RGV Killer Bees Game Notes

Published on December 19, 2013 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


Last weekend review - Bees earn three points against Brahmas

The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees picked up three points last weekend in a pair of games against the Lone Star Brahmas. The Bees shut out the Brahmas 2-0 in the first game of the series before falling 4-3 in a shootout in the second game.

The Bees won the first game last weekend behind second-period power play goals by Anthony Croston and Sean Mostrom. Goalie Nick Schmit did the rest, stopping all 22 shots he faced.

In the second game, the Bees were clinging to a 1-goal lead late in the third period when the Brahmas scored a late power-play goal. After a scoreless overtime session, the Brahmas won the game in a shootout.

Croston, Schmit mentioned as stars

Croston and Schmit were named honorable mention picks for the South Star of the Week Monday by the league office.

Croston recorded two points on the weekend (1G, 1A). Schmit stopped all 22 shots he faced in the first game last weekend to earn his second shutout of the season. He made 16 saves on 19 shots last Saturday. Schmit owns a goals-against average of 1.84 and a save percentage of .912 on the season.

Two points

Just two points separate the top four teams in the South Division. Amarillo and Wichita Falls are tied for first place with 41 points apiece while Rio Grande Valley and Topeka are currently deadlocked in second place with 39 points each.

All he wants for Christmas is ...

RGV head coach Joe Coombs' Christmas list probably looks a little different than the average person's. There's no PS4 or socks on his list.

"A left-handed center, a left-handed winger and a left-handed power play defenseman," Coombs said.

Home for the holidays

Speaking of Christmas, the Bees will break for holidays after Friday's game and report back to Hidalgo on Dec. 26.

Bees ink two tenders

The Bees have tendered two players for the 2014-15 season so far in December - Dallas Gerads and Josh French.

Gerads is a 5-foot-9-inch left-handed center from Blaine, Minn., who currently plays for the Blaine Senior High School Bengals. French is a 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pound center from Woodbury, Minn. French currently plays for the Hill-Murray High School Pioneers. He is the captain of the Pioneers.

"Dallas has a high-end skill set," Coombs said. "He's somebody who I think the community will like him and what he brings. Josh has a great skill set and he really competes."

Milks in the line up

Forward Brad Milks, the team's lone seventh-round pick in the 2013 NAHL Entry Draft, made his debut with the Bees last weekend. Though he recorded no stats, he got his feet wet.

"We knew he wasn't gonna be in the best of shape," Coombs said, "but he certainly is a talented kid."

Stay in touch with the Killer Bees

Log on to KillerBeesHockey.com for the most team news. Fans can also follow the team on Twitter (@KillerBHockey) and Facebook (Rio Grande Valley Killer Bee Hockey Team).

You can watch

Fans are reminded that, for a small fee, they can watch all Killer Bees games by logging on to www.FASTHockey.com. Friday's game against the Corpus Christi IceRays is scheduled to begin at AmericanBank Center at 7:05 p.m.

Spend the holidays with the Bees

The Bees have a trio of home games at the State Farm Arena over the holidays. On Saturday, Dec. 28 RGV will host Corpus Christi. The Bees will also host the Lone Star Brahmas on Friday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 4. All three games are set to begin at 7:05 p.m.

To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com or the State Farm Arena Box Office. For more information, contact the Killer Bees at (956) 843-5651 or email info@killerbeeshockey.com.

Midpoint review

It's hard to believe, but last Friday's game was the 30th of the season, the midway point of the 2013-14 campaign.

The Bees are currently tied for second place in the South Division with 39 points. They are just two points behind division-leading Amarillo and Wichita Falls.

"If somebody had said this is where we would be [halfway through the season], I'd take it. We have a very competitive team and some kids that compete really hard. We obviously need to continue that as the season progresses."

If Coombs were to pick just one area where the Bees need to improve in the second half of the season, it would be the team's power play. Rio Grande Valley's power play currently ranks ninth in the NAHL with a success rate of 16.1 percent.

"We would surely like to improve our power play," Coombs said. "There have been some times where we've gone 0-for-7 on the power play and lost the hockey game. That needs to improve if we want to make a serious run."

Killer Bees vs. IceRays

Friday's contest is the first meeting of the season between the Killer Bees and Ice Rays. ... RGV is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games while Corpus Christi is 5-4-1 in the same stretch. ... After Friday's game, the Bees and Ice Rays will play 10 more times over the rest of the season.

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North American Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2013


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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