First Period: Guess I don't have to wait long for my first chance to see Matt Miller live in a game situation, as he is one of the starting wingers. ... Bucks get the first power play in this one, as Daryl Moore has been called for hooking at 2:33 in the period. ... Early on in the advantage, Jeff Bes is playing one of the points with Serge Dube going in toward net. However, Dube is skating his regular shifts as a defenseman. ... Dulle and Rick Kozak just randomly tore into each other chasing a play up the ice. Well, I'm sure it wasn't random to them, but I'm not too sure what was going on between them before that boiled over. They're each getting five for fighting at 4:58 in the period, so things will stay 5-on-5. ... Jesse Bennefield has just given these impressively energetic Killer Bees a 1-0 lead, sneaking the puck around Centomo on an assist from D-man Nathan Ansell. Ryan Shmyr, one of the injured Killer Bees who is in the press box for the night called the play "textbook Jesse Bennefield." Maybe the Bucks should start reading that book. ... The Killer Bees get their first power play of the game at 7:54, as Erick Lizon has been called for hooking. ... Oh boy. Adam Rivet is joining him eight seconds later on his own hooking call. Killer Bees have a 5-on-3 for 1:52. ... Centomo took care of the shots, then Jason Dixon won a fight on the boards to clear the puck just in time for Lizon to get out of the box as the Killer Bees brought it back. That battle happened to take place right in front of the Bucks' bench, and I'm sure Coach Ruskowski took notice. ... Miller has tied things up at 10:33 in the period, scoring his first goal as a Buck at the LEC on assists from Russell and Agarunov. ... The Bucks are going on a power play just 13 seconds after that goal, as Dulle has been sent to the box for a trip. Momentum can be a big thing, so let's see if they can make some luck for themselves on this one. ... Miller has been called for holding not long after that Bucks' power play ended fruitlessly. The Killer Bees will now get one of their own at 13:04 in the period. ... I guess either Tom Steinel or the players heard my story is online-only and thus without a strict deadline, because these penalties just keep coming. Bennefield just got called for slashing Dixon to create a 4-on-4 for about a minute. ... Okay, now holding against Hardwick has made it 4-on-3, then 5-on-3 for the Bucks. ... The Bucks were able to capitalize not long into that 5-on-3 and now lead 2-1 on a goal from Jeff Bes after he slammed home a rebound from a shot by Russell that Rogers couldn't quite keep in his glove. You have to feel for guys when that happens. Well, unless it's Ryan Miller or someone like that. Unluckily for Rogers, the Bucks are still on a power play, and the "You suck!" chants are pouring in. ... Okay, now I really feel for Rogers. He just made a pad save, only to have the puck bounce off his leg and defy physics to fly into the net. Agarunov netted it, and Weidlich has the assist. ... Bucks are getting another power play with 1:49 in the period as Moore has been called for hooking. ... Bucks have taken a 4-1 lead, and this time I don't feel quite as bad because Rogers had distracted himself by shoving around Lizon, who was camped out in front of his net. Mike Gooch had slapped the puck, and Lizon redirected it. Okay, or maybe it wasn't a goal? Time expired right as the puck was netted, so I guess the refs are talking this one out. It's still on the scoreboard, though, and apparently Gooch isn't getting an assist? Yet Weidlich, who passed it to him, is. Yeesh, a goal at 19:59. Those are rough. ... Okay, the goal did count, and the Bucks lead 4-1 in goals and 15-7 in shots heading into the first intermission.
Second Period: Couple good saves to start the middle period, but not much else in the first couple minutes. ... With their win over the Corpus Christi IceRays today, the Texas Brahmas moved into a tie with the Bucks atop the Southeast Division standings. With a win tonight, the Bucks would re-take the lead. ... A hooking call against Miller put the Killer Bees on the first power play of the period 5:43 in, but the Bucks didn't let that slow them down as Russell added to their lead with a shorthanded goal assisted by Bes. That's Russell's second shorty of the season, and I believe Adam Rivet gets the second assist. ... Uhhh, that was weird. Ryan Salvis just got hooked on a kinda sorta breakaway and went flying into the net, then into the wall with the net around him. Rogers jumped straight up in the air to avoid being taken out on that one. Salvis got up a bit slowly but seems fine. Hardwick was the offender and will serve two, giving the Bucks a power play when Miller gets out of the box. ... Nicolas Dumoulin just got sent to join Hardwick after taking a holding penalty then got his name butchered by the PA announcer. And it's such a fun name to say. Bucks have a 5-on-3 for just over a minute now. ... This is starting to feel like a Bucks-Bees game from last season. Okay, pretend I didn't say that, because these poor guys are probably wiped out. However, the Bucks have taken a 6-1 lead on a goal by Dube. Bes and Kozak get the assists, and everyone in the LEC gets a free tiny Frosty should they choose to pursue the matter. ... And this game has officially reached miserable status, as Rogers lost his stick and didn't even seem to care to get it back before allowing Kozak to go five-hole and make it 7-1. Oy. ... Say hello to Christian Boucher, who will be taking over the netminding duties for the Killer Bees at this point. I guess Chris Brooks just doesn't want Rogers to have to deal with any more embarrassment because if he were really trying to win this thing, he would have pulled him earlier. Still about half the second period to play. ... Lizon is in the box for roughing, giving the Killer Bees a power play and maybe a chance to rest their legs a bit here. ... Killer Bees defenseman Stephen Burns just absentmindedly cracked his stick while waiting around for a faceoff. That was odd. ... Yay for pushing and shoving. Oy. Killer Bees are getting their sixth power play of the night as Ryan James Hand has been called for roughing. ... Centomo is making some nifty saves on the rare occasion that the puck gets near him. Bucks are doubling the Killer Bees up on shots, 24-12. ... A bit earlier, Salvis got the blade of his stick caught under the doorboards of the zamboni entrance, which seems to be a habit of his. He nearly impaled himself at practice the other day when he got his stick caught near the player entrance to the ice. It was stuck pretty firmly this time, so he had to leave it out there until the whistle blew. Luckily, no one had to go back behind the Bees' net in the time between. ... Yikes, Kozak just laid Lee out with an open-ice hit that coincided with a delayed penalty call on Salvis for hooking. How little of this game has been played 5-on-5? ... Miller has now been called for "holding a stick." Seriously, we are never going to get out of here. Just about a minute left in the middle period. ... Rivet is big on taking the second penalty to set up a 5-on-3 tonight and has just done so again with a hooking call. ... The Killer Bees will keep their 5-on-3 into the third period as this one is done. Bucks lead 7-1, 25-16 on shots. ... Not that the Bucks need any offense tonight, but just thought I'd share that Matt Summers has a goal for the Mississippi RiverKings tonight, while Joey Olson has an assist for the Rapid City Rush. ... In case you hadn't noticed, each of the Bucks' goals has been scored by a different player, and 10 players have points so far. Bes, Kozak, Russell and Weidlich each have three. Oh, and three goals came on the power play, while one was shorthanded. Ruskowski will definitely be happy with this, but I'm not sure how happy as he is sure to realize that playing against such a depleted team isn't the greatest indicator of what his team can do.
Third Period: Center-ice faceoffs during a 5-on-3 are kind of funny to watch. ... I always love it when Sidney Crosby bats the puck around in the air with his stick, and Russell just pulled that trick out of his bag to save what probably would have been a goal for the Killer Bees after Centomo lost a shot in front of him. ... Dennis Maxwell just caught everyone's attention on the ice for the first time tonight with a fight against Kozak. They each landed some decent blows before the refs broke them up, but Kozak kinda controlled the tempo of that one. ... We went almost half the way through this period without a minor penalty, but Rankin has changed that with a hooking call. Bucks are on the power play with 10:56 to go in the game. ... These guys really don't want me to leave the arena tonight. Maxwell was just in the right place at the right time and scored a nifty goal as he sent a rebound over Centomo's left shoulder...then Lizon jumped him, and a 5-on-5 brawl broke out behind the net. I'm pretty sure Lizon had Maxwell up against the glass and was punching him in the back of the head. Is that really necessary when your team is up like this? ... Apparently Kozak slapping Lee around is the play of the game somehow. I wasn't much of a fan. Kozak and Lizon have both been sent off the ice with 6:55 to play in the game, and a few other players are in the box. ... In addition to the fighting and misconduct penalties against those two, Featherstone got a roughing, Lee got a fighting and Burns picked up a roughing call. ... Funny how acting like fools can come back and bite you (or your goalie) in the butt. Centomo's stats are no longer getting the boost the rest of his teammates will get from this game, as the Killer Bees were able to capitalize on their 5-on-3 and make it 7-3. Dulle scored it, Zak McClellan had the assist, and we have just over five minutes to play. ... Well, Boucher has now given up his first against the Bucks in a pretty long while, as Salvis netted his second of the game. Apparently his creepy 'stache suits him well. That was a shorty, assisted by Russell. This is now the Bucks' highest-scoring game of the season and first 8-goal game since their March 21 win over the Bees last season.
Game Over: Bucks win 8-3, improve to 19-8-3 (41 points) and retake their Southeast Division lead. The fireworks were terrifying, and I must run. The game story will be online and slightly lacking due to player unavailability and Ruskowski's postgame obligations.
Other Scores: Thunder 5, Oilers 2; Brahmas 5, IceRays 2; RiverKings 6, Mudbugs 0; Jackalopes 5, Gorillas 2; Rush 4, Rage 2; Sundogs 4, Scorpions 1.
NHL Scores: Islanders 4, Panthers 2; Sharks 3, Wild 2 (OT); Coyotes 3, Avalanche 1; Hurricanes 3, Thrashers 1; Stars 4,Devils 2; Blue Jackets 2, Ducks 0; Flames 6, Oilers 4.
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