As mentioned previously, the Bucks can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight, but apparently they can also do so with an OT loss and a Corpus Christi IceRays loss. The IceRays are at the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees tonight.
Sebastien Centomo will be starting in goal for the Bucks, while Marco Emond is in for the Sundogs fresh off his shutout last night.
Starters: Bucks - Centomo (G), Brent Cullaton (G), Alex Goupil (F), Jaye Judd (D), Adam Rivet (D), Darryl Smith (F); Sundogs - Chris Bartolone (D), Matt Craig (F), Marco Emond (G), Dwayne Hay (F), Mark Kolanos (F), Jon Landry (D).
First Period: I don't really feel like updating all the other scores around the league throughout the game tonight, so I'm just going to keep you posted on the one that matters to the Bucks - the IceRays-Killer Bees tilt in Hidalgo. I'll still post all the rest when everything's final. ... The lines tonight are top as listed in the starters, Erick Lizon-Jason Dixon-Josh Bonar and Matt Miller-Ryan Salvis-Igor Agarunov, the one line that seems to have some staying power. ... Steve Weidlich has taken the game's first penalty and is headed to the box at 4:50 for high-sticking. ... Before I even finished typing that, the Sundogs had taken a 1-0 lead on a shot from the blue line by Landry. That came four seconds into the power play. Whoever won that faceoff to get the puck out to him should have an assist, but it is currently listed as unassisted. ... Goupil came close to getting that one back for the Bucks, but after bobbling the puck for a whie, Emond was able to keep it out. ... Karl Sellan just got past the defense to go one-on-one with Centomo, and Centomo won that battle. We'll see if tensions escalate between those two again tonight. ... Another goal right off the faceoff for the Sundogs, yeesh. They have taken a 2-0 lead at 6:56 as a wrist shot from the point by Matt Suderman made it to the net. It may have been deflected in, but Suderman is being listed as the goal scorer now. ... After scoring two goals in about two minutes, the Sundogs just hit a post. The Bucks might want to wake up sometime soon. ... First Bucks breakaway of the game has led to their first power play, as Landry was called for tripping at 7:38. ... Emond just robbed the Bucks, stopping about four shots in a span of maybe 25 seconds, including a spectacular glove save on a shot by Rivet from just outside the crease on a rebound. ... And he just did it again, halting an odd-man rush with a couple of saves. He's clearly carrying over some momentum from last night. ... Smith just became the latest victim of Emond's thievery, as the latter party stopped a point-blank shot and held the puck to keep the former from chasing his own rebound. ... Somehow the shots read 10-7 in favor of the Bucks on the scoreboard at this point. That's absurd. ... Though the Killer Bees could do the Bucks a favor by beating the IceRays tonight, a win for them is bad for the Bucks, too. Quite a dilemma. Regardless of what they'd prefer, the Killer Bees have taken a 1-0 lead at 6:44 on a goal by Topher Scott. ... Hay just made it 3-0 on a shot from a circle that seemed to grow legs and walk right around Centomo. Bartolone has what is currently a lone assist. Bucks have 2:18 left to try to get one back in this period; they should probably try to do that. ... No dice, as everything was going on in the Bucks' zone for the majority of those last couple minutes. Sundogs take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Bucks supposedly lead 13-11 on shots, but I'm quite confident they have taken more than 13. So much for the Sundogs being tired coming off two straight shootouts. ... The IceRays just scored two in a little over four minutes to take a 2-1 lead, which they will carry into the first intermission. Perhaps tonight is not the night for clinching.
Second Period: Early in this one, it's starting to be a pushing-and-shoving ordeal. Apparently the Bucks don't like the fact that Emond has stopped giving up rebounds, haha. ... Goupil just broke away and somehow got stopped by Emond, but the wall finally got broken a few seconds later, as Goupil was able to get one into the net on a bit of a bizarre play from the goal line. Emond probably had no idea where the puck is at that point and may have been more focused on Smith right in front of the net, but I'm sure the Bucks don't mind that one bit. Smith had the primary assist, which is currently the only one. Lead is down to 3-1 at 5:27 in the period. ... Bartolone, the Sundogs captain and a top defenseman, is headed to the box at 6:31 for slashing. Up against the league's worst penalty kill without its best component, the Bucks need to jump on this chance. ... Hay just stole the puck to create an odd-man rush shorthanded with Adam Perry at his side, and it eventually led to the Sundogs' fourth goal, as Perry netted one off a rebound as the Bucks caught up to the play. They lead 4-1 at 7:51 in this middle period. ... Bartolone came out of the box just in time to catch another Sundogs breakaway, but Centomo deflected his shot back into the glass. ... Bonar just got the puck in the slot and set up for what could have been a difficult shot for Emond to stop, but Jason Lawmaster was there to block it. ... An offsides call just halted what probably would have been a good scoring chance for the Bucks, and a tussle followed, with the checking line guys getting into it with a few Sundogs to the left of Emond's net. ... Salvis got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty out of that and is headed to the box at 12:03. ... The Sundogs jumped on that chance pretty quickly, as Centomo blocked a shot from the point right onto Kolanos' stick, and he poked it in to make the score 5-1 in his team's favor at 12:32 in the period. This is not looking too pretty for the Bucks. ... Centomo has been pulled from the game, and Andrew Martin is now on the ice for the Bucks. Coach Ruskowski usually doesn't like to pull goalies in the middle of the period, so Centomo might have asked to be taken out. Either way, Martin didn't even really stretch when he came out, which is kind of odd. ... The IceRays' lead is now 3-1 on Jereme Tendler's second goal of the game. ... The Bucks just pulled off a very "Flying V"-like play to get Smith his league-leading 33rd goal of the season. Cullaton made that happen, getting the puck back to Smith, who was trailing him alongside Goupil. Jaye Judd gets the second assist. The Sundogs now lead 5-2 with 6:21 to play in the period. ... Miller has been trying his best to be aggressive on the forecheck tonight, but the lack of time spent in the Bucks' offensive zone is not helping him out at all. ... Smith just did a Sid-like spinorama in the slot but couldn't quite get his shot on net, then Cullaton grabbed it to Emond's right but shot it just wide. That was intense. ... Bartolone got called for hooking somewhere on that play, so the Bucks are going on the power play again at the 16-minute mark. We'll see if they can do a better job the second time they get this chance. ... Not so much, as the Sundogs kept it away from Emond for the nearly the entirety of that penalty kill. The Bucks did get two shots, but Emond had no trouble with both. ... I'm starting to think the Bucks are just unlucky tonight, as Agarunov just got the puck to a wide-open Miller right in front of Emond with no other Sundogs in range only to have the shot not rise and thus easily get pushed aside by Emond. ... The Bucks will enter the third period trailing 5-2 in spite of leading 31-19 in the shots department. They are 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Sundogs are 2-for-2 and have also scored shorthanded.
Third Period: Smith almost got himself in scoring position in a 1-on-2 rush but got dragged behind the net and couldn't quite recover. Not much later, he took a nice centering feed from Goupil in the circle but had Perry stop his stick before he could get a shot off. ... Martin just got his first big test and passed with flying colors. ... Well, you certainly can't fault the Bucks for not trying right now because they definitely are. A flurry of activity in the Sundogs' zone just culminated with a good shot by Cullaton and an even better save by Emond. That man is on fire tonight. ... Okay, huh? Centomo just re-entered the game at 4:37 in the period. That could mean Martin hurt himself on that sprawling save a couple minutes ago. Oy. Additionally, Craig left the ice to head to the Sundogs' locker room with the team's equipment manager. Skate issues, perhaps. ... How incredibly odd; Martin is coming back out nine seconds later, and also nine seconds into a Bucks power play caused by a holding call against Lawmaster. ... Now Centomo is out again. I am so confused! ... The Bucks just had about as wide open a net as a team could ever ask for and hit the post. Not sure who took the shot due to my horrific vision, but yeesh. ... And now the Bucks are 0-for-4 in their chances against the league's worst penalty kill. Never a good sign. ... Perry just added his second of the game on a hard shot from the slot that went right over Centomo's left shoulder. Martin is coming back out now, with the Sundogs leading 6-2. The Bucks have 12:43 to make up the four goals that separate them. ... Centomo's wife just ended up on the Beso Cam with the guy sitting next to hear, and he chose the most adorable option in that situation, kissing baby Jaxson Cruz on the forehead. I still haven't seen the baby up close, but maybe I'll get to tonight. ... Of course, me calling that checking line the one with some staying power had to mean it'd be broken up in this game, and Salvis is now centering a line with Bonar and Lizon. ... Dixon just flew into the boards head first, and Bobby Moore is rushing to his side. I think I see some movement, which is a good sign, but yikes. ... Dixon got up about a minute later and skated off the ice on his own power. I'll keep an eye out as to whether or not he plays any more tonight. ... If we could get time on ice stats for this game, I'm pretty sure Cullaton's minutes would be up in the worrisome category. ... An odd combination of Agarunov, Miller and Smith just got the Bucks to half the Sundogs' points, as Miller sent a nice short pass to Smith, who easily wristed the puck over Emond for his second goal of the game. Sundogs lead 6-3 with 6:39 to play in the game. ... Smith probably could have had at least five goals in this game if Emond wasn't on like he is tonight, and he just got robbed of another with an impressive glove save on a blazing shot from the high slot. ... Grant Goeckner-Zoeller has just tied the game in the Valley, which happens to have almost exactly the same amount of time left in it as this one (a bit over five minutes). ... The Bucks were lucky to have a shot from Tyler Liebel go wide just now, though I guess the damage may already be done. ... Smith and Miller have almost combined for a few more goals since the one they got, but no dice. Miller will leave the ice now, but Smith stays on as the Bucks go on their fifth power play of the night with 2:35 to play. Ruskowski is pulling his goalie to make it a 6-on-4 with Matt Hanson in the box for hooking. ... Smith just tried to skate out of the crease without getting near Emond, but the goalie seemed to tackle him and thus ended up with a skate to the face/neck area. If Smith gets a penalty out of that, it is absolutely ridiculous. Not sure what exactly Emond was trying to accomplish there, but weird stuff. ... Emond has skated over to the bench to get bandaged up, and the game is getting delayed for quite a while with 1:48 to play. Hopefully things can start back up soon, or I may not have time to go talk to Ruskowski after the fact. ... The Bucks managed to keep it in the Sundogs' zone for a while, but A.J. McLean finally got it out and sent a shot wide of the empty net only to get it back and slip it in. Sundogs lead 7-3 with 47 seconds to play.
Game Over: Sundogs win 7-3. Bucks fall to 31-19-4 (66 pts.), failing in their first attempt to clinch a playoff spot. Impressive showing by the Sundogs, who improve to 24-28-4 (52 pts.). The IceRays and Killer Bees are headed into overtime, but that means more to the Sundogs now than it does to the Bucks. ... The IceRays ended up winning 4-3, but I guess that's a moot point. ... Two games that fall into the "What the heck?" category tonight: the Gorillas coming back from an early deficit to top the Jackalopes and the Predators absolutely destroying the Red Wings. Yeesh.
Other Scores: Mudbugs 4, Brahmas 2; RiverKings 4, Eagles 3 (OT); Gorillas 6, Jackalopes 5; Blazers 3, Rage 2; IceRays 4, Killer Bees 3 (F-OT); Scorpions 3, Oilers 2; Thunder 3, Rush 2.
NHL Scores: Capitals 4, Bruins 3 (OT); Devils 7, Panthers 2; Ducks 4, Stars 3; Islanders 2, Sabres 0; Maple Leafs 4, Senators 3 (OT); Rangers 6, Avalanche 1; Canadiens 3, Sharks 2; Thrashers 5, Hurricanes 3; Predators 8, Red Wings 0; Blues 3, Coyotes 1; Oilers 3, Wild 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment