched the other tally as the Mudbugs came back to within one goal during third-period after falling behind 4-1. The Komets ‚¬â„¢ five goals came on just 15 shots as the ‚¬ËœBugs finished the night with a 26-15 shot advantage.

Saturday, January 29 vs. Fort Wayne CenturyTel Center L 2-1

GAME NOTES: Jamie Milam scored the apparent game-tying goal with 3:01 remaining in the third period Saturday at the CenturyTel Center, but the puck traveled through the back of the net and the goal was never awarded as Fort Wayne held on for a 2-1 victory over the Mudbugs. David Rutherford scored Bossier-Shreveport ‚¬â„¢s only goal as the Komets swept a two-game set in Bossier City. The ‚¬ËœBugs outshot the Komets 30-22 on the night, but the visitors scored the go-ahead goal in the first minute of the final period to get their 15th win of the year.

THIS WEEK

Thursday, February 3 vs. Evansville CenturyTel Center 6:35 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs and Evansville IceMen are set to face-off for the first time ever Thursday at the CTC to open a two-game set. Evansville is one of the five new CHL teams this year, taking over the former Muskegon IHL franchise to move up from junior hockey to the pro ranks this season. The IceMen are currently in last place in the Turner Conference, but have played .500 hockey in recent weeks since snapping a six-game winless streak. PROMOTIONAL NOTES: Thursday ‚¬â„¢s game also gives us an opportunity to help fans learn more about our game with "Hockey Education Night", where we welcome schools from all over our area to learn more about hockey through various activities and entertainment elements during the game.

Friday, February 4 vs. Evansville CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The ‚¬ËœBugs and IceMen will complete their two-game regular season series Friday with their second game in as many nights. Bossier-Shreveport does not play at Evansville this season, making it one of the five CHL cities the Mudbugs do not visit in 2010-11. Friday ‚¬â„¢s game also completes a six-game homestand for the ‚¬ËœBugs, who will play a pair of games at Laredo next week. PROMOTIONAL NOTES: Saturday ‚¬â„¢s game will also be the setting for our joint effort with Willis Knighton Health System to "Power the Cure" by raising awareness and educating fans about head and neck cancer. Fans will be encouraged to wear purple and the Jason Bland Power the Cure Foundation will be on hand to inform people about the preventable nature of most head and neck cancers.

WEEKLY NOTES

0 for the IHL

So Far The Mudbugs have started 0-3 against teams from the former International Hockey League this season after dropping one game to Dayton and a pair against Fort Wayne in the last two weeks. The ‚¬ËœBugs still have eight games remaining against former IHL teams this year, including both of this week ‚¬â„¢s tilts against the Evansville IceMen. Bossier-Shreveport will face four of the five new clubs in the CHL this season, with Quad City being the only exception. Following this week, the Mudbugs ‚¬â„¢ next game against a new opponent will be Thursday, January 24 vs. the Bloomington PrarieThunder on the first night of "Pink in the Rink" weekend.

Powerplay Back on Track

After scoring just twice in 31 powerplay opportunities at one point during their seven-game winless streak, the ‚¬ËœBugs have broken through with five powerplay goals in their last three games. The Mudbugs went two for six on the man-advantage Tuesday vs. Texas and then converted three of 13 chances against Fort Wayne over the weekend to give them a 26% success rate last week. The ‚¬ËœBugs powerplay currently ranks second in the CHL at exactly 20% this year.

Putting the "D" Back in MuDbugs

Most of the Mudbugs ‚¬â„¢ struggles in recent weeks can be traced back to defensive shortcomings that have seen them surrender at least four goals in six of their last ten games. The ‚¬ËœBugs hold an impressive 20-4-1 mark this year when they give up fewer than four goals, compared with a 2-15-1 record when their opponents score four or more. Bossier-Shreveport did limit the opposition under three tallies in two of three games last week and averaged three goals-against per game.

Time for Some Home Cookin ‚¬â„¢

This week the Mudbugs will conclude a six-game homestand with a pair of games against Evansville on Thursday and Friday. Six straight games on home ice matches the longest home stretch of the season for the ‚¬ËœBugs, who will also play six in a row along the Red River in early March. 13 of Bossier-Shreveport ‚¬â„¢s last 23 games will be played on home ice this season, giving the club a chance to improve upon a 10-10-0 home record this year. Since winning eight of their first 11 home games, the ‚¬ËœBugs have dropped seven of their last nine at the CTC.

Road to Recovery

The extensive list of injured Mudbugs is beginning to shrink slightly with the recent return of a few players to the ice. Defenseman Clay Plume is the latest player to re-enter the lineup as he returned from a four-game injury absence last weekend. Captain Brett Smith did not miss any time after last Tuesday ‚¬â„¢s scary knee-on-knee collision with Texas defenseman Sean Hurley, who was suspended one game for the hit. The ‚¬ËœBugs remain banged up however, as Jeff Kyrzakos has missed ten of the past 12 games and both Justin Aikins (the CHL ‚¬â„¢s 5th-leading scorer when injured) and Dave Pszenyczny have both been out for ten straight.

Milam Piling up Points

On the heels of a season-high five game pointless streak, defenseman Jamie Milam is back to thriving offensively with four goals and seven points in his last six games. Those stats do not include the goal he should have been credited with Saturday against Fort Wayne, when he scored on a slapshot so hard it traveled through the back of the net and hit the end boards before any of the game officials saw the puck go in. Milam netted two powerplay tallies Friday for his second multi-goal game in a four-game stretch, which has put him into a tie for the league lead among defensemen with ten goals this season. He has also contributed 20 assists to rank sixth among CHL D-men with 30 points.

Limpright in Leading-Scorer Form

Veteran forward Shawn Limpright will skate in his 500th professional game on Thursday on the heels of his hottest offensive streak of the season. Before being held off the scoresheet over the weekend, Limpright totaled six goals and four assists for ten points in the prior six games. In that span Limpright had a pair of two-goal games as well as two three-point efforts to give him 28 points (12g, 16a) in 33 games. The ninth-year pro led the team in scoring with 53 points last season.

Rutherford Back in the Red Light District

Following his longest goalless drought of the season, forward David Rutherford is back to lighting the lamp with five goals in his last four games. Rutherford, who went eight straight games without a goal this month, is back in a tie for the league lead with 27 tallies this year after recording his first career hat trick Tuesday and scoring again on Saturday. With 49 points this year, the CHL All-Star has now overtaken injured forward Justin Aikins (44 points) for the team lead in scoring.

Loose Pucks

D Mitch Love is tied for the league lead among D-men with 14 fighting majors this year... The Mudbugs have returned F Beau McLaughlin to the Louisiana IceGators of the SPHL after a two-game stint in purple and teal... G John DeCaro earned his 100th career win Tuesday... F Jeff Martens played his 100th career game Tuesday... The ‚¬ËœBugs gave up a season-low 15 shots Friday... Tuesday was the 550th regular season victory in Mudbugs history...

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 ‚¬â„¢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 ‚¬â„¢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.

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

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