Mudbugs Hockey Blog

The Tulsa Oilers, down 3-1, came back with a pair of 3rd period goals to tie the contest and eventually send the game into overtime.  But they would gain only a point as Justin Aikins scored his second game winner in as many games just :21 into the extra session, squashing the Oilers hopes in a flash.

The Mudbugs came out of the gate with fire in their eyes as they pestered the Oilers 21-7 in shots and 1-0 on the scoreboard by the end of the first. The lone goal was scored at with :29 left in the period by Tyrel Lucas with his 15th from David Rutherford. The Oilers were not happy with the effort in the period, but felt fortunate to be only down by one goal.

The Oilers didn’t help themselves as they were flagged for three straight infractions in the period which ultimately accounted for some of the lopsided shot differential. As for the Mudbugs, they really needed to capitalize on their chances having come up short on all three man advantages in that period.

Just one tick off the clock to start the second, Mudbugs David Pszenyczny threw down with Oilers Jake Riddle in an effort to spark his team. His efforts must have worked as the Oilers stormed back to tie the game just 1:51 later as teammate Dan Riedel put away his 16th of the season.

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The Allen Americans rally cry fell short as the Mudbugs earned 6th straight victory when Justin Aikins redirected a Tyrel Lucas shot into the net with just over three minutes left to play. The goal snapped a 3-3 tie after the Mudbugs scored 3 straight with the Americans answering back with 3 of their own.

After a scoreless 1st period, Travis Clayton lit the lamp at 3:21 of the second period on the powerplay with his 15th goal of the season and 10th point in the last 6 games. Jeff Kryzakos and Shawn Limpright picked up the helpers. Kryzakos is sporting a 6 game point streak of his own with 10pts. Limpright has also extended his point streak to 3 games collecting 6pts. during that span. The “CLK” line continues on fire just like it has been for much of the season.

Then just :54 later Joe Blaznek gave the Mudbugs a 2-0 lead with his 20th of the season with help from Joe Ori in his first game back in the lineup. The Mudbugs jumped out to a 3-0 lead when Brett Smith notched his 10th from Joe Blaznek and Chris St. Croix. The three goals were scored in a whirlwind fashion spanning just 1:23 of the second period.

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The Texas Brahmas, after holding on to a two goal lead for much of the first two periods, were blown away by 4 straight Mudbug goals after that.  Jeff Kryzakos, Travis Clayton and Shawn Limpright all finished with multiple points, while defensemen Jim Jorgensen scored the game winner.

David Rutherford had his 16 game scoring streak broken tonight in just his 4th game without a point since the new year.  Wow! Great run.

This team has shown over the past month how diverse they can be. Different aspects of their game steps up nearly every night. In doing so, it gives them a chance to win every night.  Tonight it was special teams.  That is a very good part of their game to be finally coming together with the playoffs just around the corner.

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The Mudbugs won their fourth consecutive game and sixth out their last seven, as they decisively drilled the Tulsa Oilers Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma. The win finishes their three games in three night weekend off with a perfect 3-0 record. That’s as good as it gets.

John DeCaro earned his 1st shutout of the season turning away all 29 Oiler shots, including 15 in the opening period.  Jeff Kryzakos, Shawn Limpright and David Rutherford all finished with multiple points, with a goal and an assist for each of them.

The Mudbugs came out and pounded the Oilers with four 1st period goals.  No more slow starts for this team as of late and it has being reflected in the win column.  Mark Johnson with his 8th from Brett Smith started things off at 5:01 of the period.

The Mudbugs then went up by 2-0 when David Pszenyczny banged home his 8th of the season from David Rutherford and Justin Aikins at 10:16 of the period. Then less than two minutes later Shawn Limpright took advantage of a Jeff Kryzakos rebound for his 14th of the season to make it 3-0 Mudbugs.

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The Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs completed their three game homestand on a perfect note, with a decisive 5-1 victory over the Wichita Thunder. It was their  14th win at home and 28th overall. Five different Mudbugs balanced out the scoring in this the 2nd showing of “Pink in the Rink”. I believe it will go down as a success.

Now when rarely used tough guy James DeLory gets into the act using his hands to score a goal, instead of scoring punches on an opponents head, anything can happen after that. I always say it’s a sign of good things to come when your bully belly’s up a marker. Way to go DeLo!

The Mudbugs took a 3-0 lead into the 1st intermission.  James DeLory opened the scoring with his 2nd from Mark Johnson and David Rutherford at 3:08 of the period. Then about 3:30 later Joe Blaznek and his magic wand broke into the zone and fired his patent rocket wrister into the net for his 18th of the season and 3rd in the last 2 games. The goal was unassisted.

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Joe Blaznek scored his second of the night 2:24 into the overtime period to literally save the win. You could feel the breeze inside the Pink CTC from all the fans releasing a huge sigh of relief after the Mudbugs blew a 4-1 lead midway through the 3rd period. That is what’s called a clutch goal.

The Tulsa Oilers scored 2 goals within :35 to bring them to within one at 4-3. And then the other with less than six minutes left in the third period that eventually led the teams past regulation time, tied at 4 goals apiece.

The lead just seemed to slip away as the Oilers blasted seeing-eye pucks from the point through a maze of players right on past a screened Mudbugs netminder Kenny Carroll.  David Rutherford upped his scoring streak to 14 games with two assists tonight, as he set up Tyrel Lucas for his 13th of the season from Justin Aikins at 6:52. Then Scott Kalinchuk with his 4th for a 2-0 lead heading into the 1st intermission.  Shots on goal were in favor of the Mudbugs by a slim 11-10 margin.

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The Mudbugs used  three unanswered goals over the first half of the game propelling them to their 14th win on home ice and 26th overall. It was the Mudbugs 3rd victory out their last 4 outings, two of which were earned on the road. It was a good night for streaks and records. It was a great night for a win.

Mudbugs netminder Kenny Carroll earned his 200th win stopping all but one of the 35 shots he faced. David Rutherford extended his point scoring streak to 13 games with a goal. Simon Mangos extended his point scoring streak to 5 games with an assist, while Tyrel Lucas added a pair of assists to extend his point streak to 5 games as well. Joe Blaznek added a highlight of his own. This was his 700th professional game of his career.

Mudbugs grabbed an early 1-0 lead just 1:08 after the drop of the puck, when David Rutherford scored his 11th of the season and 5th in the last four games by firing a roofer from just outside the slot. He was helped out by Tyrel Lucas and Simon Mangos.

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The Corpus Christi IceRays win the first of a home and home with a third period outburst 5-2. The loss was the the 7th loss away from home this season. Chad Woollard added a goal and three assists, while teamamate Justin Quenneville racked up two goals and two assists of his own.

David Rutherford continued his amazing point streak with a goal and an assist. He has now gone 12 games with at least a point. This guy is amazing.

Simon Mangos as well had added multiple points for the third game in a row with 2 assists.  Giving him his 3rd game in row with multiple points, and 9th point over the last 4 games.

The two teams traded goals in the first with Justin Quenneville starting things off giving the IceRays the 1-0 lead at 4:04 of the opening period.  David Rutherford tied the score at 8:57 of the period with his 10th from Simon Mangos and Tyrel Lucas. Shots after 20 favor the IceRays 16-10

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The Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs stormed back from a 1-0 deficit by scoring 3 unanswered goals to defeat the Missouri Mavericks 3-1. David Rutherford scored his 9th and 10th of the season and 16th point in his last 9 games.

John DeCaro backstopped the Bugs with 42 saves on the night, including 23 in the 3rd period alone. DeCaro improved his record to 16-10-1 overall on the season. He is now 6-3 after suiting up for his 9th straight start.

Simon Mangos for the 2nd straight game came away with multiple points with a goal and an assist. He now has 7pts. in the last 4 games.  Mangos is also tied for 5th place among CHL defensemen in scoring.

The Mavericks were the first team to swing open the Saloon Doors when Jordan Foreman (no relation to George) scored on the powerplay with just two ticks left on that thar clock above the Bar, or that big thing above the ice that keeps track of all that thar good stuff.  The Mavericks held the slight edge in shots in that period 13-11.

The Mudbugs knotted things up at 17:47 of the 2nd with a powerplay goal scored by Simon Mangos from Jeff Kryzakos and Joe Blaznek. Then BAMM! Just :34 seconds later David Rutherford scored his 9th of the season to close out the period. Simon Mangos and Justin Aikins collected the assists.

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