CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings hold off Killer Bees 3-2

Published on November 25, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN --- Bobby Gates scored his first RiverKings goal and Travis Banga got the game winner in the Memphis RiverKings' 3-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Saturday night at the DeSoto Civic Center. The win moved the RiverKings record to 9-2-2 and put them in a first place tie with Youngstown in the Northeast Division. Youngstown lost to Corpus Christi in overtime on Saturday evening.

Gates got the scoring going with a power play one-timer that was set up on a pass by Louis Dumont. His goal at 4:50 of the first was the first allowed by the Killer Bees in over 168 minutes. The Bees were coming off back-to-back 3-0 shutouts of Bossier-Shreveport entering Saturday's game at the DCC.

Rio Grande Valley's Bill Newson came back with a goal of his own at 7:21 of the first to tie the game at one. That is how the score stood going into the first intermission.

Louis Dumont netted his sixth of the season, again on the power play, at 2:31 of the first period to give the lead back to Memphis. That 2-1 scored held until Banga made it a two goal advantage at 13:02 of the third. He collected a Darrell Stoddard rebound in the top half of the crease and poked it in for his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

Jason Cirone cut the lead to one with a power play tally from the lower left circle, but the RiverKings and goalie Larry Sterling would slam the door shut the rest of the way for the hard fought 3-2 win.

The RiverKings out-shot the Killer Bees 39-26 and, as a result, have now held opponents to 26 or fewer shots in eight straight games.

Sterling was the winning goaltender with 24 saves, improving his record to 8-2-2. His counterpart, Jeff Van Nynatten, took the loss with 36 saves on the 39 shots.

The RiverKings' powerplay accounted for the first two goals and went two-for-seven in the game, while the penalty kill held Rio Grande Valley to a goal in their seven chances.

The first place and second ranked RiverKings now head out on the road for just their fourth contest away from the DCC on Tuesday at Bossier City. The game versus the Mudbugs at the CenturyTel Center will face off at 7:05. The team will then come back home for games Friday, December 1 at 7:05 and Sunday, December 3 at 5:05 with the Youngstown Steelhounds.

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Central Hockey League Stories from November 25, 2006


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