Game Day No. 31

Tonight's game is as big as it gets this early in the season.

The Bucks know they've been struggling of late, and they know that staying on top of the Brahmas at this point is incredibly important.

Currently, the teams are tied at 41 points, with the Brahmas having played one more game than the Bucks so far.

Winning the division is something that's come easily for the Bucks for the past few seasons, but the addition of the Brahmas was something they knew would change that, and it's certainly lived up to the hype. 

Though both the Corpus Christi IceRays and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees are much improved from last season, it seems they'll be fighting for third place. But, hey, you never know.

Sebastien Centomo will be starting in net for the Bucks tonight, which is probably a smart move considering how well he played on Dec. 6 and the fact that this could very well go to a shootout, which is apparently not Ryan Gibb's forte. I somehow completely missed with Brahmas goalie came out first.

I have to admit that I am quite excited to see this game, in spite of the fact that the Colts are playing at the same time, which may mean less live blogging and a few panic attacks tonight.

The Brahmas certainly look great on paper, and I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about them, so we'll see what they bring tonight. Hopefully for their sake the Bucks will be able to put a complete game together, win or lose.

I'm not sure if the Bucks can expect to score three on the Brahmas or not, but it's worth noting that Jeff Bes is three points shy of 500 in his career with the Bucks.

There is a full slate of CHL games tonight, so I'll try to keep those scores updated, as well. I think I'll hold off on the NHL tonight until after the Bucks' game ends...and no, not just because the Pens got killed by the Panthers. 

Meanwhile, you can check out Bryan Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes for more on tonight's matchup. Though, hopefully if you care about it, you're here at the LEC.