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Mudbugs Weekly

May 16, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs News Release


LAST WEEK

Game 1: Friday, May 13 Budweiser Events Center L 3-2 (OT)

GAME NOTES: Matt Glasser scored at 8:26 of overtime to give Colorado a 3-2 victory over the Mudbugs in Game 1 of the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals Friday night at the Budweiser Events Center. The ‚¬ËœBugs rallied from two separate one-goal deficits to force overtime in the contest, the last one coming when David Rutherford scored with just 3:20 left in regulation. Jeff Kyrzakos scored the other goal for Bossier-Shreveport, who held the Eagles off the board on five powerplays while converting 1 out of 7 of their own.

Game 2: Saturday, May 14 Budweiser Events Center W 5-3

GAME NOTES: Five different players scored goals for the Mudbugs in a 5-3 victory over Colorado in Game 2 of the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals Saturday night at the Budweiser Events Center. The forward line of Brett Smith, Steven Crampton and Andy Contois accounted for three of Bossier-Shreveport's five goals in the contest, led by three assists for Contois. Smith, Crampton and Simon Mangos each finished with a goal and an assist as well. John DeCaro put on a solid performance with 33 saves as the ‚¬ËœBugs were outshot 36-19, and Jeff Kryzakos tied the Mudbugs' single-season playoff record with his tenth goal of the postseason.

THIS WEEK

Game 3: Tuesday, May 17 CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

Game 4: Thursday, May 19 CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

Game 5: Friday, May 20 CenturyTel Center 7:05 pm

SERIES NOTES: After the Mudbugs and Eagles split the first two games of the CHL's Championship series at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado last weekend, the series will develop more of an identity this week when the teams play three games in four nights at the CenturyTel Center. Game 3 will give one club a 2-1 series lead before Games 4 and 5 will prove pivotal in the series on Thursday and Friday in Bossier City. If necessary, the series would then shift back to Colorado for Games 6 and 7 next week.

WEEKLY NOTES

Don't Get Mad, Get Even

Following their Game 1 overtime loss to Colorado, the Mudbugs rebounded in a big way with a 5-3 victory in Game 2 of the Presidents' Cup Finals to even the best-of-seven series at one game apiece. All of Bossier-Shreveport's four playoff series this year have now been tied at one after two games, as have 11 of the club's last 15 playoff series overall dating back to 2004. The Mudbugs have won ten of 13 all-time series that were tied at one, but Game 3 will provide a brand new twist as the ‚¬ËœBugs are 12-1 all-time in series they led 2-1, but just 3-5 in series in which they trailed 1-2.

"Krackers'" Knack

After netting 20 goals for the second consecutive regular season in 2010-11, Mudbugs forward Jeff Kryzakos has picked up his scoring pace even more with ten goals in the postseason. Not only is Kyrzakos now tied for the CHL lead in playoff goal scoring, but he has also tied the 12-year old franchise record for goals in a single playoff season. John Vecchiarelli is the only other player in team history to score ten goals in one playoff, accomplishing the feat on his way to playoff MVP honors during the team's first run to the President's Cup in 1999. Kyrzakos also leads the CHL playoffs with six powerplay goals, which is just one shy of Brett Smith's Mudbugs playoff record from 2006, and has totaled 16 points in the postseason.

Spreading the Wealth

The Mudbugs have seven players who have contributed at least 12 points in their 16 playoff games, with four players sitting within three points of the team in scoring lead going into Game 3. Presently leading the team is Shawn Limpright, who is tied for fourth in the CHL playoffs with 18 points (7g, 11a). Limpright has been held pointless just four times in the playoffs and has totaled 32 points (13g, 19a) in his last 30 games including the last month of the regular season. David Rutherford isn't far behind with 17 playoff points including nine goals, while Simon Mangos and Brett Smith have joined Limpright with double-digit assist totals. Justin Aikins has 15 points and ranks among the team leaders in most offensive categories.

Cream of the Crop

It's no surprise that the CHL Championship has come down to the Mudbugs vs. the Eagles, since at least one of the two teams has played for the President's Cup in seven of the past eight CHL seasons. The two powerhouse franchises, which have combined to win five Presidents' Cups, 11 conference Championships and six Governors' Cup regular season titles between them, will now face-off with the Ray Miron President's Cup on the line. The only other team to appear in the Presidents' Cup finals more than once since 2004 is Laredo, who reached the Finals in four straight years from 2004-07.

We Meet Again

Although the stage has never been quite this big, the Mudbugs and Eagles have seen plenty of one another in the playoffs with meetings in three consecutive playoff seasons and four overall since 2006. The ‚¬ËœBugs have won two of the three prior series (2006, 2010) and enter tonight with a playoff record of 9-6 against the Eagles. Even if the series haven't been, playoff games have always been exceptionally close between the teams. 11 of 15 all-time playoff games between the teams have been decided by one goal, with three of the other four ending within a two-goal margin. The teams have also had five head-to-head playoff games decided in overtime (one in 2006, two in 2009, one in 2010 and one already in this series.)

One-Goal Games Galore

Bossier-Shreveport and Colorado both got to the Presidents' Cup Finals partially because of their ability to win close games. Game 1 of this season gave the Mudbugs ten one-goal finishes out of 16 total playoff games, with two more games qualifying for that category when you exclude empty-netters. The Mudbugs have won six of their ten one-goal games, with four of their playoff losses coming by one and the other coming by one plus an empty-netter. The Eagles played four consecutive one-goal games before Game 2 to take over the CHL playoff lead with 11 such games and seven wins. The ‚¬ËœBugs were 13-6-3 in the regular season in games decided by a single tally, while Colorado was 15-8-4.

Loose Pucks

The ‚¬ËœBugs are 37-1 this year (regular season and playoffs) when leading after two periods... Amateur F Nick Layton is tied for the playoff lead with a +12 rating, with D Clay Plume ranks third at +9... The ‚¬ËœBugs are 8-3 in the playoffs when allowing fewer than four goals against... F Brett Smith has moved into 6th place on the Mudbugs' all-time playoff scoring list with 44 points (20g, 24a)... F Steven Crampton played his 50th career playoff game on Friday... G John DeCaro leads all CHL playoff goaltenders with ten wins ... The season is the latest in the year the Mudbugs have ever played in their 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'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.

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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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.

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