Game No. 29 - Bucks vs. IceRays

The teams just took the ice for warmups, as the game is apparently not starting until 7:30 despite everyone being told otherwise, and Curtis Billsten is not out there for the Bucks. Neither is Mike Looby, who may have joined the long list of injured players. Coach Ruskowski didn't mention him to me, though.

Bear Trapp is wearing the No. 41 left behind by Cody Hamilton, while Pier-Olivier Pelletier, the Bucks' starting goaltender tonight, is in No. 31.

I don't think I really understand what it happening with those New Year's Eve jerseys, ut at least the numbers are white to contrast the dark blue background.

Starters: Bucks - Jarred Mohr (D), Lance Monych (F), Pier-Olivier Pelletier (G), Adam Rivet (D), Darryl Smith (F), Neil Trimm (F); IceRays - Ryan Bennett (F), Ryan Garbutt (F), Kevin Nastiuk (G), Chris Richards (F), Matt Smyth (D), Jason Tessier (D).

First Period: IceRays took the first shot of the game again, but Pelletier stopped it then Trimm cleared it out of his new goalie's crease to keep the IceRays from scoring in the game's opening 30 seconds or so. ... Two more quick saves by Pelletier, who looks fairly sharp for someone who hasn't played in a bit. Obviously early to tell, though. The scorekeepers only put one shot up on that, but I'm pretty sure there were two. ... Well, now he has three saves officially. Bucks have yet to take a shot. ... Trapp is playing on a line with Eric Giosa and Robin Richards. ... Bucks got their first couple shots during a scramble in front of Nastiuk but couldn't jam in the loose puck. ... Trapp just took his first shot of the game, the Bucks' fourth, and Nastiuk was able to deflect it away with the glove then was forced to make another glove save seconds later. ... Tendler just stole the puck to get a 2-on-1 with Quenneville but the Bucks defender who was back broke up the play. ... Shots are even at 6 as of about nine minutes into the period. ... Smith just walked in on Nastiuk alone and snapped a shot from between the circles, but Nastiuk made the glove save with ease. ... Not the be outdone, Pelletier returned the favor with a glove save at the other end. ... An IceRays pass just floated into the air where it was broken up by Giosa batting it down with his glove, but the Bucks couldn't do much of anything with that. ... Pelletier has allowed the first goal of the game on the 10th shot he faced, but anyone who blames him for that is crazy. He was being screened by his own teammates, who failed to notice R.G. Flath wide open between the circles. Chad Costello did notice, though, and sent a perfect feed over to Flath, who easily flipped it in top shelf just inside the crossbar. IceRays lead 1-o at 10:44 in the period. They're up 10-7 on shots. ... I really hate it when guys keep their helmets on during fights, especially when they're the ones going after someone. Robin Richards did just that as he scrapped with Chris Mei, a man five inches shorter than him, after Mei laid out a clean hit on Trapp. The Bucks will be down to eight forwards for the next five minutes. ... Monych just fanned on a decent chance out front of Nastiuk on a feed by Smith but was trying to get a shot off behind his back, so can't really get on him for that. ... Pelletier's pads, glove and blocker match these special jerseys eerily well. IceRays get the first power play of the game at 14:49 with Schwabe headed to the box for holding. Bucks down to seven forwards now. That bench looks awfully empty. ... Good work by the Bucks keeping the IceRays from setting up early on that one, with Justin Styffe getting the best scoring chance, obviously in the other end. ... Bucks could have gotten something going with an extra attacker during the delay for a penalty against the IceRays but entered the zone offsides. They'll get their first power play at 17:24 in the period with Morgan MacLean in the box for slashing. ... That lasted all of five seconds, as Jeff Bes took out the IceRay against whom he was positioned on the faceoff to earn an interference call. It'll be four-on-four for 1:57, an IceRays' power play for five seconds, then possibly even-strength for the final 31 seconds of the period. ... Pelletier seems to be getting the idea that he can't depend on his teammates to clear out the saves he doesn't collect in his "paraphernalia," as they say, as he is leaving the crease to clear them away himself. ... Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel just pounced on Flath, which will put the Bucks down a man for the first 4:57 of the second period. I don't know if Flath even landed a punch, but Dieude-Fauvel's were pretty sad... kinda reminded me of this fight, but he was played Flath's back instead of his chest... and Flath wasn't on the ice. ... Apparently Dieude-Fauvel took an elbowing penalty on that, as well. I know Ruskowski likes his teams to be tough, but he can't like being so badly shorthanded so often because of these penalties. ... End of the period, IceRays lead 1-0, up 17-11 on shots.

Second Period: Richards will serve Dieude-Fauvel's elbowing minor, putting the Bucks down one forward and one d-man for the first two minutes here roster-wise and one man down on the ice. ... With 23 seconds left on the elbowing penalty, Adam Powell is going to the box for tripping to make it 4-on-4 for a little while here. ... Trapp just hit the post. ... Garbutt to the box for high-sticking now. Bucks get a 4-on-3, then a 5-on-3, then a 5-on-4. We'll see if they can make use of any of it. ... Nastiuk making some good saves to keep the Bucks off the board. ... In a bit of a role reversal, Styffe beat two IceRays on a spinorama pass to Smith, who had a perfect opportunity and sent the puck wide of the net. ... Another power play for the Bucks at 6:34 with Zech Klann in the box for holding. ... Bucks have scored at the seven-minute mark on a shot by Mohr from the point that Nastiuk didn't even see until it was behind him. I often wonder why Mohr doesn't try that more often. Game tied 1-1. Schwabe and Bes get the assists, which means the Bucks' three All-Star reserves combined for that goal. Random. ... Make that 2-1 Bucks at 8:13 in the period on a nice individual effort by Trimm, who skated in on Nastiuk and flipped the puck past him easily. Trapp gets the primary assist, and Dieude-Fauvel picks up the secondary for his first point since Dec. 12 and second since Oct. 30. Conversely, his is Trimm's fourth straight game with a goal. That was scored on a power play caused by an elbowing penalty on Garbutt at the time of the last goal. The penalty was never announced. ... Bucks might be giving up their momentum here with a cross-checking call against Smith at 8:24. ... Dieude-Fauvel just flew into one of the IceRays and took a tumble as a result. Seems they are looking for a penalty... and I guess they got it. Interesting. ... Okay, no, it wasn't for that. Powell will go to the box at 12:56 to serve a too-many-men bench minor. ... Bucks have taken their first shot advantage since the early minutes of the game at 23-21. ... Lots of shoving going on around the nets at this point. Schwabe and Mei are going to the box at 15:04 for roughing as a result. ... Right of the faceoff, the IceRays have tied it at 2 with 2:11 in the period. Smyth slapped it in from the point on an assist from Tendler, the faceoff winner. That caught everyone, including Pelletier obviously enough, off-guard. ... And 37 seconds later, the IceRays have taken the lead back on their 25th shot of the game. Tendler scored that one, set up by Quenneville and Powell. IceRays back in the shot lead, as well, at 25-24. ... End of the period, IceRays lead 3-2, up 26-24. ... Greg Rajan just pointed out that the Bucks had two goals in 73 seconds, then the IceRays came back and scored two in 37 seconds.

Third Period: Mohr to the box for tripping 30 seconds into the period. ... The IceRays' second goal has been given to Powell, who apparently tipped it in front of the net despite none of us seeing that. ... Quenneville has put the IceRays up 4-2 at 3:30, knocking in a loose puck while kinda tangled up with Mohr. Powell and Tendler are getting the assists. ... Smyth almost made it 5-2 but hit the post. ... Okay, I guess they're giving the second assist on Quenneville's goal to Kyle Peto, but that might get changed. ... Bucks get a power play at 6:15 with a tripping call on Chad Woollard. ... Garbutt just skated in, braked right in Pelletier's face and chipped in a shorthanded goal to put the IceRays up 5-2 at 7:13. Bennett was the one who had sent the puck into the zone. That was a pretty flukey play, but the way Garbutt knocked it in looked kinda neat. ... Smith has cut the lead to two on a smooth wrister that beat Nastiuk top-shelf. IceRays lead 5-3 at 9:47 in the final period. Hmmm, maybe it wasn't that high. Bes set it up, and Mohr cleared the puck out to him for the second assist. ... Smyth just went to the box for roughing to five the Bucks a power play chance with a little under four minutes in regulation. They have opted to pull Pelletier with 3:28 or so to go for two extra attackers. ... That almost paid off when Adam Rivet's shot from the point was nearly deflected into the net, but then the Bucks took a penalty of their own, sending Smith to the box for hooking and forcing the Bucks to play for on 4-on-4.

Game Over: Bucks lose 5-3, fall to 13-10-6 (32 points). IceRays improve to 12-14-4 (28 points). No time for quotes, as the San Antonio Express-New people want us to typeset everything so they can go celebrate. I would go downstairs after filing my story, but Coach Ruskowski has to go do the jersey auction, so that's a no go. Happy New Year, folks.

Game Day No. 29

The Bucks (13-9-6, 32 points) will try once again to snap their winless streak, which has grown to five games, tonight when they host the Corpus Christi IceRays (11-14-4, 26 points) in their annual New Year's Eve game.

This is the third of three games in a one-week span between these teams, and the Bucks have yet to win one, falling to 3-3-1 in the season series.

Pier-Olivier Pelletier will make his Bucks' debut tonight, and Coach Ruskowski is really counting on him to be able to keep this shorthanded team in the game.

We'll see if he can do as good a job as the other French goalie the Bucks had this season.

On the Jean-Philippe Levasseur front... he got another start last night, stopping 31 of 36 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He made six more saves than his counterpart, a former NHLer who even played games at the top level this season, and still lost. Obviously, that isn't the first time that has happened to him while playing with the Falcons.

Seems that having the Tulsa Oilers forward Rob Hisey called up to the Falcons has been a bit of a help for Levasseur, though, as Hisey has scored a goal in each of his games with the team so far and added an assist on Tuesday night.

But back to the Bucks, here are some excerpts from my notebook/preview that ran in today's Times:

Following Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the IceRays, Laredo was able to take its first full practice in weeks and analyze video from a game that made it look overmatched on every part of the scoresheet.
“We looked over the tape, and we didn’t play awfully bad, but we didn’t play awfully well, either,” Bucks Head Coach/General Manager Terry Ruskowski said. “(On Wednesday), we were able to practice without worrying about ice time and go over some things we needed to go over. Hopefully that will help.”
Something will need to be different for Laredo to get back to its winning ways against Corpus, which holds a 4-2-1 edge in the season series so far.
“Both teams know each other very well at this point,” Ruskowski said. “Bottom line, it’s going to come down to who wants it more.”

Prior to Tuesday’s loss, the Bucks added two players to their roster – forward Bear Trapp and goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier.
Trapp, a former Hobey Baker Award finalist, made his debut on Tuesday, while Pelletier stayed on the bench and will see his first action with Laredo tonight.
Ruskowski knows what he needs from his two newest additions, and he thinks that each one is capable of showing him what he wants to see.
“(Trapp) hadn’t played in a (few weeks), but he still made some big hits out there,” Ruskowski said. “I think once he gets the rust off and learns more about our systems, he’ll be making some plays and scoring goals. There’s a big upside to that kid; he’s smart, moves the puck well and is physical. I like that a lot.”
Pelletier, the third backup goalie to make the Bucks’ roster in the past week, was a second-round pick in the NHL Draft in 2005 and will start tonight to give second-year pro Kyle Gajewski a rest before a big weekend for Laredo.
“I think (signing him) was a great thing for us,” Ruskowski said. “I found out just before Christmas I was going to lose my goalie from the SPHL (Mark Sibbald), so I brought in (Kris) Tebbs for one or two games, but being able to get a guy like this on three-day notice was a miracle.”

We'll see how much of a miracle it was tonight as the Bucks try to prevent their first six-game winless streak in nearly five years.

You can read more on tonight's game in Bryan Benway's press release and more about the annual New Year's Eve "extravaganza" in his press release about tonight's special events.

Hopefully the special-edition jerseys won't be too difficult to read.

I'll be back to live blog the game tonight, or, as always, you can follow it on Pointstreak, watch on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM.

Once warmups start tonight, I'll let you know if Curtis Billsten is out there, as he is still a daily game-day decision for the Bucks with a lower-body injury.

That should about cover it for now, but I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my dad, who coincidentally shares a birthday with Coach Ruskowski. Not sure if he'll see this, but it's worth a try!

Bes on All-Decade Team

Not surprisingly, Bucks player/assistant coach Jeff Bes has been named to the Central Hockey League's All-Decade Team.

The 17-year veteran and two-time league MVP is the Bucks' franchise scoring leader and has proven to be an invaluable asset to the team on and off the ice.

Here's what the CHL press release had to say about him:

Bes is in his seventh season with the Laredo Bucks and he has been nothing short of their MVP in each season. In 2004 and 2008 he was named the CHL Most Valuable Player and in 2006 was named the CHL Playoff Most Valuable Player. He led the league in scoring in 2004 and has helped the Bucks to two CHL Championships (2004, 2006) that included four straight Finals appearances. In 361 games in the decade, Bes has scored 542 points (190-352=542).

You can read Bryan Benway's press release for more on Bes's career with the Bucks and check out his Hockey DB page to see what he accomplished before arriving in Laredo.

Bes joins another man who has spent his entire career with the same team, recently-retired Greg Pankewicz of the Colorado Eagles, and Travis Clayton, who currently plays for the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs after a historic career with the Wichita Thunder on All-Decade forward lineup.

Derek Landmesser, a long-time RiverKing who spent time in Memphis and Mississippi, and Bernie John, who played for the now defunct Indianapolis Ice and the Corpus Christi Rayz for the final seven seasons of his career, were named All-Decade defenseman yesterday, and lifetime Mudbug Ken Carroll is the league's All-Decade goaltender.

The second-team honorees are all listed at the bottom of their position's press releases; no Bucks were named to the second team.

The league also announced the reserves for the CHL All-Star Team today, and the list includes a couple of All-Decade players in Carroll and Landmesser.

South Texas All-Star Reserves

The South Texas All-Star reserves were announced earlier today, with three Bucks making the cut to join their three starting teammates.

Forwards Jeff Bes and Evan Schwabe, the team's top two scorers, and defenseman Jarred Mohr got the nod.

The full team will be as follows, with starters in italics:

Corpus Christi IceRays
F Ryan Garbutt (first ASG)
F Justin Quenneville (second)
F Jereme Tendler (first)
D Kyle Peto (first)
D Jason Tessier (fifth)
G Kevin Nastiuk (first)

Laredo Bucks
F Jeff Bes (fourth)
F Evan Schwabe (first)
F Darryl Smith (second)
D Jarred Mohr (first)
D Adam Rivet (second)
G Jean-Philippe Levasseur (first)

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
F Jesse Bennefield (first)
F Grant Goeckner-Zoeller (first)
F Sean Muncy (first)
D Nathan Ansell (first)
D Tom Sawatske (first)
G Andy Franck (third)

Obviously, the coaches intentionally picked three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender from each team, in part to help the fans feel like this involves everyone equally.

These guys will go up against the CHL team, for which starters were announced yesterday and reserves will be revealed tomorrow, at the LEC on Jan. 13.

Game No. 28 - Bucks at IceRays

First Period: Forward Curtis Billsten, who sat out on Sunday and was a game-day decision for tonight, is not playing. ... As expected, Kyle Gajewski gets the start in net for the Bucks. ... Ryan Garbutt gave the IceRays a 1-0 lead just 3:37 into the game on a goal assisted by Chris Richards and Ryan Bennett then gave the Bucks the first power play of the game with an interference call at 4:18. Bucks have yet to take a shot, while the IceRays appear to have scored on their third of the game after scoring on their first and third of that 5-4 overtime win on Saturday. ... No go for the Bucks on that power play, but Garbutt made it 2-o IceRays with his second of the game on assists from Rob Jarvis and Richards at 12:47. ... Bucks are being outshot 9-5. ... And now it is 3-0 IceRays on a goal by Zech Klann at 13:46. Morgan MacLean has what is currently the lone assist. ... Lance Monych was called for tripping at 15:37, and I guess a scrum followed that whistle, with Adam Powell and Justin Styffe duking it out. That puts the Bucks two men down, though not on the ice, for two minutes and one man down for the full five. Not the best situation considering their shorthandedness. ... Darryl Smith has given the IceRays another power play with a slashing penalty at 17:22. ... End of the period, IceRays lead 3-0, up 15-6 on shots. Bucks will start the second period on a power play after Jarvis took a tripping penalty at 19:36.

Second Period: Neil Trimm has snapped the Bucks' 0-for-14 skid on the power play with a goal 37 seconds into the period assisted by Smith and Jarred Mohr. IceRays lead 3-1. ... IceRays going on another power play with a holding call against Igor Agarunov at 3:31. ... Chad Woollard gave the IceRays back their three-goal cushion with a goal at 11:59 assisted by R.G. Flath and Kyle Peto. ... Lots of simultaneous penalties, many courtesy of a fight between Garbutt and Jay Holladay, and three power plays for the Bucks with Flath called for hooking at 7:39, Jereme Tendler for interference at 16:15 and Matt Smyth for tripping at 19:45. The Bucks will start the third period on the power play having scored their lone goal on an advantage to open the second. Holladay apparently instigated the fight following a board penalty committed by Garbutt. I know that's something players have to do for each other, but the Bucks just don't seem to get that they're two men short even before they commit those kind of penalties. ... End of the period, IceRays lead 4-1, shots somehow tied at 19.

Third Period: Shots even at 20 now, with each team having taken one in the period, as Peto heads to the box for hooking at 2:55. ... Some more incidental minors now as Chris Richards is going to the box for hooking while Evan Schwabe goes to his for holding at 4:38. ... Bucks captain Adam Rivet has taken his second penalty of the game, this time without a simultaneous penalty for the IceRays, and will serve two for tripping at 7:01. ... Eric Giosa to the box for holding now at 11:16. ... Bucks get another chance now with Jason Tessier going to the box for interference at 13:55. They'll need three goals in about six minutes if they want any chance of snapping that winless streak. ... No such luck.

Game Over: Bucks lose 4-1, fall to 13-9-6 (32 points). IceRays improve to 11-14-4 (26 points). Bucks somehow ended up with a 34-33 edge in shots. They are winless in five straight heading into their game on Thursday, yet another matchup with the IceRays. ... You can read more in Bryan Benway's press release, and check Greg Rajan's blog later for his notes.

Levasseur Update: Jean-Philippe Levasseur had another good AHL outing tonight, stopping 28 of 31 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Providence Bruins. You can check out his game-by-game stats with the Springfield Falcons here.

Game Day No. 28

The Bucks (13-8-6, 32 points) are in Corpus Christi to take on the IceRays (10-14-4, 24 points) in an attempt to snap their current four-game winless streak.

Their last win came against the IceRays, but they also lost to them, in overtime, at the LEC on Saturday night.

Couple new names in the lineup for the Bucks after the addition of goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier and right wing Bear Trapp today.

IceRays should look about the same as they did on Saturday.

You can read my notebook, Bryan Benway's preview or the Pointstreak pre-game notes for more information.

I'll probably only blog minimally, and mostly between periods, so you can follow the game a bit more closely on Pointstreak, watch on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM.

Bucks Sign Pelletier

The Bucks have signed goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier to fill their other goalie roster spot in the absence of Jean-Philippe Levasseur.

Pelletier is a 22-year-old rookie who has played in just three pro games, all three with the East Coast Hockey League's Elmira Jackals earlier this season.

In four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Pelletier went 78-62-9 with a goals-against average of 2.95 and save percentage of .881. He played 12 games with the University of Waterloo last season, going 7-3-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .937 save percentage.

Pelletier was a second-round pick by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, 59th overall, and Ruskowski has been trying to bring him in for a little while now.

He arrived in Laredo last night, but Ruskowski said his equipment didn't make it with him, so he might have to borrow some stuff just to suit up and ride the bench tonight.

Ruskowski said that Pelletier should start tomorrow night after getting a day of practice in today.

On a less relevant note, Pelletier's hometown in Quebec - St-Louis-du-Ha!Ha! - is one of my favorites.

Anyway, here's a clip of Pelletier saving a penalty shot for your viewing pleasure:



Here's a clip of some game action that's a bit dizzying:



And, if you have a lot of time, here he is facing 12 round in a shootout:



Thoughts?

Roster Moves

The Bucks have signed the forward with the best name on the planet - Bear Trapp - and, as I mentioned yesterday, have placed forward Maxime Lincourt on the 14-day injured reserve and moved defenseman Jeremy Swanson to the 30-day IR.

These moves may not be the only ones announced today.

Here's Bryan Benway's press release:


Bucks Sign Former Hobey Baker Award Nominee
LAREDO, TX- The Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League announced Tuesday that they have signed rookie forward Bear Trapp for the 2009-10 season. Trapp is expected to be in the line-up Tuesday when the Bucks travel to Corpus Christi.

The 25-year-old Trapp played in one game for Bossier-Shreveport this season before being released last week. Trapp has played less than 25 professional games making him still rookie status.
 
Trapp turned pro at the end of last season where he played in six games for Elmira (ECHL) putting up four points (3-1=4). Trapp played in one playoff game for Elmira last season.
 
“Bear is able to put up some good offensive numbers and that’s what we need right now,” said Ruskowski.
 
Prior to turning pro Trapp played four years of college hockey for Sacred Heart University where he was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award in multiple seasons. In his four seasons with Sacred Heart Trapp put up 156 points (56-100=156) and 228 PIM’s. Trapp was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year in 2005-06.
 
Trapp, 6’0’’, 185 pounds, played for two SJHL teams over three seasons of junior, posting 143 points in 154 games and earning an All-Star nod.
 
*LINCOURT TO IR, SWANSON MOVED TO 30-DAY IR*
 
The Bucks also announced that MaximeLincourt has been placed on the 14-day IR while Jeremy Swanson has been moved to the 30-day IR.
 
Lincourt was placed on the 14-day IR with an upper-body injury as he missed both games over the weekend.
 
The 22-year-old Lincourt has 16 points (9-7=16) and is tied for the team lead with five power-play goals.
 
Swanson was placed on the 14-day IR after the Bucks 4-2 loss in Allen on December 12th, but was moved to the 30-day IR Tuesday.
 
Swanson has seven points (1-6=7) in 18 games this season.

Three Bucks to Start All-Star Game

The South Texas starters for the CHL All-Star Game have been announced, and Bucks goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur, defenseman Adam Rivet and forward Darryl Smith are among the six players given the nod.

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees forward Jesse Bennefield and defenseman Nathan Ansell and Corpus Christi IceRays forward Justin Quenneville round out the starting lineup.

Coach Ruskowski, who will be the head coach of the South Texas team, had the final say in these decisions.

Smith will be making his second consecutive All-Star appearance after being named the MVP for the CHL team in last year's game, and Rivet will also be playing in his second All-Star Game, having made the cut in 2007.

Levasseur will be playing in his first All-Star Game, assuming he returns from his stint with the AHL's Springfield Falcons by Jan. 13.

The CHL All-Star starters will be announced tomorrow, and reserves for both teams will be named on Wednesday.

More on this after I talk to Ruskowski.

UPDATE: Not much new to say about the All-Stars, but Ruskowski did tell me that defenseman Jeremy Swanson, who's been on the 14-day injured reserve since Dec. 15 with an lower-body injury will be placed on the 30-day IR and may actually miss the rest of the season.

Additionally, Maxime Lincourt, who's missed the past two games with an upper-body injury, might have to go on the 14-day IR.

Ruskowski is still hoping to get some new personnel in time for tomorrow night's game, particularly a goalie and a forward because he is having a lot of trouble finding available defensemen and can at least move Igor Agarunov back to the blue line if he brings in a new winger or centerman.

Forward Curtis Billsten, who sat out yesterday's game with a lingering lower-body injury, will be a game-day decision tomorrow.

Regardless of whether or not the team can get a new goalie by tomorrow, expect Kyle Gajewski to get the start in net.

As far as getting Jean-Philippe Levasseur back, Ruskowski said he is, "not hoping, but praying" that will happen soon.

My story in tomorrow's Times addresses all of this, the keys to tomorrow night's game, and, of course, the South Texas All-Star starters. I'll post some excerpts from that on here tomorrow.

Current Situation

Talking to Coach Ruskowski after yesterday's 5-4 loss to the Tulsa Oilers brought to light a few more issues the Bucks are currently facing, which include injuries being played through due to more severe ones requiring other skaters to sit out.

The Bucks' stretch of six games in eight days could not have come at a worse time, as two games into it, they're already too battered to survive a whole 60 minutes.

Ruskowski gave me a lot of quotes about the situation - including Cody Hamilton walking out on the team, Kris Tebbs doing the Bucks the favor of playing a few games for them, and Jay Holladay spending about 12 hours in transit to get to the LEC just in time for his first game since Nov. 7 - and I used almost all of them in my story, which turned out to be quite a book.

Due to that fact, I'm just going to copy and paste it all here:

Despite holding the lead for the majority of the game, the Laredo Bucks saw their winless streak continue on Sunday with a 5-4 loss to the Tulsa Oilers.
Laredo (13-8-6, 32 points), which was playing two men shorthanded for the second straight game, dropped to 0-3-1 in its last four contests.
“I just don’t have enough manpower,” Bucks Head Coach/General Manager Terry Ruskowski said. “We have more guys in the stands than on the ice. We have guys who are playing and playing their hearts out, but they’re injured. We played our hardest, we just ran out of gas.
“We had no more to give, especially after playing last night, and playing with eight forwards and four defenseman, it’s just not going to work. We have to get people healthy, we have to get people in here in a short period of time because we don’t have time to waste.”
Laredo scored first when Justin Styffe banked the puck into the net off Tulsa goltender Trevor Cann, and the Bucks took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Oilers (14-12-1, 29 points) wasted little time getting on the board in the second, with Aaron Davis tying the game at 1:58 on a shot that bounced off a Laredo defenseman into the net after goaltender Kris Tebbs made the initial save.
Neil Trimm gave the Bucks another lead at 11:42, immediately following a fight between Styffe and Tula’s Tyler Fleck, and Jeff Bes made it 3-1 just 18 seconds later.
Before the period could end, the game was tied again, with Jeff Gumaer’s first professional goal and Sean Erickson’s power-play tally rallying the Oilers.
“We took some unnecessary penalties, they scored on the power play, and that really killed us,” Ruskowski said. “We have to play smart because we’re shorthanded.
We can’t take unnecessary penalties, and we took unnecessary penalties, and that’s what happens.”
The game took another turn when Evan Schwabe skated in on Cann and put one in the net for Laredo 5:53 into the final period, but T.J. Caig tied it up one last time at 11:55 when he jammed a rebound past Tebbs.
Tulsa scoring leader Rob Hisey got the game-winner 5:02 later, wrapping around the net to send one past Tebbs from between the bottom of the right circle.
The Bucks pulled Tebbs with 51.6 seconds left in regulation but couldn’t capitalize on several faceoffs in the Oilers’ zone to recover from their only deficit of the game.
“The bottom line is, we ran out of gas,” Ruskowski said. “The guys gave all they had, and when it came to the end, they had no more to give.
“I have to give Tulsa credit; they played pretty hard, they’ve got some talent, they move the puck pretty well, and obviously they can score goals.
The win, only the second for the Oilers in the past 11 games, was their first four-plus goal output since a 7-6 loss to the Colorado Eagles on Dec. 1
Saturday’s game was also a 5-4 loss for Laredo, that one in overtime at the hands of the Corpus Christi IceRays (10-14-4, 24 points).
The Bucks were able to add one man to their roster on Sunday in defenseman Jay Holladay, but lost forward Curtis Billsten to a nagging lower-body injury, keeping them in the same predicament.
“I feel sorry for him,” Ruskowski said of Holladay. “He got up at 3 in the morning, flew from Virginia Beach, Va., drove from San Antonio here just in time for the game, signed the papers, contract to go out and play. You can’t ask a guy to go out there and be on top of his performance when he’s like that, no practice or anything else. He hasn’t even played this year. But he’s American, and he’s a defenseman, and I needed someone in here quick.
“I thought he could do a job, and I still think he can do it if he gets some time to learn the system and know the system and get comfortable with these conditions.”
Billsten was questionable for Saturday’s night game and played but couldn’t take the ice on Sunday, while forward Maxime Lincourt has missed two straight with an upper-body injury and defenseman Jeremy Swanson has been on the injured reserve since Dec. 12.
“I’m on the phone all the time trying to find players to get in here,” Ruskowski said. “Right now, I don’t even care what kind of players they are; I just need bodies. It’s not a good scenario. You wish you had a week off here to get some people healthy, but it doesn’t look like even a week would help these guys right now, so I have to get guys in here right now. It’s a mess.
“We’re going to try to get some players in here to help us, but in the meantime, we’ll try to go with what we have and get everybody healthy.”
Adding insult to the Bucks’ very literal injuries, defenseman Cody Hamilton, a second-year pro, walked out on the team prior to its game on Saturday night.
“He just didn’t want to play here anymore,” Ruskowski said. “He just said he wasn’t happy here, and he quit, so he’s on suspension. Especially the night before a game, that put me in a really tough situation. He’s not a game-breaking player, but when he plays well, he’s okay. That hurt us, it absolutely hurt us.
“Now we’re shorthanded, and we had to dress guys last game that shouldn’t have played because they were injured, so now they can’t play because their injury flared up on them.”
Laredo is losing another player now, though he is one whose departure the team anticipated, as Tebbs signed with the Bucks just to help them out with this weekend’s games.
“It’s a temporary thing,” Ruskowski said. “He has to go back to Corpus because he has to start school, so he’s going to go back. He did a terrific job for me, he played really well. It certainly wasn’t his fault (on Sunday). Defensively, we just didn’t have the legs to catch up with their fresh legs, and they scored those types of goals that would never happen if we had guys who were fresh and ready to go.
“I’m trying to get another goalie in here in the meantime. It’s a process at work.”
Notes: Tebbs was 0-1-1 in his time with Laredo, making 37 saves on 43 shots faced. He allowed five goals on 33 shots on Sunday… Holladay was a minus-4 in the game and was on the ice for each Tulsa goal except the power-play tally. … The Bucks were 0-for-7 on the power play, failing to score on the advantage for the second straight game. The Oilers were 1-for-6.

Holy cow, that was even longer than I thought it was. But anyway, Ruskowski seems confident that things will get better once guys are healthy... the only problem is that might not be any time soon.

Billsten and Lincourt have both been nagged by their injuries for a couple weeks, and a couple other guys have been floating under the radar with ailments of their own.

Ruskowski is trying to get a new goalie in before the team's next game, but the fact that it takes place tomorrow isn't really helping him much.

As he noted, he just needs bodies as far as skaters go, and American ones are best because there's no risk of immigration paperwork holding up contract finalization.

Anyway, back to yesterday, you can read Bryan Benway's recap for a play-by-play-type description of all the scoring and more info on Holladay, who played 58 games (plus five in the playoffs) with the New Mexico Scorpions in 2007-08, 65 between two IHL teams last season and five with the Quad City Mallards earlier in this campaign.

The South Texas All-Star starters for the upcoming CHL All-Star Game at the LEC will be announced in about 25 minutes, so I'll be back to post about that in a bit.

Game No. 27 - Bucks vs. Oilers

Bucks forwards Curtis Billsten and Maxime Lincourt, the two guys Coach Ruskowski told me were questionable for last night with lower and upper-body injuries, respectively, are both scratches today. Lincourt also missed last night's game, and I guess Billsten's condition worsened after he played.

Starters: Bucks - Igor Agarunov (F/D), Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (D), Mike Looby (D), Lance Monych (F), Evan Schwabe (F), Kris Tebbs (G); Trevor Cann (G), Derek Eastman (D), Sean Erickson (D), Rob Hisey (F), Jake Riddle (F), Troy Riddle (F).

First Period: Seems Agarunov is being used as a forward again because of the two guys who are out today. Only five d-men for the Bucks for the second game in a row, despite the new addition. Justin Styffe has taken the game's first penalty at 1:40 in the period after tripping one of the Oilers skating into the Bucks' zone. The Oilers are ninth in the league with a 15.4 power-play percentage heading into this advantage. ... The Bucks only allowed one shot on that kill, but not long after Styffe left the box, Dieude-Fauvel is headed in there for cross-checking at 3:56. ... Time for some 4-on-4 with Eastman headed to the box at 5:15 for hooking. The Bucks will get a power play for 41 seconds once Dieude-Fauvel gets out of the box. ... Nothing doing on any of that, and the fact that most of the shots are missing the net has the shot count at a low 3-2 in favor of the Bucks. ... Spoke too soon, and Styffe decided to prove me wrong with a pretty lucky goal at 7:57 in the period. After Cann went out behind his net to try to pass the puck out, Styffe got a hold of it and managed to bounce it off of Cann into the net. Neil Trimm and Eric Giosa are getting assists, but I'm sure Cann knows it was all his fault. Kind of reminded me of the second goal of this hat trick. In theory, anyway. ... Bucks get a power play not long after that goal with Thomas Harrison being sent to the box at 8:09 for interference. ... Bucks will get 23 seconds of a 5-on-3 now as Derek Merlini, the tallest player in this game at 6-foot-6 (one inch taller than former teammate and possible fight opponent Robin Richards), upended Styffe and was called for tripping at 9:47. ... The Bucks really just don't seem to like two-man advantages this season. ... The one-man advantage looked a little better, but not good enough to score. ... Tebbs must be pretty bored, having faced only two shots so far with seven minutes to go in the period. The Bucks have taken 12 on Cann and probably about 15 that have missed the net. ... Oilers getting another power-play chance with Monych headed to the box at 15:58 for slashing. ... I don't have great vision, so I'm not sure, but I think Billsten is standing over in the section behind what is currently the Bucks' net and wearing the brightest green tie I've ever seen. ... A little bit more 4-on-4 now with Dan Riedel going to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct at 17:10. Bucks will get 1:12 on the power play when Monych gets out of the sin bin. ... That didn't last long, as Smith will join Monych in the box after taking a roughing call for a shove at center ice at 17:29. Penalty party for all. ... Geeze, now Riedel has company with a trip by T.J. Caig right off the faceoff that followed the call against Smith. He's going in at 17:32, just three seconds after Smith did. Three-on-three is always an interesting predicament for guys not used to playing with so few teammates on the ice. ... One of the Bucks, sorry I didn't catch who, just his the post at ice level, and the crowd thought for sure it was a goal. Not the case. ... Adam Rivet just passed the puck directly to Adam Bartholomay while on the 5-on-4 power-play portion of all those penalties, but Bartholomay didn't seem confident going in for a shot, and the way he held up gave Eastman the chance for a slap shot that Tebbs was able to stop. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 1-0, up 16-5 on shots. ... The assists on Styffe's goal have been changed to Giosa and Dieude-Fauvel.

Second Period: One of the Bucks just knocked the rebound from a shot by the Oilers into the net. Holladay was one of the guys out front of the net, but I'm not sure it was him. Tebbs had batted the puck away, then his own guy knocked it past him. Okay, it was Holladay. Aaron Davis, who took the initial shot, gets the goal, and Caig is getting what is currently the lone assist. Goal came at 1:58 and ties the game at 1-1. ... Trimm just had a great chance when a shot attempt from Jeff Bes hit his stick right in front of the net, but he would have had to manage to knock it in behind himself, and he couldn't quite do that. ... An assist has been added for Tyler Fleck on that goal. I guess it's only fair that each team score on itself once if one is going to get away with it. ... Erickson just made the save of the game so far with his goalie down leaving an easy shot open for the Bucks. He batted it out of the air, but not before the goal judge lit the lamp knowing there was no way Cann was going to be able to stop the shot. ... Smith just got two shots on net, the second on a wraparound attempt, and Cann gave up big rebounds on both, but no other Bucks were around to clean up the trash. ... Bucks get the first power play of the period at 5:51 with Caig going to the box to serve a penalty for too many men on the ice. ... Hisey, who is apparently the league leader in shorthanded goals just got a 2-on-1 with Troy Riddle, and the duo seemed destined to score but Tebbs made the save. ... Caig just broke away with another Oiler, not sure who, and they got a shot off that bounced off the top of the net after a frantic save by Tebbs, who had to make another stop just seconds later. Oilers outshooting the Bucks 9-7 through the first 8:30 of the middle period. ... The Oilers really don't mind putting their bodies out there to stop the puck. Fleck just sprawled out across the ice to break up a pass that would have given Trimm a wide-open chance. Smith tripped over him a few seconds later, but no harm done. ... Okay, now everyone is tripping over everyone else, and everything. Is something wrong with the ice? ... Styffe just jumped Fleck after Fleck took Smith out as Smith was entering the Bucks' zone. Bes then went after Harrison, albeit not as violently, and plenty more pushing and shoving ensued. Not sure you want to have any player in the box for five minutes with a couple guys already missing from your lineup, but Styffe did what he thought he needed to do. ... Took the refs quite a while to work out the penalties on that, and immediately after they did, the Bucks grabbed a 2-1 lead on a goal by Trimm on a rebound from a shot by Bes. Smith gets the second assist. That goal came at 11:42 in the period, and all the penalties were taken at 11:35. Fleck got a kneeing minor and a fighting major, and Styffe got an instigating minor and 10-minute misconduct and the five for fighting, so he'll be missing for 15 minutes total. ... And as soon as that goal was announced, the Bucks added another, this time with Bes getting his 10th of the season. He had a pretty much wide open net with Cann faked out to the other side. That was a nice little tic-tac-toe play for Bes and Smith, who Cann thought would be the one to take the shot. Trimm gets the second assist, and the Bucks lead 3-1 at the 12-minute mark of the period. ... Agarunov is being sent to box for interference at 13:21 after knocking his own goalie's net off its moorings. ... The Bucks just stole the puck but then immediately turned it over to give the Oilers a decent chance on which Hisey hit the post. ... A clearing attempt by one of the Bucks just hit Smith pretty hard, possibly in the face. ... A couple of impressive quick saves by Tebbs, who was being screened by pretty much every player on the ice. ... And now the Oilers have scored their first goal against him at 16:04. I say that because Holladay scored the one earlier in the game. That one was scored by Jeff Gumaer, who now has his first professional goal in his first professional game. Assists go to Bartholomay and Jim Henkemeyer. This team is just full of difficult names. Bucks lead 3-2. ... Looby just got called for a pretty week cross-checking penalty after knocking Hisey (I think) over with a pretty light hit near the boards, not even really into them. Oilers get a power play with 32.5 seconds left in the period, so they'll get 1:27.5 on the advantage to start the third if they don't score here. ... So much for that. Erickson just knocked one in top shelf on a beautiful feed by Davis. Seriously perfect pass. Oh, and that was with 1.1 seconds on the clock. Ouch for the Bucks. Caig gets the second assist. ... End of the period, game tied 3-3, Bucks up 26-21 on shots. They were outshot 16-10 in the second.

Third Period: Fleck missed the net on what was probably the best chance of the period so far about 4:15 into it. ... Highlight reel save by Tebbs at 5:39 keeps this thing tied. ... And on the Bucks' first rush after that, it is no longer tied, as Evan Schwabe sent one past Cann to give the Bucks a 4-3 lead at 5:53 in the period. Monych gave Schwabe the puck, and he skated in on Cann and faked him out well enough to get his goal. And now they are showing his girlfriend flipping out on the Jumbotron. Second assist goes to Agarunov. ... Just as I was about to say you certainly have to give the Oilers points for effort, they managed to knock another one in on a mad scramble around the net. Rebound goal scored by Caig, assisted by Reidel and good ol' Marty Standish. ... Just noticed they changed the assists on Styffe's goal in the first to Jarred Mohr and Bes. Indecisive much? ... Just been informed this is the first time the Oilers have scored four or more goals since Dec. 1. That game was a 7-6 loss, by the way. ... Bucks just got about a million rebound chances as the Oilers failed to clear the puck for Cann but couldn't get one in the net. ... The Oilers turned around and did just that at the other end, taking a 5-4 lead at 16:57 in the period on a modified wraparound by Hisey. Assists go to Troy Riddle and Jake Riddle, how cute. That was the Oilers' 32nd shot on Tebbs. Bucks have taken 40 on Cann so far. ... Merlini just broke his stick on a slap shot, causing me to wonder if his are more expensive to replace because of his height. Random, I know. ... Even though they're only missing two skaters, the Bucks' bench looks incredibly empty. ... Only 1:12 left for the Bucks to tie this. ... Tebbs hanging out between the circles waiting for a signal to leave the ice and not getting one. ... A whistle to set up a faceoff in the Oilers' zone with 51.6 to play finally got Tebbs to the bench. Extra attacker for the Bucks. ... And now they'll go 6-on-4 with Troy Riddle being sent to the box for a blatant hooking penalty with 41.9 to go. ... Bucks couldn't manage a shot on net for the first 24.6 of that. Getting another faceoff in front of Cann now. ... And now another after a big body save that Cann pulled into his chest with 11.6 left on the clock. ... Schwabe managed a shot as time expired, but it was deflected up into the netting.

Game Over: Bucks lose 5-4, fall to 13-8-6 (32 points). Oilers win for just the second time in 11 games, improve to 14-12-1 (29 points). ... Between the loss, the Cody Hamilton situation and trying to figure out if Tebbs being here is temporary, this should be a fun postgame interview.

Postgame: Ruskowski actually didn't put much blame on his players for this loss, citing injuries as their main problem in not being able to hold onto this one. He also said this was the last game Tebbs would be playing with the Bucks, as he is returning to Corpus Christi to start a semester at school. He's looking to bring in another goalie, as well as some skaters, to fill space until Jean-Philippe Levasseur is back and all the other guys are healthy.

Game Day No. 27

I didn't have time to go downstairs and get quotes after last night's game because of deadline concerns, which is really a shame, because Cody Hamilton's status with the team was in question and everything I heard pointed to him having walked out on the team.

Seems that really is the case, as the Bucks placed him on team suspension today retroactive to yesterday and have brought in defenseman Jay Holladay to take his place.

Holladay is at the LEC and was on the ice for warmups wearing No. 17.

I'll be sure to ask Coach Ruskowski about that situation after today's game, which pits the Bucks (13-7-6, 32 points) against the Tulsa Oilers (13-12-1, 27 points) for the first time this season.

As far as last night's 5-4 overtime loss to the Corpus Christi IceRays, you can read my story, Bryan Benway's recap, Greg Rajan's blog post and Rajan's story for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

For more on today, you can check out Bryan Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

Kris Tebbs, who suffered the overtime loss last night, will be getting his first start with the Bucks today.

Former Buck Rick Kozak, now an Oiler, is on the IR, so he won't be able to start any trouble on the ice. I did see him wondering around the concourse, though.

As usual, you can follow the game on here or on Pointstreak, watch on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM... unless you're here, I guess.

Game No. 26 - Bucks vs. IceRays

As usual, you can follow the game here or on Pointstreak, watch it on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM.

Before things get started at the LEC, here's a brief update on Jean-Philippe Levasseur: He's in his fifth start with the Springfield Falcons, and barely into the first period, they are down 4-0 to the Worcester Sharks. He allowed those four goals on 18 shots so far. You can see the game sheet here. ... Falcons are down 5-0 at the end of the second, with the Sharks having taken 25 shots through two. ... Levasseur has been pulled to start the third, and his replacement allowed a goal on his first shot faced. Assuming the Falcons lose, Levasseur is now 0-5 in the AHL with a save percentage of .879. ... I had forgotten former Buck Andrew Desjardins plays for the Sharks now. He has two assists and is a plus-2 so far tonight.

Starters: Bucks - Igor Agarunov (D), Kyle Gajewski (G), Mike Looby (D), Lance Monych (F), Evan Schwabe (F), Neil Trimm (F); IceRays - R.G. Flath (F), Morgan MacLean (F), Kevin Nastiuk (G), Adam Powell (F), Matt Smyth (D), Jason Tessier (D).

First Period: Guess Coach Ruskowski has decided to hold off on starting Tebbs. ... Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith are back on the top line together, with Curtis Billsten, who was kind of a question mark for tonight with a lower-body injury, on the right wing. Lincourt was also questionable with that nagging upper-body injury, and he is not on the line-up card tonight. Neither is Cody Hamilton, who Ruskowski had not mentioned as any sort of question ... Smyth has scored on the first shot of the game, nice clean wrister from the left circle. Powell and Chad Costello get the assists. That came 2:54 into the contest. ... And now the IceRays have scored again on just their third shot of the game at 4:51. Chad Woollard with the goal on assists from Costello and Chris Mei. ... Scratch that, Flath deflected Woollard's shot, a less-than-potent slapper from just inside the blue line, so he gets the goal. ... Bucks are having a heck of a lot of trouble clearing the puck from their zone early here. ... A nice 2-on-1 break by Eric Giosa and Justin Styffe has drawn the first penalty of the game, hooking against Bennett at 8:33. ... The power play is still more than a little bit pass-happy, it seems. ... Bucks are on the board at 17:08 in the period, as Trimm has scored from between the circles on assists from Schwabe and Jarred Mohr. IceRays lead 2-1. ... Tie game just 35 seconds later on a smooth wrist shot by Billsten from the left circle that hit the net just inside the crossbar at 17:43. Trimm and Schwabe are getting the assists; Trimm had to do a nice spinorama-like move to get the puck over to Billsten. ... Billsten just stole the puck as the IceRays were trying to exit their own zone, but the crowd's excitement was promptly dulled as the IceRays got the puck right back. ... End of the period, game tied 2-2, IceRays up 13-9 on shots. Bucks definitely have the momentum here, but let's see if they can keep it through intermission. Hasn't been their forte this season for sure. ... The IceRays' second goal has been changed back to Woollard (Costello, Mei).

Second Period: First penalty of the game against the Bucks was committed just seconds into the period and called at 0:28. Adam Rivet to the box for hooking. ... Seems that wasn't a bad penalty to take, as Monych has given the Bucks their first lead of the game at 0:50 in the period with a shorthanded goal scored on a slap shot from the left circle. Mohr grabbed the puck on a turnover and passed it a couple feet over to Monych, who skated in for the goal. Bucks lead 3-2. ... And now it's tied once again as the IceRays have snapped their 0-for-46 power-play draught on a goal by Jereme Tendler, who was part of a scramble in the crease. Powell and Kyle Peto get the assists. Thanks to Greg Rajan for that rather frightening stat. ... Bucks back in the lead just 1:10 later, as the puck got past Nastiuk at 3:08 in the period. I'm pretty sure one of the IceRays knocked it into his own net after Giosa tried to jam in a rebound off a shot by Bes. Giosa gets the goal, and Bes and Justin Styffe get the assists. ... Nastiuk just gave the Bucks an easy chance to add to their lead, but Styffe missed a completely open net. ... IceRays going back on the power play at 6:52 with an interference call against Agarunov. ... Bit of 4-on-4 in store now with Peto going to the box at 7:43 for cross-checking. Bit of a skirmish broke out in front of the net after Nastiuk covered up a shot by Looby. Bennett almost fell on his butt trying to escape the scrapping huddle and got some laughs from the crowd. Smyth and Styffe each took roughing penalties on that. ... And now Looby is in the box for hooking at 8:17. The sin bins are getting crowded. ... Nothing doing on any of that, and now it'll be 4-on-4 again with a high-sticking call against Jeff Alcombrack at 13:16 and a tripping call against Trimm at 13:27. ... Alcombrack and referee T.J. Nua just wrecked each other in an accidental collision not long after Alcombrack came out of the box. ... Chris Richards just scored on a 1-on-2 through the slot. Pretty sad defense by the Bucks there, following a turnover, no less. ... Ruskowski has pulled Gajewski and put in Tebbs, who still has his Corpus pads. Second time Gajewski has been pulled during a period in three games, and Ruskowski hates to do that, so that tells you something. Shots were 22-20 in the IceRays' favor when that decision was made with 3:26 remaining in the second period. ... Bucks going on the power play now at 17:31 with Tendler headed to the box for boarding. ... Smith just chased Quenneville back into the Bucks' zone and left his feet to make a hit that mostly resulted in him smashing himself into the boards. He did get the puck, though. ... End of the period, game tied 4-4, Bucks up 23-22 on shots, meaning Tebbs has yet to face one.

Third Period: Tebbs made a pretty nice glove save on a shot through traffic, the second he's faced so far. ... Alcombrack is going to the box for slashing at 3:38 to give the Bucks another power-play chance. They have yet to score on the advantage tonight, getting their lone special teams goal shorthanded. ... Some obligatory pushing and shoving follows pretty much every shot that gets covered now; the only surprising thing is that Bes was the one doing the majority of it after the last one. ... Bucks are up to a 32-24 shot lead as of 5:21 into the period, meaning they have outshot the IceRays 9-2 so far in this one. ... Bucks going back on the power play with an elbowing call against Woollard at 6:15. ... Couple tests for Nastiuk in the first 23 seconds of that, but he passed both of them to keep this tied. ... Mohr and Ryan Garbutt just knocked knees, with Garbutt taking the worst of it. Pretty sure that was accidental, but you never know. ... Another few chances at the tail end of that power play, but no luck. ... Woollard got a good breakaway chance out of the box but had trouble getting his shot off and couldn't get it past Tebbs when he did. He had to make a couple of quick saves after that power play expired. ... Powell just practically threw Giosa over the boards into the Bucks bench with a check. Giosa bounced back onto the ice nicely, but yikes. ... Lots of pushing and shoving and scrambling for the puck over the past few minutes, and that's about it. Bucks lead 40-26 on shots, so Tebbs isn't getting tested much. ... Monych just skated into Robin Richards hard, but it seemed like Richards didn't even notice. ... Bucks getting one last power-play chance in regulation as Flath is in the box for roughing with 2:04 to play. ... Power play lasted 39 seconds, and now it'll be 4-on-4 for 1:21 and an IceRays power play for the final four seconds of regulation with Billsten going to the box for high-sticking at 18:35. ... End of the period, game tied 4-4, Bucks up 43-30 on shots. Nastiuk is clearly keeping the IceRays in this one. Time for the seventh overtime of the season at the LEC.

Overtime: Billsten will come out of the box 18 seconds or so into this, with the one-minute penalties in OT taking effect on the remaining portion of his penalty. ... IceRays take the first shot of the OT, which is stopped by Tebbs. ... Game over at 1:29 in the period, as the IceRays scored on their 10th shot against Tebbs to win 5-4. Peto scored it on assists from Quenneville and Bennett.

Game Over: Bucks lose 5-4 in overtime, fall to 13-7-6 (32 points) on the season. IceRays improve to 10-14-4 (24 points). ... Another number courtesy of Rajan - the IceRays went 614:19 of playing time between their last power-play goal and the one Tendler scored tonight.

Game Day No. 26

The Bucks (13-7-5, 31 points) will play their first home game since Dec. 11 tonight as they host the Corpus Christi IceRays (9-14-4, 22 points) in the first of back-to-back games at the LEC.

The Bucks went 1-2-1 on their season-high four-game road trip, and Coach Ruskowski was none too pleased with the way the team played in those games, particularly the last two.

Here are some excerpts from my story that ran today, which was more of a notebook than a preview:

Another idea Ruskowski has emphasized is taking every opponent seriously, but failing to do that has cost the Bucks more than one game this season, including a 6-3 loss to the Amarillo Gorillas last Saturday.
“I warned them about it,” Ruskowski said. “I knew something was up in the morning; their practice was just awful.
They didn’t do anything I wanted them to do properly, passes weren’t working… it’s not my first rodeo, when I see that kind of practice, I know what to expect.”
To combat that problem, Ruskowski is hoping to keep numbers out of his players’ hands until they know that what they see on paper cannot do anything for them on the ice.
“I don’t want stats in the dressing room,” he said. “Any stats and standings can go directly to my desk. I told them if you’re looking at stats and not looking at the job you have to do, I guarantee you we will not be able to win.
“Call me a liar, but until you prove me wrong, I’ll say what I say.”

Though the Bucks have not made any out-of-team roster moves involving skaters in several weeks, Ruskowski admits he is still not 100 percent sure he can count on his current lineup.
“They tell me what I want to hear, but they need to show me what I want to see,” Ruskowski said. “We don’t have a team of superstars; we need to play hard to be successful.”
Laredo has proven it can do that, but the team cannot seem to do so on a consistent basis, leaving Ruskowski frustrated with some of the players he counts on most.
“The leaders have to lead,” Ruskowski said. “I have to emphasize that to them because my fuse is getting short with some players and how inconsistent they can be. I kind of vented myself after the last game because I really don’t like losing. If this team can’t win, there will have to be some moves.
“I can’t stand losing, and until it gets to the point where they start feeling the same way, playing the same way with urgency, this is obviously not a team that can take us to the Promised Land.”


Ruskowski also noted the fact that defensive lapses, by both forwards and defensemen, have been the team's biggest weakness, saying he "can't blame the goalies much" for any of the losses.

He is expecting to see the team play much better, and for a full 60 minutes, tonight, so we'll see if that happens.

For more on tonight, you can check out Bryan Benway's preview, his blog post for today or the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

Bucks Ink Tebbs

The Bucks just announced that they have signed goaltender Kris Tebbs and sent Mark Sibbald back down the Southern Professional Hockey League.

When I talked to Coach Ruskowski on Thursday, he mentioned that Sibbald had asked to return to his team in the SPHL, so signing Tebbs was in part a reaction to that.

He wasn't 100 percent sure that Tebbs would show up in time for tonight's game, so nothing was official until they announced it.

I imagine Tebbs will start tonight, considering how Kyle Gajewski has fared in his past few games, so he should be taking on his former team (the Corpus Christi IceRays) in his first game with his new one.

Jean-Philippe Levasseur is still up the AHL, and if that lasts a lot longer, it might not be far-fetched to anticipate another goalie move in the coming weeks.

I know Tebbs was someone whose name had come up among fans as a possible option earlier in the season, so what does everyone think about this move? And what about the whole Sibbald situation? He probably would have been more willing to stay if he was getting more playing time, so do you think that might have been a good idea?

Be back in a bit with the game day post.

Some Stuff

I was not able to do much of anything online yesterday due to the great BlackBerry blackout of 2009, so I'm sorry for the lack of posts about last night's game.

As you probably know by now, the Bucks suffered a 6-5 shootout loss to the Missouri Mavericks to fall to 1-2-1 as they closed out their season-high four-game road trip.

As the headline on Bryan Benway's recap points out, the bright side of the loss is that the Bucks got a point, moving them back into third place in the Southern Conference standings with a 13-7-5 (31 points) record.

While they are tied with the Texas Brahmas (14-10-3) as far as the 31 points go, the Bucks have only played 25 games to the Brahmas' 27, so they're ahead of them for now.

Another bright side is the fact that the Bucks actually scored goals last night. Yes, they allowed just as many as they got on the board themselves, but that was their first five-plus-goal game since that infamous 6-1 win over the Odessa Jackalopes on Dec. 5.

Lance Monych was responsible for a lot of that, scoring the Bucks' first hat trick of the season in the losing effort.

In the shootout, Monych's efforts were just as futile as those of his teammates, as for the third time this season, all five (or more) Bucks shooters were held off the board.

Kyle Gajewski suffered the OTL, falling to 3-4-2 on the season.

Now the Bucks are headed home, and they will play two at the LEC this weekend, so my schedule (and subsequent blogging) should get back to normal.

I'll be calling Coach Ruskowski tomorrow because it's either that or Christmas day itself, so I should have some leftover quotes to share soon enough.

Meanwhile, in other CHL news, it was announced today that the head coach for the CHL All-Star team that will take on the South Texas All-Stars will be Colorado Eagles Kevin McClelland, while Ruskowski will be HC for the South Texas team with the Corpus Christi IceRays' Brent Hughes and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees' Chris Brooks assisting.

There should be plenty of other All-Star announcements in the coming weeks.

Levasseur Update

Jean-Philippe Levasseur has started two more games for the Springfield Falcons since his initial 5-1 loss, and, though he still has yet to earn a win, he did help the Falcons earn a point tonight.

Yesterday, Levasseur was in net for the Falcons' 2-0 loss to the Portland Pirates, in which he faced 31 shots and saved 29 of them.

Tonight, he suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to the Providence Bruins, making 25 saves on 28 shots.

The Falcons were the last-place team in the AHL's Atlantic Division before Levasseur's arrival, so he certainly can't be blamed for their recent struggles, and it seems like they're trying to test him out pretty well before they decide whether or not they want to send him back.

Here is an an interesting story about the Falcons' acquisition of Levasseur that gives you a better idea of what the Falcons were hoping for in calling him up last week.

Game No. 24 - Bucks at Gorillas

First Period: The links to watch or listen to the game are in my last post, and you can also follow it via the Pointstreak box score. ... Not much I could tell you from the box score until 11:16, as Stuart McRae has given the Gorillas a 1-0 lead on a goal assisted by Jake Morissette. Kyle Gajewski is in net for the Bucks, making his second straight start for the first time this season, while Tuomas Lohtander is in goal for the Gorillas. ... And now we have the first penalties of the game, as Justin Styffe and Chris Cloud duked it out to earn five for fighting apiece. ... Oops, forgot to mention that Maxime Lincourt is indeed playing, and he took a hooking penalty at 19:51 to put the Gorillas on a power play that they will get the majority of in the second period. ... End of the period, Gorillas lead 1-0, up 12-7 on shots.

Second Period: Nothing doing on that power play, but David Nimmo has given the Gorillas a 2-0 lead on a goal currently listed as unassisted, which was scored 3:22 into the period. Gorillas nearly doubling the Bucks in shots at this point at 15-8. ... The Bucks got one back at 4:38 when Lance Monych scored on an assist from Evan Schwabe, but the Gorillas took another two-goal lead on another unassisted tally by Nimmo at 7:05. They lead 3-1. ... Make that 3-2 at 8:47 in the period, as Darryl Smith has scored a power-play goal during Erik Felde's stay in the penalty box for a hooking call. Curtis Billsten has what is currently the lone assist. ... Guess the Gorillas aren't fond of only being up by one tonight. Felde just made up for his prior transgression by scoring on an assist from Austin Sutter at 10:59 to make it 4-2. ... And now they have the first three-goal lead, as Jake Obermeyer scored on an assist from Cloud at 12:06. Gorillas lead 5-2. .. They just added an assist for Jarred Mohr on Smith's goal, which, by the way, gave Smith the team lead outright with 10 on the season. ... Oh, and Nimmo's second goal now lists an assist by Joe Guenther. ... Another purportedly unassisted goal, this one by Anthony Battaglia at 18:25, has made this 6-2 in favor of the Gorillas. ... End of the period, Gorillas lead 6-2, up 29-17 on shots. Those of you who have watched the games, what is the difference between Gajewski on Thursday stopping 33 of 33 shots and tonight allowing six goals on 29? Is is the way the team is playing in front of him, or was he never really challenged on Thursday? Just curious about your opinions on that.

Third Period: Bucks got an early power play with an interference call against James Jernberg just 40 seconds into the period but couldn't capitalize and will now get another chance with Neil Smith going to the box for tripping at 8:32. ... Nothing doing on that, either, and now the Gorillas have a 5-on-3 after Monych went to the box at 12:59 for board checking and Eric Giosa followed at 13:25 for high sticking. ... Billsten has cut the Gorillas' lead to 6-3 at 17:23 in the period. Styffe has what is currently the lone assist. Not sure 2:37 is enough time for the Bucks to tie this one up. ... Indeed it was not.

Game Over: Bucks lose 6-3, fall to 13-7-4 (30 points), while the Gorillas snap their six-game losing streak to improve to 9-15-4 (22 points). Considering he wasn't happy with the morning skate, I'm guessing Coach Ruskowski is more than a little angry right now. Should be a fun bus ride to Missouri.

UPDATE: Sorry, was so busy with other stuff that I just noticed Mark Sibbald got his first action with the Bucks during the third period of tonight's loss. He set aside 13 of 14 shots faced while playing part of the second and the entire third period. The Bucks were outshot 38-31 in the game. You can read more about the loss in Bryan Benway's recap, which clears up the goalie switch and reveals Gajewski actually allowed those five goals on just 24 shots.

Game Day No. 24

The Bucks (13-6-4, 30 points) will face the Amarillo Gorillas (8-15-4, 20 points) tonight in their third straight road game.

Last time the two teams met, the Bucks handed the Gorillas, 5-1-0 at the time, their second loss of the season in a 5-2 game at the LEC, and it's been pretty much non-stop losing for the Gorillas since then.

The Gorillas are now in last place in the Southern Conference and have lost six straight after suffering a 2-1 loss to the Tulsa Oilers last night.

You can read more on the matchup, and the Bucks' current situation, in my preview, which I will copy and paste below:

Bucks continue road trip tonight in Amarillo

Tonight, the Laredo Bucks will face the Amarillo Gorillas in the second-to-last contest of their season-high four-game road trip and are hoping to get a win streak going before they head home for Christmas.
The Bucks (13-6-4, 30 points) shut out the Corpus Christi IceRays (8-13-4, 20 points) for a 2-0 victory in their last game on Thursday night, while the Gorillas (8-14-4, 20 points) lost their sixth straight at the hands of the Tulsa Oilers (12-10-1, 25 points) on Friday.
“I thought it was pretty good,” Laredo Head Coach/General Manager Terry Ruskowski said of his team’s play on Thursday. “It was lot better of an effort; the guys were focused on what they have to do and did the systems a lot better, and we got very, very good goaltending.”
Kyle Gajewski (3-3-1) was in net for the shutout, the Bucks’ first of the season and his first as a professional, and Ruskowski plans to stick with the second-year netminder tonight.
“We’re going to start him again unless something else happens,” Ruskowski said. “Every one of the guys patted him on the back after that game… hopefully he feels confident because he’s got the reigns while JP (No. 1 goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur) is gone.”
Goaltending hasn’t been much of a issue for Laredo, even in its losses, while scoring goals seems to be a bit of a concern.
“We need more goal scoring,” Ruskowski said. “Our forwards have to take advantage of our goal-scoring opportunities so we can take pressure off the other lines.”
Tonight will be yet another chance for the Bucks’ role players to step up in the scoring department, as Maxime Lincourt, who is tied for the team lead with nine goals, is not likely to play.
“I would expect that Lincourt would miss the game, and a few guys will be playing sick,” Ruskowski said. “Nothing ever really runs smoothly, so we have to deal with the problems along the way.”
Amarillo has faced its own fair share of problems after starting the season 4-0, and though Laredo was able to come out on top of the teams’ last meeting, Ruskowski knows tonight will be a whole new challenge.
“There’s absolutely no question that if we take them lightly, we’re going to be in trouble,” Ruskowski said. “We need to come out and play really tight defense and work them down low as much as we can.”
Tonight is the last of three straight games against Southern Conference foes, and the Bucks are battling to get back into the race for first place with the Odessa Jackalopes (19-4-3, 41 points) and Allen Americans (17-5-2, 36 points).
“We want to win these games,” Ruskowski said. “We have to start winning on a consistent basis, and to do that, we have to continue to play hard and start to score on a regular basis.
“We’re close to the teams ahead of us, and the teams behind us are close to us, so it’s very important, and it’s going to get more important down the road.”


Bryan Benway posted an update on the Maxime Lincourt situation on his blog, saying:

He did not participate in morning skate today, but he will go out for warm-ups and will be a game time decision. It depends on how he feels after warm-ups, if he thinks he can play through it then he will go, if not he won't. It's that simple. I'm not going to lie to you, losing your top goal scorer (Lincourt is tied with Darryl Smith with nine goals) will be a blow to the offense, especially an offense that has been struggling as of late. We will see if Max can go tonight, i'll have more of a report on the pre-game show tonight.

Benway also had an interesting note about this morning's skate:

As for the rest of the morning skate today, since the Gorillas had a six hour bus ride last night from Tulsa they did not skate this morning, so the Bucks went on the ice about a half hour earlier at 10:30am. Like I mentioned yesterday, the Bucks did not practice yesterday, and Rosco was not happy with the skate today. That's all i'll say about that. I hope the Bucks come out a bit crisper tonight than they were this morning, for all of our sakes!

When Coach Ruskowski isn't happy with a practice, or a skate, it's usually because the guys are slacking off and not paying attention. Not really the best way to act on a game day.

Apparently, also according to Benway's blog, a bunch of the guys will be going to the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Cleveland Browns tomorrow. They better play well tonight if they don't want that to be a sour experience. I know that's not the best matchup to watch, but I haven't been to an NFL game since college, so I'm a little jealous.

Anyway, you can read more about tonight's game in Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

I'll try to blog about the game as much as possible, but there's a lot of other stuff going on tonight at the same time, so don't forget you can watch it on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 while you watch the Cowboys' game.

Bucks Get Win No. 300

On their third try, the Bucks were able to break through and get their 300th win in franchise history, defeating the Corpus Christi IceRays 2-0 tonight at the American Bank Center.

Kyle Gajewski held the IceRays off the board, Neil Trimm scored his second goal of the season in his return from a month-long stint on the injured reserve, and Darryl Smith got a goal, albeit an empty-netter, to lead the Bucks to the win.

As I expected would eventually be the case after all of Jean-Philippe Levasseur's close calls, Gajewski became the first Bucks netminder to earn a shutout this season, setting aside all 33 shots he faced.

Eric Giosa and Cody Hamilton assisted on Trimm's goal, while Curtis Billsten has what is currently the lone assist on Smith's and got into his first fight in the CHL when he tussled with Matt Smyth, who got a myriad of penalties for his instigating.

There were also a couple of other fights in the game, which seems like it should have been pretty entertaining.

The Bucks were unable to capitalize on any of their seven power-play opportunities, which I'm sure Coach Ruskowski wasn't thrilled with, but they were able to find a way to win.

They improve to 13-6-4 (30 points), while the IceRays fall to 8-13-4 (20 points).

You can read more about the victory in Bryan Benway's recap, and I'll post some more links when they're ready.

UPDATE: For more, you can check out Benway's blog, Greg Rajan' s blog post and Rajan's story for the Caller-Times.

Game No. 23 - Bucks at IceRays

Sorry for the lack of pre-game posts, but as of the start of the second period, the fifth of 14 meetings between the Bucks (12-6-4, 28 points) and Corpus Christi IceRays (8-11-4, 20 points) this season is tied at 0.

Since I didn't do the game day post, I'm going to put everything that I would have put there in this post, starting with the two goalie stories from this week and ending with my preview for tonight's game:

Levasseur recalled
The Laredo Bucks announced on Monday that No. 1 goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur, on loan to the team from the Anaheim Ducks organization, has been called up to the American Hockey League by the Springfield Falcons.
Levasseur, the reigning Central Hockey League Goalie of the Month, had a 10-3-3 record in his 16 starts for Laredo this season and was among the league leaders in several netminding categories.
As of Monday, the 22-year-old Quebec native led the league with a 2.31 goals-against average and was third in save percentage at .919.
Levasseur, a seventh-round NHL draft pick in 2005, is expected to suit up with the Falcons when they face the Lowell Bears tonight.
Though Ruskowski believes Levasseur is deserving of the opportunity he is being given and wishes the goalie nothing but the best at the next level, he is anxious to see how the loss will affect his team.
"We’ll see," Ruskowski said. "Sometimes the defense plays better because they know JP’s not there, so I hope that they’ll play hard and not give other teams many opportunities to score."
Levasseur’s departure will give backup Kyle Gajewski (2-3-1) a chance to start more games, and Ruskowski hopes to see the second-year professional thrive in his new role.
"I think he’ll do really well, I really do," Ruskowski said. "He’s played really well the past couple games, and I think he’ll do well."
The Bucks are expected to make an announcement regarding a new temporary backup before their game against the IceRays at the American Bank Center on Thursday.

Bucks call up goaltender Sibbald
The Laredo Bucks announced on Tuesday that they have called up goaltender Mark Sibbald from the Huntsville Havoc of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Laredo has signed Sibbald in the absence of No. 1 goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur, who was called up to play with the American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons on Monday.
Sibbald, a rookie out of Brown University, has been the SPHL’s top netminder this season, leading the league in nearly every statistical category.
The 25-year-old Ontario native has started 11 games this season and played a total of 668:55 en route to a 10-0-1 record.
Sibbald leads the SPHL with his 10 wins, 1.61 goals-against average and .951 save percentage.
“In my situation as a coach, you really watch around you in other leagues,” Bucks Head Coach/General Manager Terry Ruskowski said. “I’d been calling around, and everyone was talking so highly about this kid in Huntsville, said he was stopping everything. I kept watching and watching, and when JP called up, that was the first place I called.
“I knew he was playing really well, and now I want to see what he can do.”
Sibbald was expected to join the team before it left Laredo for Corpus Christi on Tuesday, but poor weather conditions turned his flight back to Houston.
As of Tuesday night, Ruskowski hoped to have his new goaltender in Corpus by today.
Sibbald will join fellow goalie Kyle Gajewski (2-3-2) on the Bucks’ roster, but Ruskowski is unsure how he will utilize the duo in Levasseur’s absence.
“I don’t even know,” Ruskowski said. “I haven’t even seen this kid practice yet. I’ll definitely play him in one of the games, but which games, I don’t know yet.”
Sibbald is joining Laredo from a lower-level league with no other professional experience, but Ruskowski doesn’t expect that to be a problem.
“I sure hope his talent will translate positively,” Ruskowski said. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter what league you’re playing in if you’re a goaltender. You just need to be square to the shooter and stop the puck.
"He’s ready to play, he’s shown that in the SPHL, and I’m hoping he can show that here.”

Swanson to IR
The Bucks also announced on Tuesday that defenseman Jeremy Swanson, who suffered a lower-body injury in a 4-3 loss to the Allen Americans on Saturday, has been placed on the 14-day injured reserve retroactive to that game.
With his roster down to five defensemen, Ruskowski plans to utilize one of his team’s more versatile players on the blue line in Swanson’s absence.
“My intention is to put (forward/defenseman Igor) Agarunov back there,” Ruskowski said. “If that doesn’t work out and Swanson’s not ready to come off the IR after Christmas, we’ll look around.”
Agarunov switching positions would leave Laredo short a forward, but Neil Trimm, who has been on the IR since Nov. 15, may be ready to come off in time for the team’s game against the Corpus Christi IceRays on Thursday.
“He’s gotten a few good days of practice,” Ruskowski said. “He skated hard (on Tuesday), so we’ll see how he feels (today), and he might be able to come off.”
Notes: Levasseur started in his first game with the Falcons on Tuesday and allowed six goals on 28 shots to suffer a 6-1 loss to the Lowell Devils. … Trimm was placed on the IR after suffering two lower-body injuries during a practice and had to rehabilitate both injuries before returning to the ice last week.

Bucks continue long road trip tonight
The Laredo Bucks will continue their season-high four-game road trip tonight with a game against the Corpus Christi IceRays at the American Bank Center.
Tonight’s meeting will be the fifth of 14 between the former division rivals this season, and Laredo (12-6-4, 28 points) is hoping to break the trend of the home team coming out on top to snap its current two-game losing streak.
"We’ve been practicing really hard, and the guys have been working really hard to do the things that we need to do to be successful," player/assistant coach Jeff Bes said. "We have to keep working on that. We need to work on our defensive coverage, work on our power play, work on our penalty kills. Everything we need to be working on we are working on, but we have to get to where it’s second nature and we’re sharp all the time doing it."
While the Bucks’ power play and penalty kill excelled in their 4-3 shootout win over Corpus Christi (8-11-4, 20 points) last Tuesday at the LEC, defensive coverage wasn’t quite up to par, and Laredo Head Coach/General Manager Terry Ruskowski does not want to see the same mistakes from his team tonight.
"It comes down to our defensive game," Ruskowski said. "If our defense moves the puck the way they’re capable of moving it, stopping the one-on-one is going to be a huge advantage for us. Defensive coverage has to be much better than it was."
Another problem in that game was one that has plagued the Bucks in many of their contests this season – allowing their opponent back into the contest after taking a lead into the final 20 minutes.
"We had a lead going into the third period, and we played on our heels a little bit and allowed them back into the game," Bes said. "What we need to do is keep playing on our toes, keep taking the play to them and keep playing our game.
"Right now, we’re having a tendency to not play our game, but to play to the caliber of whoever we’re playing against, whether it be the best team in the league or the worst team in the league. We really have to focus and concentrate on playing the way that the Laredo Bucks can play and executing our game plan."
Added team captain Adam Rivet, "We’re definitely going to have to be focused. They have a good team. Their record doesn’t indicate how good of the team they do have. We have to come out working hard and really capitalize on our opportunities, especially on the power play."
Scoring on the power play, which Laredo did three times last Tuesday and only once since, has been key to each game between these teams this season, but getting more goals in general is the Bucks’ objective after being held to two goals between their last two games.
"We have to score more timely goals," Ruskowski said. "We have lines that can score; they’ve shown it on paper, now it’s time to show it on the ice."
Added Rivet, "We know we can score, and we know sometimes the puck’s not going to bounce our way to get to the net, but you have to work hard to get those bounces."
The leading goal scorer for Laredo so far this season is Maxime Lincourt, whose nine tallies tie him for 30th in the league.
Goal support will be crucial for the Bucks in their next few games as their No. 1 goaltender, Jean-Philippe Levasseur (10-3-3), was called up to the American Hockey League on Monday, leaving backup Kyle Gajewski (2-3-1) and
Southern Professional Hockey League call-up Mark Sibbald to handle the team’s netminding duties in his absence.
In Gajewski’s last start, Laredo defeated the league’s top team in the Odessa Jackalopes (17-4-3, 37 points), 6-1, and Ruskowski hopes his skaters will show the same support for their goalie in the team’s upcoming games.
"Sometimes, with Juice or someone else in that position, they’ll play harder for him," Ruskowski said. "I’m hoping they’ll play hard in front of him and not give up many opportunities to score."
Notes: Tonight’s game is the Bucks’ third straight chance for franchise win No. 300. … Laredo has not won at the American Bank Center since a 2-1 shootout victory on March 16 and has not been able to beat the IceRays in regulation there since a 6-3 victory on Jan. 16.


You can check out Bryan Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes for more on tonight's game, and since it is under way, you can follow it with the Pointstreak box score, watch on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM.

Kyle Gajewski did get the start tonight, which means Mark Sibbald won't be getting his first with the Bucks until at least Saturday.

I'll try to update this before the game is over, but if I can't do that, I'll at least write more once it is.