Mar 06 2010
Bees sting the Bugs with late goal, 2-1
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees handed the Mudbugs their 2nd straight home loss with a shorthanded goal late in the first period, and an unassisted marker off a Mudbugs turnover in the dying seconds of the third period.
Daymen Rycroft added an assist and put away the game winner, while Killer Bee netminder Andy Frank finished with 25 saves, many of them excellent scoring chances. He was the best player on the ice last night.
After a scoreless first period along with most of the second, Killer Bees defensemen Tom Sawatske scored shorthanded with just :37 left in the period. He picked up his own rebound and fired it past Mudbugs netminder John DeCaro for his 4th of the season.
Not a good sign - Despite giving up the second fewest shorthanded goals in the league at just seven, three of the seven have come in the last 4 games. This has now become a bad trend that the Mudbugs can ill afford with the playoffs right around the corner.
The Mudbugs did however put on a good effort in the first two periods, only to be stymied by a hot goaltender and stung by a Bee. Shots on goal after 40 minutes favored Bossier Shreveport 16-12.
The Mudbugs finally found a way to get one past Franck at 12:27 of the 3rd period when Brett Smith slid the biscuit into the net for his 12th of the season. The goal was scored while on the powerplay and was assisted by Joe Ori and Jim Jorgensen. There was a huge sigh of relief from 5,000 plus fans who been just waiting to burst after being teased by so many close calls.
The Mudbugs gained some momentum from the tying goal as well the fans throughout the rest of the period. Then just when it looked like the game was going to be heading into overtime, the Mudbugs turn the puck over just outside their own zone. And that’s when Daymen Rycroft swooped in and grabbed the puck then skated in and fired the heartbreaking goal into the back of the net.
The Mudbugs tried to tie the game with just :53 to work with, but it just wasn’t to be. There are few different ways to sum this game up. Did the Killer Bees win with stellar goaltending? Or did they win because the Mudbugs made two blatant mistakes that cost them the game? Hmmm!
Whatever the reason was, they will get a second chance at the Killer Bees tonight at 7:05pm right back at the CenturyTel Center. The Bugs will then hit the road for a matinee 3:05pm game with the Corpus Christi IceRays Sunday afternoon.
© 2010, Mudbugs Hockey Blog. All rights reserved. To Republish you must link back to the Original Article
