Sundogs Win Third Straight, Top Killer Bees, 4-1
March 9, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Arizona Sundogs News Release
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - Skating in their second game in 15 hours, the Arizona Sundogs earned their third straight victory and second in a row away from Tim's Toyota Center, topping the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees by a 4-1 mark Wednesday morning at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
Michel Robinson was nearly perfect in his first start in net for the Sundogs, turning aside 31 shots, including 16 in the second period, before surrendering a late power-play goal to Aaron Lewicki with 2:27 remaining in the contest.
With the win, Arizona moves into a tie for sixth place in the Berry Conference with the Mississippi RiverKings, three points ahead of eighth-place Rio Grande Valley and seven points ahead of the Laredo Bucks. The Sundogs trail the Odessa Jackalopes by a single point for fifth place overall with seven games remaining in the regular season.
The Sundogs improve to 6-1-0 in seven games against the Killer Bees this season, including an unblemished 4-0-0 at State Farm Arena.
Joey Sides finished with two goals and an assist in the win, earning his 17th multi-point effort of the year.
The second-year forward stretched his club's lead to two with 3:21 remaining in the opening frame, slapping a second-chance effort past Juliano Pagliero from the top of the goal crease after Tyler Butler forced a Rio Grande Valley turnover between the circles.
Sides extended Arizona's lead to three with eight and a half minutes remaining in the middle frame, skating through the slot and lifting a backhand under the crossbar as the two teams skated 4-on-4.
Defenseman Matt Frick opened scoring just 4:55 in the contest to give Arizona an early 1-0 lead. Skating in just his fifth game of the season since joining the Sundogs, Frick snapped a shot five-hole past Pagliero after a Killer Bees scoring chance found the post at the other end of the ice.
Brett Blatchford added to Arizona's cushion 1:33 into the final frame, collecting his first professional goal and second point in as many games since signing with the Sundogs. Trailing the play, Blatchford calmed an Adam Smyth rink-wide pass before lifting a shot over the Killer Bees netminder from the far circle.
Arizona (23-27-9) continues its final road trip of the regular season Friday at 6:30pm (Arizona time) against the Killer Bees (23-29-6). Listen to the game live online at www.cattlecountryradio.com and on KDDL 'Cattle Country' 94.3FM, the Official Radio Home of Arizona Sundogs Hockey.
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Central Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2011
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- PrairieThunder Leading Scorer Jason Dale Called up to Bridgeport - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- RiverKings Defenseman Maslonka Departs Roster - Mississippi RiverKings
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