Gimme a Break

Thank goodness the Bucks have off tonight, because I have no idea how Coach Ruskowski would have gotten his frustrations out after last night's loss if he hadn't been able to keep the players on the ice for 90 minutes this morning.

After practice, Ruskowski was not quite back to the content version of himself, but he was a little less angry than he was last night. If you're not sure just how upset he was, you might get a hint from the quotes in my story from today's Times. Though the mood was a little less unsettling today, I would guarantee that heads will be rolling if the Bucks don't at least get a point tomorrow night.

While the Bucks take a break tonight, their most recent opponent will face off against their impending one as the Odessa Jackalopes take on the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees at Dodge Arena tonight.

Other CHL games tonight pit the Rapid City Rush against the Amarillo Gorillas, the Tulsa Oilers against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, the Rocky Mountain Rage against the Mississippi RiverKings, the New Mexico Scorpions against the Wichita Thunder, the Texas Brahmas against the Oklahoma City Blazers and the Corpus Christi IceRays against the Arizona Sundogs.

In the NHL, there are only four games, with the Montreal Canadiens at the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Ottawa Senators at the Carolina Hurricanes, the Atlanta Thrashers at the Buffalo Sabres and the Dallas Stars at the Anaheim Ducks.

I will post all the scores from all of the games when they are finished tonight, but this is going to have to do it for now because I have to write my preview for tomorrow before I head to Shirley Field for the Cigarroa-Calallen game. Should be an interesting night.

UPDATE: Well, Odessa won...but in a shootout, so the Bees are still undefeated in regulation. Score was 5-4.

Other Scores: Gorillas 6, Rush 3 (Huh?); Mudbugs 3, Oilers 1; RiverKings 5, Rage 2 (Matt Summers had a goal and an assist); Scorpions 6, Thunder 5 (OT); Blazers 4, Brahmas 2; IceRays 4, Sundogs 3 (OT).

NHL Scores: Blue Jackets 4, Canadiens 3 (SO); Hurricanes 2, Senators 1; Thrashers 5, Sabres 2 (OT); Stars 5, Ducks 2 (Whoa Mark Parrish).