Game No. 2 - Bucks vs. Mudbugs

Pre-Game: It seems Ken Carroll will be on the bench for this one, at least if Ryan Mior can do his job in his first professional start. Interesting decision against a team that scored seven goals last night. .... You can see the pre-game notes here and read Bryan Benway's preview here. ... I guess I failed to mention this last night, but you can watch or listen to the game online. To listen, click here. To watch, go here. .... Alex Goupil was the last player to leave the ice after warmups again. Ryan Fuller and Bobby Russell were the two Bucks who stayed out with him the longest. It seems he's taken up shooting across the ice at an empty net as a pre-game habit. ... You can follow the live scoring for tonight's game here. ... Apparently Mior came to the Mudbugs from the Gatineau Olympiques, meaning he was a teammate of Bucks rookie forward Darryl Smith for the last two seasons. ... Goupil's little model turn in this pre-game video is just as hilarious the second time around. ... Bucks are of course in their home whites, while the Mudbugs are black and teal with purple socks (and very purple goalie pads on Mior). ... Smith vs. Clayton for the opening faceoff, and here we go.

Starters: Bucks - Jeff Bes (F), Sebastien Centomo (G), Serge Dube (D), Devin Featherstone (D), Russell (F), Smith (F). Mudbugs - Joe Blaznek (F), Travis Clayton (F), Kevin Cooper (F), Simon Mangos (D), Mior (G), Clay Thoring (D).

First Period: Adam Rivet has the Bucks on the board 4:39 into the game off a beautiful centering pass from behind the net from Matt Summers. First point of the season for each, while Jason Dixon got his fourth on the second assist. ... Fight! The Bucks just had their first of the regular season. Erick Lizon vs. Neil Clark. There was a lot of buildup before Lizon landed his first punch square in Clark's face. Lizon won, though Clark slipped and brought them both down long before it would have ended otherwise. The crowd liked it, but Lizon didn't seem too impressed with his own performance. ... End of the period, same score. Solid showing from both teams so far. Bucks are looking more dedicated on defense tonight, but have still allowed 12 shots while only taking seven. ... Centomo is quite dramatic, but clearly that works out well for him. ... Bucks are 0-of-1 (1.5) on power plays, while the Mudbugs are 0-of-3.

Second Period: They are just about to begin the middle period, but I had to interrupt this to say that Sidney Crosby has scored his 100th career goal, first of the season, on his first shot of the game. =) ... Clayton just got the puck past Centomo for what would have been the tying goal, but the net came off the posts a nanosecond earlier, so it is still 1-0. ... We're experiencing a bit of delay with 10:44 to go due to some problems with the Mudbugs' net. ... Igor Agarunov went to the box for slashing, then nine seconds later, Adam Rivet was sent to join him for holding. The Mudbugs have a 5-on-3 for 1:51. ... Clayton scored on assists from Cooper and Blaznek not long into the two-man advanatage to make it 1-1 , then Centomo was called for unsportsmanlike conduct to keep the Bugs on their 5-0n-3 for another 1:17. Yikes. ... Chris Brassard has the Mudbugs up 2-1 on a power play score assisted by Todd Paul and Brett Smith, with the Bucks committing another penalty just as the goal scored. Coach must be fuming right now. ... Apparently these teams are not fond of 5-on-5 hockey. After six solid minutes of power plays for the Mudbugs, they committed two consecutive penalties to give the Bucks two straight man advantages of their own. ... The period is finally over, with seven penalties having been committed by both teams combined in the last 10:44. ... The shot tallies read Mudbugs 24, Bucks 15, but I can assure you the Bugs have taken more than 24 shots on Centomo. You can't really fault him for that first goal, but the second was something he had a direct effect on setting up with his penalty.

Third Period: In the Valley, the Bees are beating the Rage 5-0 at the second intermission. Either the Bees are much improved, or the Rage are completely falling apart this season. ... Things are not looking great for the Bucks with 1:13 to play and the Mudbugs on a 4-on-3 power play for the rest of the game with a 2-1 lead. ... Coach just called a timeout and drew a play out for the guys, which undoubtedly involves taking Centomo off the ice. ... That was indeed part of the plan, and we now have 4-on-3 hockey for 1.8 seconds with an extra attacker and another penalty on the Bugs.

Game Over: Mudbugs win 2-1. Post-game interviews are just no fun after a loss. ... The Bucks are now tied for third in the division with the Brahmas, with the IceRays and Killer Bees tied for first after demonstrative wins tonight. See the post below for all the scores.