The Bee Line

Published on December 29, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


The Killer Bees (14-11-1, 29 pts) face off against the Fort Worth Brahmas (9-15-3, 22 pts) for the first of three meetings this season. Rio had a franchise-record six-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night at home vs. Laredo in a 3-1 loss. The Bees have won seven of their last 10 games and are in second place in the Southeast Division, 10 points behind Division leader Laredo. The Brahmas are in the midst of playing four games in five nights, beating Tulsa 4-2 Tuesday and losing 3-2 in overtime to Colorado Wednesday. The Brahmas are under the direction of new head coach Guy Larose, who took over for Al Sims on December 19. Fort Worth is 1-2-1 under Larose, and have won just two of their last 10 games.

RADIO/TV

Radio: Real Country 840; Live audio at killerbeehockey.com; audio/video stream at chltv.com.

SEASON SERIES

First of three meetings...The teams play Saturday night in Hidalgo...Third and final meeting is January 20 at Dodge Arena.

ALL TIME SERIES

The Killer Bees are 3-2-0 vs. the Brahmas all time...The Bees are 1-1-0 at Fort Worth and 2-1-0 at home...This is the first time the Killer Bees have visited Fort Worth since Jan. 13, 2004, a game that resulted in a 4-2 Bees win...The teams played all three games last season in Hidalgo, and both games in 2003-04 at Fort Worth.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE Saturday, December 31 vs. Fort Worth, 8:00 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240), presented by KGBT-4; post-game party with food, drinks, live music, and a midnight fireworks display!

Friday, January 6 vs. Austin, 7:30 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

Saturday, January 7 vs. Corpus Christi, 7:30 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240, TV: Televisa (XERV-9, cable 19)

Sunday, January 8 at Austin, 4:00 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

Thursday, January 12 vs. Corpus Christi, 7:30 p.m. (Radio ESPN 1240)

Friday, January 13 at Corpus Christi, 7:30 p.m. (Radio ESPN 1240)

Saturday, January 14 at Austin, 7:30 p.m. (Radio: ESPN 1240)

BEES SET FRANCHISE WINNING STREAK

With a 5-4 win in overtime on 12/18, the Bees set a new franchise streak with five wins in a row. They had two streaks of four wins in a row, most recently February 15-21, 2004.

SHMYR OUT FOR FIVE GAMES

Ryan Shmyr received a five-game suspension for his actions in the 5-1 win at Corpus Christi on Dec. 23. he is eligible to play again on January 8 vs. Austin.

BEES AND RAYZ COMBINE FOR PIM HIGH

The Bees and Corpus Christi Rayz combined for 112 PIM on Dec. 23, the most this season between the Bees and an opponent. Ryan Shmyr set a team high with 26 PIM, while the Rayz' Shawn Legault racked up 29 PIM. That included three major penalties, the most in the CHL this season. Wichita holds the league-high for team PIM in a game this season with 134 (5-4 loss vs. Oklahoma City on Dec. 27), while the Thunder's Chris Bain (Wichita) had the distinction of having a league-high 40 PIM assessed during that game.

CONFERFENCE CALL

The Killer Bees are 13-8-0 vs. Southern Conference teams and just 1-3-1 vs. Northern Conference clubs.

WEISGERBER SETS FRANCHISE ASSIST STREAK

Trevor Weisgerber's assist on Daymen Bencharski's goal 12/23 at Corpus Christi set a new franchise-high for consecutive games with an assist. The streak was broken Dec. 27 vs. Laredo in a 3-1 loss. Weisgerber's six-game streak eclipsed the five-game mark set by Joe Guenther in 2004.

KRALJ RETURNS, PROVIDES OVERTIME SUPPORT

Matic Kralj scored the game-winner vs. Corpus Christi Friday 12/16 after missing the previous eight games with a hand injury. He then set up Aaron Phillip's overtime winner vs. Laredo 12/18 with a clean face off win to Phillips.

BEES SOLID IN ONE-GOAL GAMES

The 2-1 win on 12/17 at Laredo improved Rio Grande's record to 6-2-1 in one-goal games.

FIRST GOAL IS THE GOAL

The Killer Bees are 11-2-0 when scoring first and 4-10-1 when allowing the first goal.

ONE, TWO THREE.....WE WANT FOUR!

The Killer Bees are a perfect 12-0-0 when scoring four or more goals and 3-0 when scoring six or more. When scoring three or fewer goals, the record is just 2-11-1.

COMEBACK NOW?

With a record of 0-9-0, the Bees have yet to come back from trailing after the second period. They are only marginally better (1-6-1) when trailing after the first, earning a point in an overtime loss to Colorado. Rio's 4-1 win over Corpus Christi on 12/16 marked the first time the team came back after being down entering the second period. On the flipside, the Bees have been solid at holding leads with a 12-1-0 record when entering the third period ahead.

BENCHARSKI, WEISGERBER TIED IN SCORING RACE

Daymen Bencharski (16-16-32) and Trevor Weisgerber (9-23-32) are tied for 13th in the CHL scoring race with 32 points.

MUSHALUK AMONG ROOKIE LEADERS

Jeff Mushaluk is tied for seventh among CHL rookies with 15 points (2-13-15).

NEW POWER PLAY OPPORTUNITES HIGH SET

The Killer Bees went 3-for-14 on the power play 12/23 at Corpus Christi and tied a franchise high set 2/14/04 vs. Laredo when the Bees went 2-for-14 on the man advantage. It eclipses the season-high of 12 power play chances, set 12/17 at Laredo when the Bees went 2-for-12.

SHOTS, AND MORE SHOTS

A 22-shot second period 12/18 vs. Laredo tied a season high. The franchise record for shots in a period is 27, set 1/6/05 vs. Odessa in the second period of a 4-1 Bees win. The Bees also eclipsed 40 shots twice last weekend, peppering 45 at Corpus goalie Brent Zelenewich Friday 12/16 and 42 on Laredo's David Lemanowicz Sunday 12/18. The season-high for shots in a game is 47, set 11/15 in a 6-3 win at Corpus Christi while the franchise mark is 54. The Bees hit that mark twice, most recently 1/6/05 vs. Odessa.

BENCHARSKI NAMED OAKLEY CHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Daymen Bencharski has been selected as the Week Eight recipient of the Oakley Central Hockey League Player of the Week award. Bencharski registered eight points (4-4-8), including three multiple-point outings in four games, and his second natural hat-trick of the season. He has 18 points in his last 10 games (10-8-18, 6 PPG) and 13 points in his last five games (7-6-13, 4 PPG).

HAY AND PHILLIPS TIE FRANCHSIE RECORDS ON SAME NIGHT

On Saturday 12/10 in Austin, Dwayne Hay and Aaron Phillips tied franchise records for consecutive games posting assists (five) and goals (four), respectively. Hay had assists in five straight, tying the mark set by Joe Guenther (11/27/04-12/10/04). Phillips scored the game-winner in Austin to tie Guenther's record set 11/27-12/05/04 (four goals). The overall record for consecutive games scoring points in seven set by Bill Newson.

FRANCHISE POWER PLAY GOALS RECORD SET

A four-goal night on the power play set a franchise record 12/10 at Austin. The Bees had scored three power play goals numerous times, including a three-goal performance on 12/3 at home vs. the Ice Bats.

PLUMBERS AND PIPEFITTERS

An 18-4 shot advantage in the third period 12/6 at Youngstown failed to yield a goal for the Bees thanks in part to hitting the posts and crossbar a number of times, setting a season-high for outshooting an opponent and not scoring a goal in one period (14 shots). The Bees scored twice in the second period vs. Laredo on 12/18 while outshooting the Bucks 22-7. The 15-shot differential is a season high.

STREAKS

- Daymen Bencharski (5-6-11, plus-4) has points in six of his last seven games.

- Trevor Weisgerber (1-8-9) has points in six of his last seven, including points in nine of his last 11 games (5-12-17).

- Matic Kralj has two goals and an assist in his last five games.

- Clay Plume has points (2-7-9) in nine of his last 13 outings.

- Jeff Mushaluk has points (1-4-5, plus-2) in five of his last seven.

- Bobby Davis has points (2-3-5) in three of his last five after posting just four assists in his previous 16 games.

- Bill Newson has points (9-5-14) in seven of his last 10 games.

- Nathan Rosychuk has a two assists in his last three games.

POWER PLAY (18.1%, 4th)

The Killer Bees set a franchise record with four power play goals 12/10 at Austin, and are 9-for-52 (17.3%) in their last six games. The Bees have scored a PPG in all but six games this season. Daymen Bencharski leads the team with eight PPG. The Bees have allowed just two shorthanded goals this season.

PENALTY KILLING (84.1%, 10th)

The Bees are 4-for-43 in the last six games on the penalty kill (90.7%) and are third in the CHL with eight shorthanded goals. Trevor Weisgerber and Daymen Bencharski each have a pair of shorthanded goals.

TRANSACTIONS

DATE, TRANSACTION

12/16/05 , ADD Kralj, Matic (C) activated from IR

11/20/05 , DEL Kralj, Matic (C) placed on 14 day IR

11/16/05 , ADD Cherneski, Phil (LW) signed contract

11/15/05 , DEL Kuczmanski, Jason (F) placed on 45 day IR

11/11/05 , ADD Rosychuk, Nathan (F) activated from IR

11/05/05 , ADD Phillips, Aaron (F) activated from suspension

11/02/05 , DEL Phillips, Aaron (F) placed on league suspension for 1 games

10/28/05 , DEL Rosychuk, Nathan (F) placed on 14 day IR

ASK A BEE

If you have questions for a player, head coach Tracy Egeland, or broadcaster Rich Bocchini, send an email including your name and hometown to killerbeesradio@yahoo.com. Selected questions will be answered by the player or coach during the second intermission of each game.

LISTEN TO (OR WATCH) EVERY GAME

There are several ways to keep up with the Killer Bees both home and away. ESPN Radio 1240 carries every game live (Real Country 840 when conflicts arise). The team makes broadcasts available on killerbeehockey.com by clicking on the "We've Got Game" link on the homepage (Windows Media Player is required and is free to download). Audio broadcasts are archived for one month so fans can go back and listen later if they miss the game. You can also watch every game live on CHLTV.com. Join the voice of the Killer Bees Rich Bocchini for all the action with the pre-game starting 10 minutes prior to the drop of the puck. (For road games, CHLTV.com audio and video feeds are provided by the home team). Selected games are also broadcast locally on Televisa (XERV-9, cable 19). Check www.killerbeehockey.com for the latest schedule.

TEAM PRACTICE POLICY

Practice times are generally 10-11 a.m. at Dodge Arena. Regular practices are open to the public, but fans attend at their own risk and must sit behind the protective netting. The Killer Bees and Dodge Arena are not responsible for injuries or other mishaps. The Killer Bees and Dodge Arena reserve the right to close practice to the public at any time due to other events or circumstances without prior notice. Game-day practices are not open to the public. Call (956)-843-5656 for updated practice times.

POINTSTREAK

For all the latest stats, standings, and up-to-the-minute real time scoring updates, log onto www.pointstreak.com.

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Central Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2005


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