Mudbugs Hockey Blog

Travis Clayton scored two goals in the 3rd period, lifting his team to victory by scoring the tying goal as well as the game winner. Mudbugs Forward Joe Zappala with his assist tonight, has now earned at least a point in all 11 games he has played this season.

The one glaring part of the Mudbugs game this season has been their lack of production on special teams and how it has hurt them. Tonight, however, it was their friend. The Mavericks went 0-4 on the powerplay, while the Mudbugs went 1-5. But it was the one they did succeed at that won them the game.

It was mostly an uneventful, close checking game until the 7:15 mark of the 1st period when Mudbugs Chris St Croix threw down with Mavericks Karl Sellan. The two had a spirited battle then proceeded to their respective penalty boxes to realign their gear, rest, and feel shame (Slap Shot reference).

Jeff Christian opened the scoring in the game for the Missouri Mavericks with just over 20 seconds left to play in the first and the 1-0 lead, which held up until the first intermission. Shots on goal in the period favored Bossier Shreveport 8-7.

The Mudbugs tied the game at one goal apiece at 9:54 of the 2nd period when Brett Smith scored his 5th from Joe Zappala and Tyrel Lucas.

Missouri would then take the lead right back again at 15:32 of the period off the stick of Mike Burgoyne, giving his team the 2-1 lead heading into the 2nd intermission. The Mavericks held the edge in shots 19-14 in that period and 26-22 after 40 minutes.

The 3rd period belonged to the Mudbugs as they grabbed the game by the neck and would not let go. Travis Clayton scored the tying goal at 13:31 with his 4th of the season from Jeff Kyrzakos and David Pszenyczny.

Then with just over 2 minutes left to play in period Travis Clayton scored his 5th of the season and 2nd in the game for the eventual game winner. The Mudbugs outshot the Mavericks 15-3 in the final frame and 37-29 in the game. Ken Carroll earned his 3rd win of the season.

The Mudbugs will be idle until Tuesday night when they will play host to the Arizona Sundogs of the Southern Conference.

© 2009, Mudbugs Hockey Blog. All rights reserved. To Republish you must link back to the Original Article

The Mudbugs found themselves in an early 2-0 hole, which turned out to be the difference in the game as the Bucks handed the Mudbugs their second road loss in as many games by a score of 4-2.

The Bugs played well after that point,  but unfortunately could never climb back to other side of the 8-ball. Tyrel Lucas scored his 1st of the season and Joe Blaznek extended his scoring streak to three games for the Bugs.

Special teams have hurt the Mudbugs all season, and tonight it hurt them big as they went 0-6 with the man-advantage, while allowing the Bucks a shorthanded goal as well. They had come into the game 11th place on PP and dead last in the PK. The Bucks went 1-4 with the man advantage.

The opening goal came at 2:53 of the first by Mike Sgroi with his first of the season for the 1-0 lead. Not even a minute later, the Laredo Bucks increased their lead to 2-0 when Adam Rivet put home his 4th on the season.

The Mudbugs halved the lead with a goal of their own at the 16:01 mark of the period when Tyrel Lucas scored to give his team some life after their rocky start. Shawn Limpright had the lone assist on the goal. Mudbugs led in shots by a slim 12-11 after 20 minutes.

The Bucks increased their lead to 3-1 when Eric Giosa scored his 3rd of the season, to give his team the two goal cushion once again heading into the second intermission. The Mudbugs ended up outshooting the Bucks 16-5 in that period with nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.

For the second game in row, the middle period proved to be their best played, and for second game in a row they were unable to gain any ground on the deficit before them.

Laredo’s Justin Styffe gave his team a 4-1 lead when he scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 14:47 of the 3rd, adding insult to injury as the Bugs never could recover from that uphill climb that inevitably became their doom.

Mudbugs Joe Blaznek did score his 5th of season at 15:44 of the period from Mark Johnson and Matt Cook, but it turned out to be too little too late on this night.

The wheels fell off the wagon early for this team and they just could not recover. No matter how hard they tried to fix things, more things would go wrong. There will be games like that. There will also be games when they can do no wrong over a long season. This was just not one of them.

The Mudbugs will welcome the expansion Missouri Mavericks to the CenturyTel tonight at 7:05pm. It will be their first home game since they enjoyed a 3-1 win over the Mississippi RiverKings back on November, 19th.

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What goes around comes around, however you want to describe it, the Mudbugs got a taste of their own medicine. Not saying they deserved it, but the after taste is still there.

Rio Grande Valley netminder Andy Franck kicked away 47 of the 50 shots, while his teammates connected for 3 powerplay goals. Joe Zappala led all Mudbugs with 2pts. in his first game back from IR.

It has been proven in the last three games the Mudbugs have played, that some night’s you put 24 shots on goal and win, turn around the next game and blister 50 at the opposing goalie and come away with nothing to show for it. It just happens that way over the course of a long season.

The Mudbugs cracked the scoreboard first with a powerplay marker just 1:53 into the opening period. Shawn Limpright tipped in his 3rd of the season from Chris St Croix and Joe Zappala.

The Killer Bees tied the game at 7:14 of the period when Daymen Rycroft popped in a rebound while on the powerplay. Grant Goeckner-Zoeller made it 2-1 on the powerplay. Then Sean Muncy capped off  the 3rd unanswered goal for his team, as the Bees headed into the locker room up 3-1.

The second period may have been the best period the Bugs have played thus far this season as they outshot the Killer Bees 26-6, but unfortunately failed to make up any ground for their efforts.

Joe Blaznek scored his 4th of the season at 11:25 of the period from Travis Clayton.  Then at 18:02 of the period, players from both teams met to discuss their difference of opinions over what may have been brewing since (Bee-goon) Brett Clouthier, accidently on purpose, allegedly injured Mudbugs defensemen Dale Lupul.

Two scraps later the Mudbugs came out the other side with the extra minor, but it was the way the players stuck up for each other and acted on it, throwing another brick into their “team building” goals.

Unfortunately for the Mudbugs, Rio Grande Valley took advantage of the powerplay they were awarded earlier when Joel Irving gave his team a 4-2 lead at the end of 40 minutes.

The Mudbugs and Killer Bees traded goals in the final 20 minutes with Zak McClellan giving his team a 5-2 lead at the 5:50 mark of the period. Joe Zappala at 8:04 added his 5th of the season, and the Mudbugs 1st shorthanded goal of the season. The goal was also unassisted.

The Mudbugs dropped to 7-7-0 in the standings, and will return to action Friday Night when they will meet up with the Laredo Bucks before finally heading home. Their next home game will be Saturday night when they will welcome the expansion Missouri Mavericks to the CenturyTel Center. Gametime as always is 7:05pm.

A very special and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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Even though the Mudbugs have won 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5 games, I still can’t help but wonder how long the team’s scoring drought is going to last. The Mudbugs are dead last in the league in goals scored with 31, one less than the leagues bottom dwelling Wichita Thunder with 32.

How long can miracle wins, and heroic comebacks last if the scoring doesn’t improve? However they are finding ways to win despite the putrid offensive numbers. And since the doors to the Mudbugs locker room have swung open and closed so much, sending the injured out and bringing the replacements in, I guess that creating any viable chemistry is difficult at best. But not impossible.

Be that as it may, the scoring still has start coming from the forwards very soon as the Mudbugs head into Hidalgo, Texas tonight for a 7:35pm drop of the puck with the Bees.

The Killer Bees (8-5-2=18pts.) are 6-3-0 at home this season, and are 3rd in the Southern Conference one point ahead of the Laredo Bucks (7-3-3=17pts). The Mudbugs are 5-1-0 on the road thus far.

To win, the Mudbugs  must tighten up their defense, while keeping the opposing shots on goals down. This can be accomplished by a good solid fore-check in the opponents zone. Which will in turn allow the Mudbugs possession of the puck more, which should offer more scoring chances as well.

Mudbug D Simon Mangos has already having an All- Star season leading the team in scoring with 2G, 8A, while Brett Smith and Joe Zappala lead the team with 4 goals apiece.

The duo of John DeCaro and Kenny Carroll have been arguably the main reason for the Mudbugs success of late.  DeCaro stands 9th in the league, while Kenny Carroll sits at 12th.

The pair have had to face an insurmountable number of shots on goal as of late. That just cannot continue if the Mudbugs want keep winning. The Mudbugs were outshot 88-48 in their last two outings against the Mississippi RiverKings last week.

That is asking way too much from your goaltending. Faster puck movement, less turnovers, and a better fore-check are just three of the things that will help if the Mudbugs are to improve their all around game. – (Post Updated – 11/25/09)

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Kenny Carroll stopped 45 of 47 shots as the injury plagued Mudbugs swept the Mississippi RiverKings on back to back nights. Shawn Limpright scored  just 1:22 into overtime, sealing the 3-2 victory for the Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs, who now are in the midst of winning their last 4 out of 5 games, including a current 3 game winning streak.

The Mudbugs who already had enough players on IR to fill a Mash unit, began the game shorthanded, and finished with even less. There was almost as many players on the ice as there were on the bench. Hard times and adversity were all over this team tonight, and somehow they came out in the end smelling like a rose. They are officially branded a Mudbugs Team.

The old saying goes “no guts, no glory”, but I think in this case it’s more like “all guts, all glory”.  There was only one choice for these soldiers, and that was to dig down deeper than any of them may ever have in their careers giving all they have to give, and then some.

I think it was the “then some” where they may have found what was needed to reach their glory.  It can be said about a win, that it doesn’t matter how its done, but in this case, it is about how it was done.

Games like tonight can define a team, while going a long way in not only bringing a team together, but also earning the trust and respect of your teammates as well. Let’s put these two victory’s into perspective. The Mudbugs were outshot 88-48 in the home and home series and won both of them.  The combo of John DeCaro and Kenny Carroll combined for 85 saves in the two victories. That is some superior goaltending going on there.

The Mississippi Riverkings opened the scoring at 12:25 of the opening period on a goal by Kevin Jarman. But the Mudbugs came right back to tie the score less than 2 minutes later when veteran Joe Blaznek scored his 3rd of the season. The goal was unassisted.

The opening frame concluded with the score tied at one apiece with Mississippi holding a 16-9 shot advantage. There was no scoring in the second frame. Mississippi outshot Bossier Shreveport 19-4 in that period and 37-11 through the first 40 minutes.

The Mudbugs took the lead 2-1 off the stick of defensemen David Pszenyczny with his 1st goal of the season helped out by Mark Johnson and Chris St Croix at 3:26 of the third frame.

But the RiverKings fought their way back to the tie the game 2-2 at 8:48 of the period on a goal by Darrell Stoddard. There would be no more scoring for the remainder of regulation time, so let’s collect our one-point and move on to overtime.

Then just 1:22 into the overtime period, Shawn Limpright fired the game winner past RiverKing netminder Ray Jean capping of very gutsy 3-2 victory. Simon Mangos and Joe Blaznek had the assists. Their wounds won’t hurt as much on their way back home after a win like this.

Hopefully, the Mudbugs will be able to heal some of the walking wounded before Wednesday as they will head south to Hidalgo, Texas to face off against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. (Posted updated – 11/24/09)

© 2009, Mudbugs Hockey Blog. All rights reserved. To Republish you must link back to the Original Article

The Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs were fortunate when All Star goalie John DeCaro was signed to the team this season. They are feeling just as fortunate tonight, as he was arguably the best player on the ice tonight stopping 40 of 41 shots on the way to a 3-1 win on home ice.

Mudbugs Mark Johnson and RiverKings Darrell Stoddard must have had their dance cards stamped and ready to go before the game. It took just two seconds into the game for the dance to start. Turns out Johnson was better dancer than Stoddard. Johnson won the bout without a doubt.

For the remainder of the period the two teams played a fast paced game, racking up 11 shots apiece. Fortunately for the Mudbugs, one of those shots went in.  Mark Johnson scored his 1st of the season with less than a minute left in the period with help from Brett Smith and Matt Cook, giving his team the 1-0 lead after the first 20.

The Mudbugs upped the lead to 2-0 on the powerplay when Travis Clayton put home his 2nd of the season with help from David Pszenyczny and Mark Johnson, who with that assist,  Johnson completes the first “Gordie Howe Hat trick of the season (a goal, assist and a fight).

The RiverKings cut the lead in half when the team’s leading scorer, Ryan Held, scored their lone goal of the night with less than three minutes left in the 2nd period. The RiverKings outshot the Mudbugs 17-6 in that period and had a 28-17 shot advantaged through the first 40 minutes.

The Mudbugs literally hung on to their slim 2-1 lead on the back of their netminder John DeCaro throughout the rest of the game. Neil Clark put the icing on the cupcake firing his 3rd of the season into the empty net with only 11 seconds left. The goal was unassisted.

Both teams will follow each other Southaven, Mississippi for the second half of the home and home to be played at 7:05pm tonight. The Mudbugs moved to the .500 mark at  6-6 for 12pts. – (Post Updated – 11/24/09)

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Once again it has been proven that wearing the “C” on a Mudbugs sweater gives the players that proudly wear them the strength, leadership and the ability to do amazing things. Brett Smith tonight put the team on his back and with all his might,  pulled them out of what was appearing to be another apparent defeat. He is Brett Smith. And He is Captain.

The Mudbugs came into this game having lost their last 5 home games straight, setting a team record in the process. So coming into this game, one could only rely on their faith and trust in the mystique and history and the teams undaunted ability for the dramatics. Falling behind by a 2-0 score, was only to say “we have them right where we want them”. It’s as if they prefer it that way.

I say, why all the dramatics? Can’t they just win the game outright? First of all, winning in dramatic fashion has always been a part of what makes the Mudbugs. Winning games that way can be nail biting and a test to your anxiety level, but without it once in a while, it just wouldn’t be Mudbugs hockey, now would it?

The Rapid City Rush grabbed the 2-0 lead  after the first 20 minutes on goals by Brendon Hodge and Rich Hansen who scored with less than 5 minutes left to play in the period. The Mudbugs did outshoot the Rush 16-13 in that period.

Then one tick past the 14:00 mark of the 2nd frame Brett Smith fired home his 3rd of the season on the powerplay to cut the Rush lead in half. He was assisted by Simon Mangos and Adam Krug.

Then with less than a minute left to play in the 2nd, Brett Smith does it again, this time ties the game at 2 goals apiece just as the fans were already planning what they were going to do during the intermission. At the 19:25 mark of the period, the proud captain comes through in true Mudbug fashion knotting the game at 2-2. In essence thus turning this contest into a all new game. Smitty was helped in scoring his 4th of the season by Joe Blaznek and Tysen Dowzak.

There would be no more scoring throughout the rest of regulation, including the 5:00 overtime period. And why not if The Mudbugs were going to win the game it might as well be in the most dramatic way they could, the shootout. They already had earned one point just getting there, but that’s not good enough. The team, the fans and the whole Mudbug organization needed nothing short of a victory on their own ice surface, in their own barn.

Turned out that Joe Blaznek, Simon Mangos and why not? Brett Smith, all scored for the Mudbugs while only Les Reaney (Mr. Potty Mouth himself) scored the lone goal for the Rush. Leaving the Mudbugs with a 3-1 win in the shootout, which translated into the 3-2 victory. Of course, we must always pay tribute to our goaltender in a shootout. Never forget that. They are often the forgotten piece of a shootout win. Ken Carroll was that goalie.

The Mudbugs will stay at home while they prepare to play host to the Mississippi RiverKings Thursday night before heading out to play the backend of home and home series with the RiverKings in Mississippi on Saturday.

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I am surely hoping all this stupid distracting crap will be over soon, because it is getting to the point of embarrassment. Or is it already there? Mudbug’s Team Owner will be taking over the game music booth from the team’s General Manager because he sucked at the job himself.

I think GM Ray Delia kind of bit off more than he could chew by thinking he could do everyone else’s job better than they could. So, how was the view from the down there?  Will Mudbug’s Team Owner do any better? We shall see or hear come Saturday when the Mudbugs play host to the Rapid City Rush.

Some may say that they are only doing what they can to help the team save money. I think it’s more of a PR catastrophe that smells more like a cleanup job, one that was self inflicted and now has blown up in the face of this organization.

I have never heard of a General Manger of a Professional Hockey Franchise wearing the Game DJ hat, let alone the Team Owner doing the same.

Sorry folks but that is flat out embarrassing for the organization to allow this to happen, especially since it did not need to in the first place. Somebody has a stubborn ego and has several self inflicted wounds that need healing from all the flying shrapnel.

We all know what a PR mess the home game rotten atmosphere has caused. Things like this are going be filled with disappointment and ridicule. There is no getting away from it.

So, what is next? Will it then be Scott Muscutt’s turn to give a try? Maybe they can save even more money by hopping on the Zambonis, or run around the arena doing sponsor promos during breaks.

Ok, all this ugliness has to end, and not only soon but quietly. Get back to what worked before someone tried to fix what was not broke in the first place. Last Friday night’s 4-1 loss to Odessa was the worst hockey game I have ever been to, worse yet I paid to endure the brutal atmospheric catastrophe and so did all the Hockey Mom’s and Dad’s. I would especially watch out for those Hockey Mom’s, I think things better get things fixed fast. Yikes!!

How I yearn for the days of the pipe organ music and the ability to have a conversation after each whistle. I can remember all the fuss the fans made when they dumped all that for the blaring “can’t hear a damn thing” music at every whistle thing. To make matters worse, the CTC music is too loud and it sucks at the same time, good grief.

I realize it is impossible to please everyone, but the games were a pleasure to go to ,win or lose, before this season, in the atmosphere that was already there.  Having to even decide whether to go to a game or not is troublesome to say the least. And we, as fans, hate feeling this way, but we are only human.

When I became a Mudbug fan many years ago, I was always so taken in and impressed by the atmosphere surrounding this team. The fans, the home games, win or lose I was very proud to be one them. I still am, but just not as pleased as punch as I once was.

When will the storm pass us by? Or is it going to hang around a while? I am hoping it doesn’t get worse before it gets better?

One last thing: The fans make the atmosphere, not the music. That is the way it always was when I grew up. Fans are rabid, fans are passionate, and they don’t mind saying so, if they are allowed to,  that is. What!

© 2009, Mudbugs Hockey Blog. All rights reserved. To Republish you must link back to the Original Article

There is something about getting away from it all that sometimes has a way of relieving the pressures of life. The Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs remained undefeated on the road with a 2-1 win over the Texas Brahmas, increasing their record out on the highway to 4-0. Get the wins how you can, and where you can.

Are the players under that much pressure to perform well at home? Or is it just merely coincidence? I do know this, it is by no means an uncommon occurrence surrounding this team. Many a hockey team have suffered the same feat in the past. It can also happen the other way around as well, leaving teams wondering why they can’t win on the road.

Even some players are more successful on the road than at home, and vice versa. Good news is these odd traits can be ironed out over time. The winless record the team has at home will be over with soon and may just take a fluke goal, lucky bounce or just a flat out ugly win to get the job done.

I don’t think anyone cares how, a win is a win, and that’s what the team needs to get the CTC monkey off their backs. I don’t think the team feels like the fans hate the players, they just feel they have let them down. That feeling can change at the blink of an eye.

The Mudbugs will get another opportunity this weekend to continue heading in one direction or another as the Mudbugs will travels to Southaven, Ms. They will be facing off with a RiverKings team this coming Friday night at 7pm, who as of now are tops in the Northern Conference

The team will then return home for a Saturday night faceoff against the Rapid City Rush, who will be making their only trip to the CenturyTel Center this season.

The Mudbugs took the 1-0 lead at 14:32 of the opening period when Neil Clark scored his 2nd of the season with helpers from Joe Blaznek and Tyler Liebel. The Mudbugs took the lead into the locker room as they also outshot the Brahmas 11-5 in that period.

Travis Clayton made it 2-0 at 5:02 of the second frame with his 2nd of the season from Justin Aikins and Shawn Limpright. The Brahams then halved the Mudbugs 2-0 lead just over 6 minutes later at 11:05 when AJ. Gale put away his team leading 7th goal of the season.

The Mudbugs held off the Brahmas the rest of the way taking home their 4th win of the season and 8th point. The win also places Bossier Shreveport in a 3-way tie for 3rd place in the Northern Conference along with the Tulsa Oilers and Saturday night’s visiting Rapid City Rush. The Mudbugs are also the one of only two teams in the league undefeated on the road. The other is the Colorado Eagles at 1-0.

© 2009, Mudbugs Hockey Blog. All rights reserved. To Republish you must link back to the Original Article