Mudbugs Weekly

February 28, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Tuesday, February 22 at Rio Grande Valley State Farm Arena W 4-1

GAME NOTES: Four goals on just 19 shots and a strong defensive effort paced the Mudbugs to a 4-1 victory over Rio Grande Valley Tuesday at State Farm Arena. Playing his first game since January 8, Justin Aikins scored a goal and added two assists in the game, while Brett Smith also had a three-point night with that same stat line. Steven Crampton finished with a goal and an assist and John DeCaro (16-10-1) backstopped the effort with 26 saves in goal.

Thursday, February 24 vs. Bloomington CenturyTel Center L 2-1 (OT)

GAME NOTES: Ryan Munce stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in his Mudbugs debut, but his counterpart Marco Emond was one save better as Bloomington snuck past the Mudbugs 2-1 in overtime on the first night of "Pink in the Rink" Thursday at the CenturyTel Center. Brett Smith scored the lone Mudbugs goal in the third period, while John Snowden netted the overtime winner for the PrairieThunder in the first-ever matchup between the clubs.

Saturday, February 26 vs. Texas CenturyTel Center L 5-3

GAME NOTES: Playing in front of their largest home crowd since 2008, the Mudbugs could not deliver a victory for 5,739 home fans Saturday night at the CenturyTel Center, falling 5-3 to Texas in the conclusion of "Pink in the Rink". Shawn Limpright and Jeff Kyrzakos each contributed a goal and an assist for the ‚¬ËœBugs, who played from behind most of the night. David Rutherford scored the other Mudbugs tally in his return from a four-game absence.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday, March 2 at Allen Allen Event Center 7:30 pm

GAME NOTES: Wednesday night the Mudbugs and Americans meet for the ninth time this year and final time at the Allen Event Center. The ‚¬ËœBugs are just 2-6 against the CHL ‚¬â„¢s top team this year, but earned a hard-fought 3-2 overtime win over Allen at the CenturyTel Center the last time the two teams played on February 18.

Friday, March 4 vs. Laredo CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs will host their final matchup of the season with Laredo Friday night as they look to finish 6-1-0 against their South Texas rivals this season. The last time the teams played, the ‚¬ËœBugs swept a back-to-back set from the Bucks in Laredo in mid-February. The Bucks are two points behind Rio Grande Valley for 9th place in the Berry Conference. PROMOTIONAL NOTES: Friday is "Power the Cure" night, where the Mudbugs team up with Willis-Knighton to fight head and neck cancers, which are usually caused by tobacco use.

Saturday, March 5 vs. Allen CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The ‚¬ËœBugs and Amerks meet for the second time this week and final time this season Saturday at the CTC. The game will be Bossier-Shreveport ‚¬â„¢s last head-to-head chance to gain ground on the first place Americans. PROMOTIONAL NOTES: Saturday is our annual "Pucks n ‚¬â„¢ Prayers" game, when the Mudbugs welcome church groups from all over the Ark-La-Tex. The game will also feature a special postgame concert with the Simple Church band.

Sunday, March 6 vs. Texas CenturyTel Center 4:05 pm

GAME NOTES: The Mudbugs meet the rival Brahmas for the ninth time this season on Sunday, with the ‚¬ËœBugs currently trailing Texas by four points for second place in the Berry Conference. Bossier-Shreveport is 3-4-1 against Texas this year with three more regular season meetings remaining. PROMOTIONAL NOTES: Sunday the ‚¬ËœBugs welcome attendees of the Simple Church on our "Simple Sunday Spectacular".

WEEKLY NOTES

It ‚¬â„¢s a "Mess with Texas" Weekend

Following Wednesday ‚¬â„¢s road game at Allen, the Mudbugs will come home to open a six-game homestand with a weekend triple-header of games against rivals from the state of Texas at the CenturyTel Center. The ‚¬ËœBugs will face the longtime rival Laredo Bucks Friday, the first-place Americans Saturday and the neighboring Texas Brahmas on Sunday afternoon. Bossier-Shreveport is currently is a stretch of five-straight games against Texas teams and plays 37 of 66 games this year against opponents from the Lone Star State.

Many Happy Returns

Forward David Rutherford joined the list of newly-healthy Mudbugs Saturday night, re-entering the lineup after missing four straight games. With the returns of Justin Aikins and Travis Clayton earlier in the week, the Mudbugs played with a full 18-man lineup Thursday for the first time since early January. Due mostly to injuries and some other circumstances over the past two months, the ‚¬ËœBugs had gone 17 straight games without dressing the full allotment of 16 skaters and two goalies prior to last week.

New Additions Make an Impact

Two players made their Mudbugs debuts last week, as goaltender Ryan Munce and forward Andy Contois first took the ice with the club. Munce had a shutout going for over 54 minutes and finished with 29 saves despite suffering the overtime defeat Thursday against Bloomington in an impressive first start with the ‚¬ËœBugs. The sixth-year pro and former L.A. Kings draft pick has spent most of his career in the ECHL, but has also played 13 career AHL games. Contois also looked strong in his first two games, registering nine shots on goal and creating numerous scoring chances for the ‚¬ËœBugs. The former ECHL All-Star had played most of this season in Sweden, where he totaled 48 points (16g, 32a) in just 37 games this year.

"Smitty" Climbs the List

Sixth-year Mudbugs forward Brett Smith scored another goal Thursday against Bloomington to follow up his three-point (1g, 2a) performance Tuesday in Rio Grande Valley and continue his rise in the club ‚¬â„¢s all-time record book. Smith now stands just four points away from passing General Manager Jason Campbell for fifth on the team ‚¬â„¢s all-time scoring list. He also ranks fifth in career assists and seventh in goals. Smith has recorded 12 points (5g, 7a) in his last 13 games.

Crampton Nearing 500

Forward Steven Crampton is approaching 500 games played in his pro career and has recently surpassed two other significant career milestones. Within the past two weeks, the ninth-year pro has reached 400 career points and also topped 900 career penalty minutes. Crampton, who enters this week with 497 pro games, has collected 12 points (2g, 10a) in his last 11 games and ranks second on the team in scoring. He did not play Saturday against Texas due to an injury.

Simon ‚¬â„¢s Surge

Defenseman Simon Mangos has consistently racked up points for the Mudbugs during the past month, recording 12 points (2g, 10a) in his last 13 games. After notching two helpers Tuesday, the seventh-year pro has moved into the top ten scorers on the club this year. Mangos, who was a finalist for the CHL ‚¬â„¢s Most Outstanding Defenseman award last year, has 28 points (4g, 34a) this season and recently surpassed 100 points as a Mudbug.

Not to be Outdone...

Jamie Milam continues to rank among the CHL ‚¬â„¢s top scoring defensemen this year with 12 goals (T-4th), 30 assists (T-5th), and 42 points (5th). Milam is in the midst of his best offensive season since 2007-08, when he posted career highs of 41 assists and 54 points for the ECHL ‚¬â„¢s Gwinnett Gladiators.

Back in a Big Way

Forward Justin Aikins wasted little time getting back on the scoresheet in his return from a 16-game injury absence Tuesday, scoring a goal and assisting on two others in his first game since January 8. Aikins, who stood fifth in the CHL in scoring when he was hurt, still ranks third on the team with 47 points (12g, 35a) and leads the club with a +16 rating. Travis Clayton also returned to action Tuesday in Rio after missing six games on a leave of absence.

Loose Pucks

Former Mudbugs Captain and third all-time leading scorer Chris Brassard earned his 600th career point Friday after coming out of retirement to play for Texas.... The Mudbugs are 22-1-0 this year when leading after two periods....D Michael Couch is a +6 in his last ten games... F Jeff Kyrzakos is approaching 100 games as a Mudbug and 300 as a pro... The ‚¬ËœBugs lead the CHL with an average of 26.75 shots against per game this season... Bossier-Shreveport is the fourth-least penalized team in the CHL...

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.



Central Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2011


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