Game No. 16 - Bucks vs. IceRays

Starters: Bucks - Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (D), Jean-Philippe Levasseur (G), Maxime Lincourt (F), Mike Looby (D), Mike Sgroi (F), Darryl Smith (F); IceRays - R.G. Flath (F), Rob Jarvis (D), Kevin Nastiuk (G), Adam Powell (F), Jason Tessier (D), Chad Woollard (F).

First Period: Interesting starting line for the Bucks. ... Early power play for the IceRays with Smith headed to the box just 36 seconds in, and that with the delayed call, for roughing. ... Chris Richards set Woollard up for a great chance on that advantage, but he missed the net wide. ... An errant pass by the IceRays hit Igor Agarunov's skate, springing him and Eric Giosa on a breakaway, but Giosa couldn't control the puck to get the shot off on that shorthanded chance. Bucks have yet to take a shot as that penalty expires, and the IceRays have taken only one. ... Good rush by the Bucks resulted in Cody Hamilton taking a shot that got stopped then went back out to the Bucks, who manged to knock the puck in, but the goal has been taken away on goaltender interference. We'll see if that comes back to bite them. ... Bucks will get their first power play of the game now at 6:25 with Powell in the box for holding. The Bucks were 0-f0r-8 on the advantage last night, including a late 5-on-3 chance. ... Not sure if this is just because Bes was out on the last shift, but the top power play unit at this point appears to be Agarunov-Smith-Maxime Lincourt with Jarred Mohr and Adam Rivet back on the points. ... Well, Bes came out there eventually, and because of it, the Bucks are up 1-0 at 9:12 in the period on his power-play goal. Sharp wrister from the top of the right circle. That was pretty much all Bes, but Looby and Evan Schwabe get assists. That's the first goal for Bes since Nov. 6 and his first point since Nov. 11. He's out there with Schwabe and Styffe today, by the way. ... The starting line was not actually the line Smith is playing with; he is centering Agarunov and Lincourt. Giosa is centering Sgroi and Robin Richards on the third line. Lance Monych's absence leaves the Bucks in an interesting situation forward-wise. ... Remember when I said the IceRays had taken one shot to zero by the Bucks? At 12:28 in the period, the IceRays still just have that one, while the Bucks are up to 11. ... Well, the IceRays are up to two, but Levasseur took care of that with a smooth glove save. ... Best chance of the game for the IceRays so far as Flath grabbed the rebound from a kick save by Levasseur, but Levasseur managed to tip it away. That second shot hasn't been added to the count, but the IceRays are up to four, rather than the three on the board. ... Bucks get a chance to up their shot count now, at least if they decide to shoot, as they get their second power play of the game at 15:17 thanks to a high-sticking call against Mei. ... Bucks are having a hard time setting up on the power play. Bes got his goal on the advantage, but it came when he was carrying the puck into the IceRays zone, not off a power-play induced opportunity. ... And now another questionable situation around the net, as Nastiuk made the save on a puck that appeared to have crossed the goal line prior to him getting a hold of it. No goal. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 1-0, up 15-4 on shots.

Second Period: Kyle Peto took a hooking call at 2:41 in the period to give the Bucks their third power play of the game. ... Bucks got a good chance, but then somehow gave Ryan Garbutt an incredible breakaway chance. He went one-on-one with Levasseur and lost, but that was an awful play for the Bucks to allow. ... The Bucks' Richards (Robin) seems to be trying to cause trouble at the expense of the IceRays' Richards (Chris), having made a point to walk right into him and almost knock him over as the teams were preparing for a faceoff. Interesting choice of target. ... Very nice defensive play by Styffe, who had to chase a pair of IceRays back into the Bucks' zone with Rivet and dove to get his stick out in front of Justin Quenneville threatening from just outside the crease. ... Bucks get another power play now as Garbutt is headed to the box at 8:48 for high sticking. ... Looby has given the Bucks a 2-0 lead on a slap shot from just about the middle of the blue line that somehow managed to get past Nastiuk, who did have a few bodies out in front of him. Jeremy Swanson and Smith get the assists on the goal, which was scored at 9:28 in the period. Second power play tally of the game, which isn't bad considering how awful the power play has looked at times. ... And make that 3-0 just 18 seconds later, as Styffe has scored his second goal in three games on a shot from in close. Bes and Schwabe get the assists on that one. Good forecheck work to create that opportunity for Styffe, who was skating through the circles toward the crease and went for the empty part of the net with Nastiuk firmly planted on his right side of the crease. ... Couple tests for Levasseur in the minute after those goals were scored, but he made the saves. ... IceRays are going on the power play now after Sgroi got tangled up with Jarvis and called for tripping at 10:53. They had a really close chance with the extra attacker before the whistle was blown, but Levasseur gloved it down. ... It has been determined that Smith tipped in Looby's shot on that second goal, which means Looby and Swanson now get the assists, while Smith has his second goal in two games and seventh of the season. ... The IceRays will go 5-on-3 for the next 63 seconds with Looby being sent to the box less than midway through Sgroi's penalty for high sticking. Bes, Mohr and Rivet are the first killing unit for this one. ... That was just too easy for the IceRays. Woollard knocked a perfect feed from Richards past Levasseur at 12:16 to cut the Bucks' lead to 3-1. That goal came with Sgroi still in the box, so the IceRays get the rest of Looby's penalty in its entirety. Tessier had the second assist on Woollard's goal. ... The majority of that kill was spent in the IceRays' zone, keeping the scoring chances to a minimum. ... Agarunov just broke the blade right off his stick on an attempted shot. ... One of the IceRays lost his helmet a while back and hasn't been able to get it back; wonder if they're having to break any lines up to work around that. ... Well, he can get it back now, as the Bucks have made it 4-1 on a classic "garbage goal" by Bes, who kept hacking away at the puck until it got into the net. Styffe set him up, but right now it's being announced as unassisted. ... Time for some drama, as IceRays head coach Brent Hughes has lost his cool and apparently tried to step onto the ice. He got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and after much debating, he is being kicked out of the game. The crowd loves it, but Hughes does not. He jumped over the boards upon being given the boot and is not a happy man walking to the dressing room. Quenneville, who is both the player/assistant coach and captain for the IceRays, should have fun for the rest of the game. In addition to Hughes being sent to the room, two IceRays are in the box to give the Bucks a full two-minute 5-on-3. Amazing how letting anything get under your skin can mess things up for your team so much. Woollard and Jeff Alcombrack are the guys in the box, one serving for too many men and one serving Hughes' penalty. ... The Bucks kept it in the IceRays' zone for most of that 5-on-3 but could not convert. As soon as it ended, Rivet hit the outside of the net with a slap shot, knocking off Nastiuk's water bottle, then Bes had a great chance right out front but couldn't send it home. ... Schwabe could, though, and the Bucks have taken a 5-1 lead with 15.7 seconds left in the period on a pretty nice goal by him. Good puck handling by Schwabe, who walked in on Nastiuk and faked him out before flipping the puck right over the goalie, who was sprawled out on the ice. Bes had the primary assist, and Giosa gets the other. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 5-1, up 31-14 on shots. Nastiuk, making his fifth straight start, is in a pretty ugly situation out there right now. ... The original conduct penalty was an actually an abuse of officials call, by the way, and Hughes was served with a coach ejection game misconduct.

Third Period: Kevin Desfosses out in net for the IceRays now. ... Lead has been cut to 5-2 as Morgan McLean jammed a rebound from a shot by Quenneville, who did most of the work on that one, past Levasseur. No second assist as of yet. That goal came just 1: into the period. No matter what happens, give Quenneville credit for stepping up after being put in a tough situation. ... I guess it's not like they're in dire need of goals, but the Bucks have missed two perfect opportunities in the past couple minutes. ... After a few non-calls on some possible trips, Dan Dreger has taken out the whistle to send Giosa to the box for that penalty and put the IceRays on the power play at 7:11. ... Hughes is in the stands directly across the ice from the press box and just waved when put up on the Jumbotron. ... Maybe those goals were more important than I first thought, as Garbutt has cut the Bucks' lead to 5-3. Tessier had the primary assist, not sure if there will be a second, but Quenneville was on the ice. ... And now the IceRays get a power play with Rivet in the box for high sticking at 10:11. Jarvis got the second assist on Garbutt's goal, by the way. ... Bes just set up Schwabe on a very deliberate play, but Schwabe's shot almost seemed to bounce of the inside of the net and back out, with Nastiuk grabbing onto it eventually. So many close calls for the Bucks tonight. ... Rivet got in on a rush right out of the box, but passes just didn't work out for the Bucks entering the IceRays' zone. ... Bennett just lost his helmet but stayed with the play to set up his trailer in Garbutt, who missed the net, then went in the corner against Swanson, but his work was for naught, as Garbutt took a high-sticking penalty at 14:29 to end that chance for the IceRays. Bucks on the power play. ... That has been negated by a tripping penalty on Bes. ... IceRays just came close to scoring, with the puck loose for what probably seemed like days to Levasseur right outside his net. ... Not long after Bes left the box, Looby is headed in there for high-sticking. Garbutt is bleeding, so the IceRays should get four minutes on the advantage. Or maybe not. Regardless, with only 2:35 left on the clock, the IceRays will be on the advantage for most of the rest of regulation barring any goals or additional penalties. ... Time out has been called, and it seems the IceRays are planning to pull their goalie for the upcoming faceoff in the Bucks' zone. They have 51.9 seconds to work with at this point. ... This one should be a done deal, with a shorthanded empty-netter with 43.4 seconds left in the game. That came right off the faceoff, which was won by Schwabe, and was scored by Rivet. Surprised they didn't have Bes out there to try for the hattie. Bucks lead 6-3.

Game Over: Bucks win 6-3, improve to 9-4-3 (21 points). IceRays fall to 7-8-2 (16 points). That's the first win for the Bucks over the IceRays this season. Not Levasseur's best game, though he didn't have much of a chance on a couple of those goals. He made 23 saves on 26 shots. Bes broke out of his scoring slump with a four-point game. Hopefully my post-game interviews will be a little easier today than last game. Three stars: Styffe (3), Schwabe (2) and Bes (1). Those are the ones announced on the ice, anyway.

Game Day No. 16

Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday; it was a busy day of taking high school basketball calls in the office.

As most of you know by now, the Bucks suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Corpus Christi IceRays and will get their chance for revenge in about 20 minutes here at the LEC.

For more on last night, you can read Bryan Benway's recap, and for more on the game that's about to begin, you can read his preview and check out the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

The Bucks are now 8-4-3 (19 points) on the season, while the IceRays are 7-7-2 (16 points).

Kyle Gajewski took the loss last night to fall to 1-3-1 on the season, and Jean-Philippe Levasseur (7-1-2) is expected to be in net for the Bucks tonight.

Lance Monych is a scratch for the second straight game after being injured in Friday's 4-2 win over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs.

The press box is "crowded" today due to seats being set aside for people who will not likely show up, so I'm seated in a different place and one from which I can see even less than usual. This should be fun.

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

Game No. 16 - Bucks vs. Mudbugs

Starters: Cody Hamilton (D), Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (D), Eric Giosa (F), Jean-Philippe Levasseur (G), Mike Sgroi (F), Justin Styffe (F); Mudbugs - Joe Blaznek (F), Matt Cook (F), John DeCaro (G), Tysen Dowzak (D), Mark Johnson (F), Kirk Medernach (D).

First Period: Coach Ruskowski has chosen to start his fighting line. We'll see if that turns into anything. ... You can keep up with the box score for tonight in case I get taken away from my computer at any point. ... Of course I miss the game where Sgroi scores on a breakaway. Hahaha. Bucks lead 1-0 on Sgroi's first goal with the team on the Bucks' first shot of the game. ... That goal, which came at 2:53 in the game, was the Bucks' first since the third period last Friday. Giosa and Hamilton get the assists. ... Now the Bucks get an early power play as Joe Zappala is headed to the box for hooking at 3:10. ... Well, that didn't take very long. Adam Rivet just scored on a long shot that deflected off a body in front to give the Bucks a 2-0 lead at 3:43. Two shots = two goals so far tonight. Jarred Mohr and Lance Monych had the assists on that one. ... Dieude-Fauvel headed to the box at 4:56 for boarding Travis Clayton to give the Mudbugs their first power play. ... Penalty killed. ... Going on the announcer's inflection, Jeff Bes just came close to giving the Bucks a 3-0 advantage, but DeCaro made the save. ... Pretty back and forth for the middle 10 of the period, then Tyrel Lucas got his first of the year at 16:02 on a turnover right in front of Levasseur to make the score 2-1. I believe that was the Mudbugs' 10th shot of the game. ... Bucks have a chance to get that one back as Simon Mangos is headed to the box for tripping. ... Nothing doing on that one. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 2-1. Mudbugs up 12-11 on shots.

Second Period: The Mudbugs get the first power play of the second period with a high-sticking penalty against Giosa. Pointstreak seems to be down again, so I'm not sure of the exact time on that one. ... Fresh off that kill, the Bucks get a power play of their own with Blaznek headed to the box for hooking. ... Now Monych is going off for tripping in the offensive zone to give the Mudbugs their second power play of the period and third of the game. ... Now they're getting a 5-on-3 for 50 seconds with Mike Looby headed to the box for slashing. ... Sgroi just got another point, taking a shot that was saved by DeCaro then jammed in by Giosa. Robin Richards had the second assist. Seems to LEC turns into bizarro world when I'm not around. Just kidding. Bucks lead 3-1. ... End of the period, Bucks still lead 3-1. Mudbugs up 28-16 on shots. Yikes.

Third Period: Sorry, been busy pulling wire at the office. Game still 3-1 near the halfway point of the final period. ... Styffe just scored his second shorthanded, unassisted goal of the season to put the Bucks up 4-1. ... Blaznek has cut the lead to 4-2 with 4:16 to go.

Game Over: Bucks win 3-2, sweeping the season series against the Mudbugs for the first time ever and improving to 8-3-3 (19 points). Mudbugs fall to 7-8-0 (14 points). The Bucks outshot the Mudbugs in the third to cut the final shot deficit to 33-30.

Game Day No. 14

In a short while, the Bucks (7-3-3, 17 points) host the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (7-7-0, 14 points) for the first and only time this season.

I will not be sneaking away to watch the first period as originally anticipated, and I'm sorry this post is being made so late, but there are other things to be done.

The Bucks beat the Mudbugs 6-1 in their only earlier meeting this season, which was each team's first game of the campaign.

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

The line changes I mentioned the other day are one of several attempts the Bucks, who have the lowest goal total in the Southern Conference, have made to up their offense heading into tonight's game.

Coach Ruskowski basically thinks that Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith have started trying to pass the puck too much in attempt to set each other up rather than take their own goal-scoring opportunities, and that is part of the reason why he broke them up.

“I just want to give it a chance and see if this works out,” he said. “I think it’s gotten to a point there where they make an extra pass for each other instead of shooting the puck. I wanted to break them up to see if they’ll get back to shooting more, driving the net more and getting to deflections. If it doesn’t work, we’ll put them back together. But I want to get them away from the mentality of just making good passes; whoever scores scores, and whoever doesn’t should just be happy the line scored period.”

Smith admitted to noticing a similar problem and hopes that knocking one home can give way to more goals in the future.

"I think the message is just trying to keep things simple," he said. "I think me and Jeff were just trying to do too much out there, and it was working against us. We’ve been trying to force passes, and when you try to start doing things like that, it’s not going to work for you. I think we just need a garbage goal, basically, to get us going. The whole team needs that. I think once we bury one, they’ll all start going in.”

Smith also noted the fact that having two guys who are more finesse players, in himself and Lance Monych, on a line with a guy who is stronger in the corners and down low like Igor Agarunov should help the line out in several ways.

The whole team is looking for a scoring boost, and even goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur had noticed the lack of goal-scoring opportunities the guys in front of him have been creating of late.

He said that getting back to producing on the power play, which the team was more successful with earlier this season, could be key.

I'm going to have to leave it at that for now, but I'll try to update on the game as much as possible tonight. I brought in my laptop so I can avoid our security restrictions and listen to the radio broadcast on there.

Speaking of the broadcast, it will be starting shortly, and you can listen to it here.

Things for Which I Am Not Thankful

I come to you today with two bits of bad news.

First, I seem to have lost my memory card connector, so that post about Jean-Philippe Levasseur's mask will have to wait again. I should be able to borrow one tomorrow if all else fails. I feel bad because it's not even anything that exciting, but I did want to have photos for when I posted about it.

Second, and far more annoying in my mind, I will not be covering Friday night's game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs.

My co-worker who was supposed to be on the desk is out of town and not returning when we had anticipated, so I have to stay in the office so my boss can cover the TAMIU men's basketball game, which features the return of a former United High school standout as the coach of TAMIU's opponent.

We will still send a photographer to the Bucks' game and run Bryan Benway's press release in Saturday's paper, but I am personally very disappointed to not be able to go to this game. Of course, it's the one game of the season at home against the Mudbugs I have to miss rather than one of seven against the IceRays or Killer Bees.

I will probably sneak over to the arena for the first period, but then I need to be back here, so I won't be able to live blog or get interviews or any of the usual home game stuff.

Sorry to complain; this is just one of the hazards of working on a three-person staff, but it really is a tough game to have to miss.

Meanwhile, everyone is probably in a food coma at this point, so I'm just going to watch the end of the UT-A&M game and post some more relevant information on here tomorrow. Hope you're all having a nice day! And not working like the four of us stuck here, haha.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Today's practice, the Bucks' last full practice before their 3-in-3 this weekend, was very up-tempo and high-spirited - a far cry from the way they started the week.

More time today was spent on fun, fast offensive drills than defensive coverage or skating, and Coach Ruskowski left the ice in a pretty good mood.

One change you will be seeing this weekend is Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith playing on different lines in an attempt to create a bit more offense.

I spoke to Ruskowski and Smith about that, and I'll have quotes from those conversations, as well as one with goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur, in my story that will come out in Friday's paper.

Bes was back in a red jersey today, with Evan Schwabe as his center and Maxime Lincourt on the other wing for the top line.

Smith was centering a line with Igor Agarunov as his left wing and Lance Monych on his right.

The third line was Justin Styffe-Eric Giosa-Mike Sgroi.

Those lines will probably be what you see at the start of the game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday night, but I'm sure they're subject to quick change if things don't work out according to plan.

I know I said I'd post about Levasseur's mask today, but I forgot to bring in my memory card connector, so that's going to have to wait until tomorrow. Plus, I need to go bake a pumpkin cake right now, so I'll just hold off on everything else 'til tomorrow. I'll be sure to post my leftover quotes on here as soon as I decide what I'm using for my story.

Hope all of you have off tomorrow, unlike us editorial folks, and that you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Home Ice

As mentioned in my last post, and in the comments, opposing teams don't seem to fear coming to the LEC anymore.

Attendance hasn't been what it once was for a while now, but it seems like the intimidation factor of playing against the Bucks has dropped severely this season.

Part of the reason for that could be the team's earliest playoff exit in franchise history that took place in the Southern Conference Semifinals in April, but I'm sure getting just one regulation win in the first seven home games doesn't help the Bucks' cause.

When Coach Ruskowski took over as president of the organization, his biggest personal concern seemed to be getting fans back into the arena.

As a player, he obviously experienced crowds that these guys never will, but he'd like to get them in front of something as close as possible, and that would take a pretty big increase in attendance.

Ruskowski instigated the return of tailgating and has worked with his front office staff to create dozens of promotions, and the front office in turn has created some other ways to up attendance, including adding more items to the dollar menu, bringing back family rates and working with local schools to sell tickets as fundraisers.

But, it seems the consensus is that the team actually needs to play well for fans to want to continue coming out for games.

Shootouts are exciting, to an extent, but let's be honest - not everyone is going to stick around if the games take that long all the time.

Additionally, if there isn't a whole lot of fighting going on, people here want to see a whole lot of goals, and the Bucks have not been providing either in bulk this season.

Ruskowski has been embarrassed by his team's performance at home more than once in these first few weeks and even apologized to fans on multiple occasions.

When I talked to him yesterday about the recent home games and what he wants to see from his team as they play two more at home this weekend, here's what Ruskowski had to say:

"I sure hope this will be another chance for us to bring crowds back. We need them to come back for us to be successful, as a franchise and as a team. That's why I skated them so hard and am going to work them hard all week, to try to prepare them for this weekend, to do what they have to do to be successful."

As noted in that quote, Ruskowski believes that the more fans there are at a game, the better the team can be expected to perform, so I guess it's kind of a catch-22 in that sense.

Every player who had played against the Bucks before becoming a part of the team this season, and the two who were once Bucks for short spans of time, mentioned how great the fans and the atmosphere can be at the LEC, but they probably don't feel quite the same way when the crowds are small.

Player/assistant coach Jeff Bes, who is in his seventh season of playing home games at the LEC, also talked a bit about the situation and the team's need to win in the building.

"Winning in a shootout is a lot of fun, and the crowd certainly loves it," he said. "But, obviously, we have to win games at home, in front of our home crowd. I've always said we have the best crowds in the Central Hockey League and the best fans in the Central Hockey League, so we have to go out there, and we have to win. We're at home, so we have to take advantage of home ice here. We have to do it for the fans and the city of Laredo who support us. We have to go out there and give 110 percent each and every night. It's very important to win at home.

"With teams coming into the building here, to the LEC, it has to get back to the way it was before when they knew when they were coming into Laredo, they were going to be in for a hard game, a hard-hitting game. We have to get back to those days."

It seems everything ties back to the fact that this is a cycle. If the Bucks want to intimidate, they need to be successful and have intimidating crowds. If they want the crowds, they need to be successful. Basically, if they want anything else to work out in their favor, they need to win games.

Speaking of home games, the Bucks have teamed up with H.E.B. to offer a special $5 ticket promotion for the one on Friday night against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs.

Tickets can be purchased at the LEC box office or by calling 718-BUCK (2528) or via Ticketmaster at http://ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster location.

Not sure how many of you are casual fans rather than season ticket holders, but if that is the case, how much more likely are you to go to a game if the team is doing well? Do you go just because you find hockey entertaining, or do you need to see the team win to feel like you're getting your money's worth?

Friday's game ends the season-high five-game homestand the Bucks have been on since their trip to Arizona, but they'll be home again for their third of six Sunday afternoon home games after a one-day trip to Corpus Christi to face the IceRays on Saturday.

The last Sunday game actually had the highest attendance of a game at the LEC this season, and this Sunday, the Cowboys don't even play, so we'll see how the crowd is for that one.

With $5 tickets and most people not working on Friday, hopefully it'll be a pretty good game in that regard.

On the ice, the Mudbugs always offer up a challenge, and they have basically the same record as the Bucks, having won seven and lost six, but they are behind the Bucks in the standings having yet to register an OT loss.

They face the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in Hidalgo tomorrow before driving up to Laredo for Friday's game.

A Monday Practice Monster Post

As you can guess, today's practice was a bit of a tough one.

Coach Ruskowski has made it pretty clear he doesn't like what he's seen from his team lately, and I don't think a single one of the players could have any doubts left about that after today.

There were a lot of defensive coverage drills, a few scoring drills and a few breaks for skating sprints as punishment... and then a whole lot more skating once the drills were done.

If you read my story from Saturday night's 2-0 loss to the Texas Brahmas, you have a bit of an idea where Ruskowski's issues with this team lie. In case you didn't, here are his quotes:

"I’m not happy at all. I think we have some lazy hockey players. They don’t have the heart and desire, and I can’t handle that. If I have to teach everything all over again, I’ll do that; I’ll keep the guys with the heart and desire, and everyone else can go home. How a player can do things that stupid, it just boggles my mind. Here we are trying to get the fans in here and get support, and we make that kind of effort. I’m embarrassed of our team, how they’re playing and what they’re doing, and I apologize to our fans."

"I’m just embarrassed by my team. We’re not moving the puck, we’re not beating anyone one-on-one, we’re not challenging anybody, we get beaten defensively… anything you can imagine, we’re not doing right. It’s just amateur stuff that they should be doing before they even get to this point. It absolutely disgusts me."

Today's practice was a surefire way to weed out the lazy ones, but all of the guys responded pretty well, or at least tried to do so, and were pretty vocal in encouraging each other to stay with it out there.

As those of you who were in the arena over the weekend know, the air conditioning system isn't working, so the guys got their hardest workout of the season (at least that I've seen) in the warmest conditions possible. That problem should be fixed before the games this weekend, by the way.

At the end of all the skating this morning, most of the guys plopped themselves onto the bench and took a few minutes to catch their breath, and, for the first time I can recall, no one stayed out to fool around or play juiceboy once Ruskowski left.

Before letting them go, Ruskowski told everyone on the ice that the way they felt was the way they should feel at the end of a well-played game, and here's what he said to me when I followed up on that:

"It's a must. We don't have superstars who are going to come in here and score two goals whenever they can to win a game or tie a game for us. We don't have that. We have a meat-and-potatoes type of team. Everybody has to participate. Everyone has to grab the rope and pull, and if they don't, we're not going to win the tug of war. So everybody has to participate, and that's exactly what I meant. Vince Lombardi said it best when he said a great athlete will lay on the field of battle victorious. You'll just lay there because you've got nothing left to give. Now you know that you're going to be victorious because you give it all you've got. That's what we have to do every game - lay it all on the line and be exhausted after every shift we play."

Ruskowski initially told them they were going to watch tape immediately following their showers, but then decided to hold off on that until tomorrow.

After the guys got off the ice, I spoke to team captain Adam Rivet and player/assistant coach Jeff Bes, two players who are obviously familiar with Ruskowski and what he wants and are also in leadership roles with this team.

Here's what Rivet had to say about the weekend, today's practice and the importance of communication:

"It was a tough weekend to lose both games. We played two good teams, and I think the message is to just play 60 minutes hard in the game. We can't have any letups against teams like that. If you want to be champions, you have to play 60 minutes of a game. The second period last game, we were really all over the place. Third period, we were working hard and getting opportunities, but we weren't playing smart. I just think (there was) some frustration and just letting the guys know that playing like that isn't acceptable.

"One of them was a shootout loss, and the other one, one of the goals they scored was on a 5-on-3, so really we kept them to one goal for the most part in the game. We just didn't score. We had our opportunities, and we just didn't put the puck in the net. You go through times in the season when things are going pretty well, but things aren't falling for you. When you're not focused on the task, on the job you have to do, those opportunities slip away. Like I said, particularly in the second period of last game, we weren't focused on what we had to do, and it ended up catching up to us in the end.

"You just have to work hard, like we did today in practice. Terry was obviously pretty intense, wants to get a message across, but the guys battled hard all practice. You do that, and everything else will fall into place. When you're late in the game, or late in practice, when you're doing the drills right you're putting yourself in position because you're not tired, it goes hand in hand. Hard work wins championships, and I think that's what the message was.

"Especially today, we're just trying to keep the guys' morale up. Obviously, a hard practice like that, guys get a little discouraged, and they're tired and sometimes it's nice to hear a voice from the other side of the ice that's just encouraging the guys to go a little harder. I think that's what the guys were trying to do today, just keep encouraging and knowing we're going to get through, I don't know if you'd even call it a tough patch because we still got nine of our last 12 points; just making sure that we steer the ship back on course and don't get too far off from where we want to be."

Here's what Bes had to say about the intensity of practice today:

"First of all, he was teaching work ethic. First and foremost, work ethic. When we work hard, you have that base to your conditioning that you're prepared to play in the third period and in overtime and to win the games. That's something we've talked about before, when we have a lead to protect the lead and playing on our toes not on our heels, so to speak, meaning we're attacking and not trying just to defend. Obviously, conditioning is a big part of work ethic, and today we certainly worked on our conditioning, and that's something we're going to be working on throughout the week, and we'll be a better team from it."

Another thing I asked Bes about was the heart and desire of the team, which Ruskowski has said he doesn't see enough of at times. Bes is in a unique situation being a teammate to the other players but also someone who has a bit of a say in personnel changes, etc..., and here's his opinion on that:

"I think there's a lot of passion in the dressing room. I think we're at a point right now where we're working hard, but we're not working smart. Guys are trying to do a little bit extra instead of just doing their own job, and we're trying to help out our teammates. When we help out and leave our position, it seems the puck always seems to go back to our position, so we just need to concentrate on doing our own job, work as a team and communicate. We really need to communicate on the ice, talk a lot more, to help each other out and let each other know what's going on, and we'll do much better. We were doing at it at the start of the year, and we have to get back to that. We just have to get back to basics and get back to working hard."

Bes also sees the team's power play and penalty kill as a bit of an issue at this point, and one thing he said about the power play will probably ring true with those of you who have watched the team's recent games.

"We have to work on our special teams, obviously" he said. "They're what wins you championships, especially in the playoffs. We have to work on it now, to win games now, to be honest with you. The power play has been struggling; we're trying to be pretty, and we're forcing passes. We have to get the puck back to the point, shoot, create some openings, and then we can make those plays. We have to stop taking so many penalties. Some guys who don't penalty kill get out of the rhythm of the game, and the guys who do penalty kill are working extra hard all the time and getting tired. We've always said we'll kill off the good penalties - the hard body checks or taking a penalty to save a goal - but we have to eliminate some of the lazy penalties and go forward and be ready for this weekend, that's for sure."

Not sure if any of you noticed the open-ice check he took on Saturday that seemed to hobble him up a bit, but Bes said he's fine and that was just one of the "bumps and bruises" that are a part of the game.

Back to the power play, though, here's what Ruskowski had to say about it:

"There's no question (it needs work). Then, when you find out that you're not going well, the guys squeeze the stick a little tighter, and they're trying to make iffy passes instead of for-sure passes. They see a stick right in front of the guy who's expecting the pass, they'll try to make that pass anyway. That's not working; they just get it and ice it down. Right now, it's like hot potato; nobody wants to take charge. We need a guy out there who will take charge of the power play and do what we have to do. We'll practice that this week to make sure they're more aware of what's happening and what we can do."

This is a bit belated, but I didn't get a chance to talk to Ruskowski after the 4-3 shootout loss to the Odessa Jackalopes on Friday because the game went late, so here's what he said about that game today:

"Defensive lapses, not playing your position, not being on your guy hard enough and strong enough; we have a tendency to get beaten in the corners with our defense and our forwards, and that generates chances for the other team. We're not strong enough in the corners. Odessa moves the puck so very well. They're smart with the puck, they have good players who know how to pass and know where to be at any particular time, and they executed very well. If you give them too many chances on the power play, they're going to kill you. We killed off the first four, but after that, they just move the puck around so well and make so many good passes. They're a skilled hockey team."

At this point, Ruskowski seems convinced that his team might not be capable of anything similar to the show the Jackalopes put on in the third period Friday, and he's concerned about the Bucks' capability to score.

"You practice all you want, and you have to practice hard, obviously, and today we practiced hard for an hour and a half, but you just have to have that line that can come in there and do the job. And when one line doesn't, the other line does it, or when one line falls off, the other two pick it up. Right now, we don't have three lines that can do it, and that's something that concerns me that I have to rectify real quick."

That leads to another note worth sharing about today - the fact that a different group was wearing the red jerseys at practice today. Those jerseys denote the top line of forwards and are usually worn by Bes, Darryl Smith and their linemate at the time (today Maxime Lincourt), but Igor Agarunov and Evan Schwabe were the red liners today.

When I asked Coach Ruskowski whether that was a statement in response to the lack of production by the top line in recent games or just a way to change things up, he said it wasn't necessarily one or the other.

"I think it's probably both," he said. "I think it's a statement that I'm not happy with what I see and that they're productivity's gone way down, and the other thing is that it's a way to break them up and see if we can find some other nucleus that can work together and have two lines and three lines that can be able to score. I changed them up, the reason why is just trying to get more scoring and send a message that I wasn't happy."

Saturday's loss not only snapped the Bucks' unbeaten streak, as it also gave Jean-Philippe Levasseur his first regulation loss as a member of the team, but Ruskowski is still more than pleased with what he's seeing from his top netminder.

"I love the way he's playing," Ruskowski said. "He's a great hockey player, he's a great goalie, he's got a great mentality. I like the way he conducts himself as a professional. He's just a classy guy, and I just like the way he conducts himself. He's a constant professional, works hard in practice, never complains and does what he has to do. That's kind of a coach's dream."

Though, as Rivet noted in an earlier quote, the Bucks have gotten nine of their last 12 possible points, Ruskowski believes some problems have been evident on the ice even in wins and are giving other teams more confidence coming into a building they used to fear.

"The other teams that come in here, they don't have that scared feeling anymore. They don't have that doubt that they're not going to come out of here with two points. They feel if they work hard and execute, they're going to beat us, and that's a feeling I don't want them to have. We've given them that, and now we have to try to take that away from them. The way we've played the past week or so, we're not showing that we're going to do that."

Whether or not the current group of guys is capable of getting the team back to where Ruskowski wants it to be remains to be seen, but he is giving them one more chance to prove themselves this week.

"This is a chance for them to prove it, and obviously, if they can't, we'll have to go outside this realm and see what we can find. But this is hopefully a wake-up call for them, for me to tell them I'm not happy with it, and this is what they have to do, and if they don't do it, there are players out there who will."

I also talked to Ruskowski, and Bes, a bit more about the team's need to win at home if they want to bring back the crowds they had in the past, but I think I've gone on long enough for one day at this point, so we'll save that for tomorrow. If you made it all the way to the end of this post, high five!

Game No. 13 - Bucks vs. Brahmas

Starters: Bucks - Igor Agarunov (F), Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (D), Eric Giosa (F), Cody Hamilton (D), Jean-Philippe Levasseur (G), Justin Styffe (F); Brahmas - Matt Burto (F), James Hiebert (F), Kevin McLeod (D), Joe Palmer (G), Ross Rouleau (D), Tyler Skworchinski (F).

Pre-Game: Levasseur (6-0-2) is getting his sixth consecutive start in goal for the Bucks. ... Dan Wildfong opted to start Hiebert in his big homecoming game, and Coach Ruskowski responded by starting the line that features his new scrappy winger. We'll see if that turns into anything. ... As always, you can follow the game here or on Pointstreak, watch on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM.

First Period: Not much of a crowd reaction to Hiebert skating onto the ice or his name being called out with the starters. ... Hiebert and Styffe did line up against each other, but it was a no go on the fighting front. ... Adam Rivet got the puck to Darryl Smith right in front of the net on what could have been a perfect chance, but Smith was in an awkward position to take the pass and ended up missing the puck entirely. ... Agarunov just came very close to scoring his first goal since coming off the IR, but Palmer somehow managed to save it and hold onto the puck while on his back. ... Levasseur is back in No. 31 tonight, and Mike Sgroi is back in 22, by the way. Hiebert wears No. 25 for the Brahmas. ... Palmer (3-2-2) is looking pretty strong so far. ... The Brahmas just scored right off a faceoff at 6:37 in the period to take a 1-0 lead. McLeod scored it on an assist from Grant Jacobsen, also known as the faceoff winner. That was their third shot of the game, a bit of a switch from last night, when the Jackalopes needed 26 before scoring on Levasseur. ... Bucks just got a good rush in to the Brahmas' zone, and Smith opted to pass to his trailer instead of shooting. Only problem was the fact that his trailer wasn't where he sent the puck. ... Lincourt got a chance one-on-one with Palmer with the closest defender right on his tail and missed the net high. ... Both teams have been pretty sloppy with the puck control so far. ... First penalty of the game has been called on Lee Jubinville for hooking at 14:50, putting the Bucks on the game's first power play. ... Wow, lucky break for the Bucks there, as Levasseur inadvertently handed the puck right to Jacobsen outside his crease but the latter party failed to do anything with it. That's not really what should be happening on a Bucks' power play. ... Palmer still standing strong; nice glove save on a crisp shot from Sgroi with 2:15 to play. ... Just about everyone on the ice was in Palmer's crease on that last chance, and the Bucks took quite a few shots, several of which Palmer had to stop to keep his team in the lead. By that, I mean they also missed the net a couple times and might have hit another body once. ... End of the period, Brahmas lead 1-0. Bucks are up 9-4 in the shot department.

Second Period: The Brahmas for some reason waited until under 10 seconds were left on the intermission clock to come out on the ice. The Bucks had already been out for well over a minute at that point. ... Hiebert and Styffe just had a brief conversation before setting up for their teammates to face off. ... Yeah, I called that. Best fight of the year, by far. They danced around a bit too long before throwing punches, but once they did, they threw them hard. Styffe landed more and the crushing final blow to knock Hiebert to the ice. Hiebert is smiling and laughing in the penalty box. That's what everyone here tonight wanted to see, and he knows it. Definitely the best anyone has stayed with Styffe so far, but he still got the W. ... Styffe is getting company in the box, as Jarred Mohr just took a holding call at 4:18 to give the Brahmas their first power play of the game. ... And now Smith has joined the party in the sin bin, taking a four-minute spearing double minor at 4:58 to give the Brahmas a very lengthy power play that includes 80 seconds 5-on-3. Yikes. ... Hiebert and Styffe are out of their respective boxes now on the first glove save of the PK. ... The 5-on-3 has been killed, thanks again to some great playing by Levasseur. ... And now Styffe is back in the box for slashing to put the Brahmas back on the 5-on-3 for 35 seconds. ... Right as Smith left the box, the Brahmas finally took advantage of their advantages to take a 2-0 lead on a goal by none other than Hiebert. Jordan Cameron and McLeod with the assists. ... A few fans cheered for that goal announcement. ... Sgroi, still on the hunt for his first fight, just tried to get Luke Sellars to go. No luck. ... Just had a few minutes of constant play, with a whistle finally coming for a puck out of play at 1:20. The puck went into the Brahmas' bench. ... Bes and Hiebert just got tangled up a bit. Kinda weird to see Bes shoving his stick into the back of a man who played on his wing and defended him all those years. ... End of the period, Brahmas lead 2-0. Bucks up 22-20 on shots.

Third Period: Skworchinski got a chance to make it 3-0 early, as a turnover in the Bucks' zone gave him a wide-open opportunity, but his shot went high. ... Bucks are getting a power play 38 seconds into the period, as Rouleau has taken a boarding penalty. ... The Bucks just thought they finally knocked one in, but Palmer somehow managed to keep it out, and the ref's no-goal waves cut that celebration short. ... Hiebert and Styffe are having words but being kept from doing anything more by the refs. ... They didn't sto play to look at that possible goal, but they did look at it once play stopped, and the no goal call stands. Now Robin Richards is in Hiebert's face, haha. Oh geeze, and now Sgroi is lining up against him on the faceoff. ... Well, that somehow managed to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct call against Hiebert. Did he spit on him or what? This game is turning into a circus. He's in the box at 2:43 to put the Bucks on the power play. ... Two straight power plays that Schwabe has been out to center at the start, but Smith is still playing. ... Nice sprawling play by Jeremy Swanson to keep the puck in, but the Bucks aren't really doing much with it. ... Somehow, Bes was just behind Palmer in his crease for about 20 seconds and loose pucks were being swung at like crazy, but the Bucks are still being held off the board. They lead 28-21 on shots less than five minutes into the final period. ... Another penalty on the Brahmas coming. ... By the time the whistle was blown, only two seconds are left on Hiebert's penalty, so this won't be much of a 5-on-3, but the Bucks will be on the power play with Tyrell Mason in the box for hooking. ... Smith is out there with Agarunov and Lincourt for this power play. Mohr and Rivet still at the points. ... And now they will get their 5-on-3 as Justin Kinnunen was called for a hook for taking Smith down at the blue line. The Bucks get 1:05 on the two-man advantage. ... Smith just hit the post. ... The Brahmas are pretty good shot blockers. ... Both penalties have been killed. ... I guess staying in Hiebert's face is doing the Bucks some good, even if they fail to take much advantage. Richards was just able to draw a tripping call against Hiebert, who is headed to the box at 11:29 to put the Bucks on another power play. ... Something just seems off about the Bucks tonight. It's like they have to register everything that happens in their brains before they can react to it. That hesitation can cost you goals. ... Another mad scramble in the crease, and yet again, Palmer came out on top. Well, figuratively, anyway. Literally, Agarunov was on top of him. ... Less than five minutes to go now, and the Bucks are playing frustrated. That's not going to help their cause. ... Down to a minute, still 2-0 in favor of the Brahmas. I don't normally do this, and I'm not implying that the game is over, but I'm going to head downstairs to make sure I can get some quotes tonight.

Game Over: Bucks lose 2-0, fall to 7-3-3 (17 points). Brahmas improve to 7-7-2 (16 points). Coach Ruskowski was not happy with the effort tonight at all.

Game Day No. 13

Tonight's the night that James Hiebert makes his much-hyped return to the LEC as a member of the Texas Brahmas.

Not sure how many of you actually get the paper, but the Bucks run ads on the front page of our section every day they host a game, and the ad for tonight even featured a picture of James and a note about him being in town.

The latter half of my game story from last night's 4-3 shootout loss focuses on tonight's matchup, and here are some of the quotes I used as well as some leftover ones about Hiebert's return:

Adam Rivet:

"I'm sure he's going to be excited to play. He was in town the other day, and I met up with him for a little bit. He didn't say too much, but James is a competitor, and I'm sure he's going to want to win. I know he played for six years and loved it in Laredo, loves the people in Laredo, but he's with a new team now, and he's going to do what he has to do over there. That's his job now, and we'll see what happens, I guess."

Jeff Bes:

"Obviously, they're a great team. They're the defending champions. James Hiebert, as a person and as a hockey player, certainly helped this organization. He helped us win two championships, and he's a fan favorite here, so obviously fans will be here to see him play. But we have to go out there, and we have to look at the Brahmas as a team, as the defending champions, and be prepared to play against them - the team as a whole. We know what he can do on the ice, and obviously we have to be prepared because I'm sure he'll be excited to play against us and here in front of the crowd that he played in front of for six years. All in all, we have to be prepared to play and be able to shut them down because they're the defending champions. As we know, having been defending champions, every team wants to beat you, so that's what we have to go out there and do."

Coach Ruskowski:

"It really hasn't (been something I've thought about). He had the opportunity to play there, I gave him the opportunity to do that, gave him his free agency, and he wants to play, he's going to keep on playing. I just hope he doesn't burn me a whole lot with a game-winning goal. I hope he has a good game; I just hope we have a better one. I don't know if it is a draw for fans or not. I hope it is. I hope they all come. I hope we have 8,000 watching the game. If it is, come out; we enjoy it. The louder you cheer, the more people here, the better we play, so it would be a huge advantage for us."

And, last but not least, here's what Hiebert himself had to say about tonight:

"I'm definitely looking forward to it. Any time you play against a team you played for, you want to get a win. Obviously, it's important for our team to do that and get on the horse to get into the race for first place. That's our goal right now."

"I'm not too sure how the fans will react. Hopefully they'll receive me well."

Ruskowski also shared his thoughts on what he expects from the Brahmas and what kind of gauge this weekend is going to be for the Bucks.

"They're big, strong, they move the puck well, they're physical," he said. "I'll expect the same team as last year, which was a dominating hockey team. After this weekend, it will kind of tell me where I am with my team, what we have to do to get where we need to be."

Obviously, personnel changes are still a definite possibility, and tonight's game will do a lot as far as telling Ruskowski if anyone needs to go.

I would expect Jean-Philippe Levasseur to be in goal for the Bucks again tonight, as Ruskowski said he'd stick with him until "he lost a game," as in the kind that is decided in regulation or maybe even overtime.

I wasn't able to talk to Ruskowski last night because of the late finish to the game, so the most I can offer you as far as another opinion about starting goalies is this blurb from Bryan Benway's blog:

I'm not sure who we will see in goal for either team, but I would not be suprised to see Jaeger and Levasseuer.

Obviously, that wouldn't surprise me, either.

Anyway, for more on tonight, you can check out Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

I'll be back to live blog in a bit. Cross your fingers that this one will be decided in regulation.

Game No. 12 - Bucks vs. Jackalopes

As always, those of you not in attendance for tonight's game you can follow it here or on Pointstreak, watch on CHL-TV or listen on Imagen 94.1 FM.

Due to the special sweaters being worn for the Día de la Revolución, Mike Sgroi will be No. 17 tonight, while Jean-Philippe Levasseur is in No. 33.

Starters: Bucks - Jeff Bes (F), Levasseur (G), Jarred Mohr (D), Lance Monych (F), Adam Rivet (D), Darryl Smith (F); Jackalopes - Colin Circelli (F), Joel Martin (G), Patrick Mbaraga (D), Jeff Pierce (F), Sebastien Thinel (F), Dave Van Drunen (F).

First Period: Monych got a great chance less than 20 seconds into the game, as a pass found his stick right in front of Martin, but a Jackalopes defender was able to keep him from taking advantage of that. ... At about 1:45, Mike Lesperance got the Jackalopes' first good opportunity and whiffed on a puck in the slot. The Jacks got their first shot of the game seconds later, but it was easily stopped. ... The Jacks just took a barrage of shots on Levasseur but had some passing issues on what could have been their best chance. ... On a bit of a weird play, neither team won the faceoff, leaving the puck on the dot for one team or the other to grab, and the Jackalopes were that team. They took a shot, but it went right to Levasseur's chest. ... The Jackalopes are definitely the more physical team so far in this one; if that keeps up, the Bucks should not expect a very kind review at intermission. The Jacks are also already up 10-3 on shots under six minutes into the game. ... The Jackalopes are pretty strong on faceoffs, too. I can't recall seeing the Bucks win one so far. ... A hooking call against Pierce at 8:22 in the period is putting the Bucks on the game's first power play. ... Bucks created some chances but couldn't put any them home. Penalty killed. ... On yet another faceoff, the Jacks got yet another faceoff win. The large number of covered saves, pucks out of play and offsides calls already this period has created quite a faceoff fast, and the Bucks just can't seem to win them. ... Sgroi just skated in offsides on what could have been the Bucks' best chance of the game with Maxime Lincourt on a breakaway. Having a guy like that out there for regular shifts doesn't seem to be doing the Bucks much good. ... Pierce is in the box again at 13:02, this time for cross-checking Justin Styffe and crushing him up against the boards. Bucks are on their second power play. ... Evan Schwabe brought the puck in and took a shot that was saved then bounced out onto Sgroi's stick and Sgroi backhanded it wide of the rather open net. Overall, that didn't look like much of a power play. ... Eric Giosa just got the Bucks a rare faceoff win, but no one grabbed the puck , so Paul Kelly stuck his stick between Giosa's skates and pulled it into his team's possession. ... Remember what Coach Ruskowski said about being disciplined? I doubt having his captain getting called for interference to put the Jackalopes on their first power play with just over three minutes in the first was what he had in mind. ... Nice defensive play by Philippe Plante as the Bucks got a shorthanded breakaway and Mike Looby's pass for Lance Monych in perfect position was broken up by the stick of a sprawling Plante. ... With 2.8 seconds left in the period, the Bucks are on the board on a play Martin wishes he could have back. Lincourt worked the puck out of the corner and sent it over to Schwabe, who took a shot, then stayed in front of the net to backhand his own rebound around Martin into the net. Sgroi is getting the second assist. The goal song tonight is quite intense. One last faceoff before the period ends. ... I'm not sure if Schwabe won that one or Circelli just let him have it, but ending the period with that goal was certainly a great way to get the crowd into the game and knock the Jackalopes down a bit. Schwabe did quite the intense fist pump to celebrate. Anyway, end of the period, Bucks lead 1-0. Jackalopes are up 13-8 on shots. Did I mention it's pretty hot in here? The AC has been broken all week, as I'm sure any of you who are here have noticed. This is the warmest I've ever been at a hockey game in my life. ... Okay, I didn't think that assist to Sgroi was right. It's been changed to Mohr.

Second Period: Lincourt set up a perfect chance for Sgroi pretty early in this one, but the puck just missed Sgroi's stick. Not sure if that was the fault of the passer or attempted pass recipient, but the odds of that being a goal if he had gotten to it are pretty high. At least if he didn't miss the net. ... I have to say, the Jackalopes are not playing nearly as strongly as I would have expected. Don't get me wrong, Levasseur has had to make some pretty good stops on them, but they are missing passes and making some sloppy moves that I didn't expect of a team that had an eight-game win streak prior to last night and is outscoring the rest of the league rather dominantly. ... Smith was just on the ice for nearly two full shifts and closed out his extended stay with a nice check. Guess he isn't letting that shield get him down too much. ... Two consecutive penalties against the Bucks now, the first excusable because it prevented a shot on a 2-on-1 chance, but the second not so much. Mohr will be serving two for high sticking with Robin Richards already in the box for that original hooking call. First penalty at 12:01, second at 12:11, so this is a 110-second 5-on-3. Yikes. ... Thirty seconds left on that, and so far, the Bucks are taking care of business. Couple great momentum saves by Levasseur, who has been very careful not to allow any rebounds. ... A time out was jut taken, and I'm honestly not sure which coach took it. Sorry about that, but they're blaring music over the PA announcements, and I didn't see anyone signal. ... After what I just saw, I have to share a story that I hope doesn't do any jinxing. When the Penguins were playing the Ducks the other night, I was watching the game online on a site that has a chat run live alongside the game, and a random Ducks fan said he thought it was about time they call up Jean-Philippe Levasseur. If he was at this game, he'd be calling his team to demand that at this point. Considering Ruskowski felt it was a guarantee that the Jacks would score on a 5-on-4, I'm sure even he is stunned by how well his team held up on that 5-on-3. Conversely, Paul Gillis can't be very happy right now. The Jacks have taken 24 shots so far to the Bucks' 11 with 4:49 to play in the period. ... Sorry I didn't mention this sooner, but with Agarunov back in the lineup, he's playing on a line with Giosa at center and Justin Styffe on the other wing. ... Hooking call at 19:21.7 has sent Lincourt to the box and put the Jackalopes on the power play for the remainder of the period. ... The PK is looking really good tonight. End of the period, Bucks lead 1-0 despite being down 25-13 on shots.

Third Period: Thirty-four seconds into the final period, Pierce has tied the game on a power-play goal to break Levassuer's shutout on the 26th shot he's faced tonight. ... Errr, and now it's 2-1 Jackalopes, as Mike Lesperance has scored at 2:30. The puck just crawled across the goal line on that one. I think the off-ice officials have some kind of vendetta against the Jackalopes getting points, as they are calling both goals unassisted. ... And we are now tied at 2. Funny how when you battle for the puck on the boards, good things tend to happen. Pretty sure they're trying to award this goal to a guy who wasn't even on the ice. Meanwhile, it was actually Lincourt. ... Okay, they got the scorer right before they announced it, but they're saying Rivet got the assist, but he wasn't out there, either. Pretty sure it was Mike Looby. ... Styffe and Van Drunen are having words right now, resulting in a bit of a congregation to Levasseur's left. No punches seem to be getting thrown. ... Smith is in the box for roughing at 7:41 in the period. ... Didn't take them long to take advantage of it, as the Jacks have taken a 3-2 lead on a goal by Circelli assisted by Thinel and Plante. Still 12:05 to go in regulation. ... The Bucks just had the puck in the Jackalopes' zone for quite some time, but missed nets, blocked shots and a couple saves by Martin kept this thing 3-2 in his team's favor. ... I really agree with the "Refs, you suck" chants, but Sgroi did get robbed of a call there as he was blatantly taken down by a Jackalopes player while skating in on Martin. Oh well. ... Bucks are getting a power play now with 4:49 left in regulation, as has been called for interference. ... Holy crap, what a weird goal. And weird celebration, haha. Looby just took a weak slapper from the left point that hit iron and no one seemed to realize had actually gone in the net until they noticed Looby doing a happy dance back behind the rest of the players on the ice. Lincourt has what is currently the lone assist, and we are tied once again. ... Sgroi is trying his best to get that first fight with the Bucks, but no one is biting, and the refs don't really seem up for letting him go at it with anyone right now. ... Oh my gosh, Sgroi has seriously gotten every opportunity in the book tonight and been stoned on every shot he's managed to get off. I swear, I feel like he's been on the ice for every other shift. ... Yeah, this team just never wants me to be able to get quotes after a night game. End of regulation, tied 3-3. Jacks up 34-22 on shots. OT once again.

Overtime: Only one of the Bucks' home games this season hasn't gone to OT. This is quite the trend they've developed. At least they didn't blow a lead they'd held for 26:25 with 30 seconds left this time. ... Not much doing in the first minute-plus. ... Agarunov got left alone on what would have been a great chance if he hadn't been on the end of a long shift. ... And now the Bucks lost out on a great odd-man rush when Giosa's shot missed the net. ... Well, apparently Mohr can have a temper. He just tackled Leveille from behind after the latter party offended him somehow, and he was yelling at him quite spiritedly. Too bad he's not wearing a mic. He didn't even get a penalty on that, pretty impressive. Alex Dunn did, however, so the Bucks are on a 4-on-3 power lay for a minute, starting with 2:24 left in the OT period. ... Power play over. ... And this is going to a shootout. Seriously, I'm starting to think these players hate me.

Shootout: Not going to be able to live blog this entirely, as I have to write my story, but the Bucks have opted to shoot first in their fourth straight home-game shootout. ... Okay, sorry, have to share that Smith got stopped then knocked in his rebound, and the crowd thought it counted as a goal. ... Levasseur stopped the first Jacks' shooter, and then Martin stopped Giosa's go-to move that has scored in the past two shootout wins. ... Okay, Circelli was the only guy to score in the shootout as the Jacks win.

Game Over: Jackalopes win 4-3, improve to 12-2-1 (25 points). Bucks fall to 7-2-3 (17 points).

Game Day No. 12

The Bucks (7-2-2, 16 points) play the first of two tough home games tonight as they host the league-leading Odessa Jackalopes (11-2-1, 23 points) at 7:30 p.m.

In my preview that ran today, I focused mostly on the Bucks' objectives during practice this week and their opponent tonight, not tomorrow's game against the Texas Brahmas (6-6-2, 14 points).

The quotes and information I got about tomorrow will run in tomorrow's paper as an add-on to my game story from tonight.

Obviously, the big draw tomorrow night is the return of James Hiebert, a long-time Buck who signed with the Brahmas a few weeks ago.

I spoke to Hiebert, Jeff Bes, Adam Rivet and Coach Ruskowski about this occurrence, but, as you might expect, none of them made too big of a fuss over it. Whether their true feelings are a bit stronger will be seen on the ice tomorrow night.

Hiebert still doesn't want to go on the record about whether or not he wanted to return to Laredo, though he did say at the end of last season that he would do so if Ruskowski wanted him back.

Ruskowski, in turn, is sticking with the facts - Hiebert wanted to be able to play, and Ruskowski didn't want him here, so he gave him his free agency, which resulted in a contract with the defending league champions.

Hiebert's current team defeated the Jackalopes, the team who knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs last season, last night in Odessa, 7-3.

Tonight's meeting is the first between the Bucks and Jacks this season, but last season's playoff series is the last thing on the Bucks' minds considering there are only four players who played in that series around tonight as they go up against the highest-scoring team in the league.

Shutting that team down is going to be a big key tonight, but that is obviously no easy task, as the Jackalopes have already scored 68 goals this season -22 more than their closest competition in that statistic, the Arizona Sundogs.

Confidence, solid defense and discipline were three ideas preached this week at practice, and since I didn't use the discipline quote in my preview, here's what Ruskowski had to say about that:

"We can't take any unnecessary penalties because on their power play, they have personnel that skates well, moves the puck well and shoots well. They're all smart hockey players. When you get a combination like that on the ice at one time on a 5-on-4 opportunity for them to score, they're going to score. So we have to be disciplined and not take any unnecessary penalties."

Because I'm sure some of you are not able to view my stories online, here is the quote I used from Bes about tonight's matchup:

“Obviously we have to shut them down. They’re a high-scoring team, best team right now in our conference. We have to go out there and play a strong defensive game. If we play strong defensively, our offensive chances will come, and that’s what we have to do. They’re a very strong offensive team that moves the puck very well, so obviously we have to hit them and play strong defense. If we do that, we’re going to be in the game.”

Of course, the Bucks would like more than to just be in the game; they want to win it and add to their season-high four-game winning streak. Rivet, being a defenseman, got a bit more specific about how they'll have to approach the Jackalopes' high-powered offense.

"We just have to take away time and space on these guys," he said. "The defense really has to gap up and make sure that we're tight on their forwards, as well. We can't have any odd-man rushes. They have a lot of offense, and off the odd-man rush, they can do some damage. As long as we're playing the system and staying tight on the guys, not giving them much room to make plays, it will still be a challenge, but it should give us a better opportunity to win."

If they are able to grab a lead tonight, they'd also like to do a better job of finishing the game off than they have in the recent shootout wins, and the words "killer instinct" were heard around practice every day this week, including in these quotes from Bes and Rivet:

“We obviously have a long way to go,” Bes said. “We haven’t been able to put teams away in regulation, it’s been shootouts, and obviously we’ve been counting on our goaltender to bail us out at times. So, really, what we have to do is get that killer instinct and, when we get that lead, keep pressing forward instead of sitting on our heels and being content with having a one-goal lead. We have to go out there and try to keep pressing forward and keep working hard to get another goal and keep that going to put teams away.”

“We’ve been working hard and sticking to the systems and doing what we have to do," Rivet said. "We’ve been winning, but we still need to get a bit more of killer instinct. We’ve had teams down and kind of let down at times. If we can bear down more, we can put those teams away. The boys just have to be confident that the defensive game’s going to be there and everyone’s going to be doing their job. Sometimes, when guys fall back on their heels, they just try to pass the time and hopes the game. Instead of doing that and waiting for games to finish, we have to finish the game.”

That need was something Ruskowski mentioned to me on Sunday after the Bucks' second straight 3-2 shootout win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, in which he said the team played the third period on its heels instead of its toes - not a good thing.

"In the third period, we kind of hung on our heels a little bit, especially in the last 10, 12 minutes or so. We held back a little bit. We have to learn to play on our toes, not our heels, go after them. All we have to make sure we do is have a high guy and that our defense plays solid. Get the puck and move it, don't get beat one-on-one.

On Wednesday, he shared what he thinks the team needs to do to fix that problem.

"It's all confidence in their ability to do what they have to do to be successful," Ruskowski said. "That's the same situation when I talk to them on the ice and tell them they have to talk to each other. I think once they talk more, they have more confidence that they can do their own job. If they can't do their own job and say they have their guy, then everybody loses confidence. I think it's confidence in their own play and doing what they have to do to be the best they can be and do the job. When they say something, they need to really mean it, do it. That's where we're kind of at odds."

Another issue Ruskowski noted on Sunday was that his top forwards have not been getting goals. He also admitted the upside to that - the fact that role players have been stepping up to fill those scoring gaps. However, if you take the past five games - four one-goal wins and one nine-goal loss - the Bucks have been outscored 18-13.

Those five games are the contests this season that the Bucks have played without defensive forward Igor Agarunov, who will return to the lineup tonight.

“He’ll be a power-play guy, he’ll be penalty killing, and he’ll be on the zone shift, so it’s pretty important for me to have that type of guy on the ice,” Ruskowski said. “He just brings another dimension; he’s a solid winger who can do the job that we ask him to do. He’s probably one of the best defensive players in the league.”

Getting Agarunov back on the penalty kill is definitely key, but he could also be a boost to a power play that went 13-for-39 (an impressive 33.3%) in games he played and 4-for-22 (18%), including three 0-for games without him.

Agarunov has one goal and two assists in his six games this season, with that goal and one of the assists coming on the power play.

Goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur will start again tonight, making it five in a row, with his own four-game winning streak on the line.

Ruskowski said yesterday that Levasseur could also start tomorrow, but that all depends on how he feels at the morning skate.

If you can still stomach more information on tonight's game, check out Bryan Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

Also, Bucks fan Bill Balzar, who was also featured in our Time Out photo section this week, wrote a letter to the editor that ran yesterday about this weekends' games. Those of you who subscribe to the paper can read that here.

Oh, and those of you who were planning to donate blood tomorrow should know that the drive has been "canceled" (actually postponed to February) due to "unforeseen circumstances."

I'll be back to live blog tonight's game in a couple hours.

Practice Updates

As I guess a few of you found out via Bryan Benway's blog, practice yesterday wasn't exactly what Coach Ruskowski had hoped.

I can't say that was the first time I've seen him stop practice because he was upset, but he definitely was, and he skated the guys pretty hard and lectured them for a while because of it.

When I spoke to him after they got off the ice, he said the attitude and effort just weren't there, and he was disappointed, especially after having what he thought was a really good session on Tuesday (Monday's practice was optional and not very highly attended).

In case you've ever wondered what a coach tells his players in situations like those, here's the abridged version he repeated to me yesterday:

"I brought them aside because they weren't taking it seriously enough. I brought them aside, and I said, 'This is it,' and pointed up to the two championships (banners). I said, 'Those were the two hardest years we've ever had. Nothing good ever comes easy.' I just emphasized that (during those seasons) we practiced as hard as we played. There were altercations in practice because guys didn't want to get beaten. It was just one of those competitive things where they just wanted to be the best they could be, and until we get to that point, we're going to be struggling.

"I just wanted to emphasize that you play like you practice, and if we practice like we did today, we'll play the same way, and that way would not be successful. I told them that people look up to them, kids want to idolize them, and this is what you do? They have the best jobs in the world. They're not getting paid a whole lot, but on non-game days, I only ask for an hour and a half of hard work. I think a lot of guys would jump all over that."

After Ruskowski left the ice yesterday, player/assistant coach Jeff Bes and team captain Adam Rivet continued to talk to the other players for a little while, explaining the difference between practicing like people who don't care and practicing like champions.

When I spoke to Rivet after the practice, here's what he had to say about the problems yesterday and what he feels his role is in taking care of things like that:

"I just always have to be talking to the guys and, particularly, just make sure I'm working hard. If they see the guys who have been around here for a while working hard, they'll follow that lead. We just have to make sure the guys are going. The past few practices had been pretty good, up-tempo. Today started off pretty well, but there were a couple mishaps with some of the systems and I think a little frustration, and obviously we have two good teams coming in this weekend, so Terry's just trying to let the guys know you reap what you sow and on every drill that we're doing, we need to be working hard to make sure we're doing the system right."

Today was definitely a better day in that regard, and the players seemed to have a better grasp of what they'll be up against tomorrow and why they need to take it seriously.

"Today, the guys were a lot more lively and more into the practice," Ruskowski said. "We went over some things that we have to improve on to try to compete against Odessa."

Those things will be addressed in my preview that will run in tomorrow's Times, and I'll post the leftover quotes on here when I get a chance.

Some other notes from practices would include the fact that Neil Trimm, who was placed on the IR on Tuesday, was actually injured during the practice on Tuesday, not in a game prior to the fact.

He's on the 14-day IR, and his injury is apparently a pretty bad one of the "lower-body" nature.

Darryl Smith is sporting a bit of an injury himself but shouldn't miss any time; however, you will probably be seeing him play with a full cage attached to his helmet this weekend to protect his face.

Today's post-practice activities seemed to be an injury in the making as Mike Sgroi was teaching Robin Richards some mixed-martial arts moves... on skates. As we all know, nobody has been willing to fight Sgroi in a game yet, but apparently his teammate didn't feel the need to shy away from some sparring.

Speaking of Sgroi's MMA interests, I'm just realizing I never posted any of his YouTube videos from that arena. Here's one for you:



Meanwhile, I didn't make a post about it yesterday because I had known and stated on here previously that this would be happening, but forward Igor Agarunov was activated from the injured reserve and will play this weekend.

I assume those of you who are fans of the Bucks understand how crucial Agarunov can be to the team's success, so having him back for a weekend like the one approaching should be a big asset.

Trimm to the IR

I guess no one will need to be cut when Igor Agarunov comes off the injured reserve later this week, as Neil Trimm has been placed on the 14-day IR in his place.

That's a shame for Trimm, who seemed to be finding his groove as a strong forechecker and played a big role in the Bucks' first goal in their 3-2 shootout win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees on Sunday.

Speaking of that win, you can read more about it in my story from Monday's Times or Bryan Benway's recap.

I'll try to get back on here later to post some leftover quotes and notes from that game.

Game No. 11 - Bucks vs. Killer Bees

The Bucks are hosting the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for the third straight time in a matter of minutes. This is the Bucks' first game since their win over the Killer Bees on Wednesday, while the Killer Bees drove down here after beating the Texas Brahmas 5-2 last night and are playing their third game of a 3-in-3. I would tell you to check out my preview for more on the matchup, but apparently it's not online.

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

Starters: Bucks - Jeff Bes (F), Jean-Philippe Levasseur (G), Maxime Lincourt (F), Jarred Mohr (D), Adam Rivet (D), Darryl Smith (F); Killer Bees - Andy Franck (G), Aaron Lee (F), Zak McClellan (F), Sean Muncy (F), Jesse Perrin (D), Tom Sawatski (D).

First Period: There are actually more people here than I expected considering the fact that the Cowboys are playing right now. Still pretty empty, but better than I figured it would be. ... The little girl who sang the national anthem was absolutely precious. ... Neil Trimm took the first shot of the game about 90 seconds in, but it was stopped easily. The puck's already gone out of play a couple times. ... CHL referees sure do miss a lot of offsides calls. ... Gone a few minutes without any stoppages now. Play is back and forth across the ice, but the Bucks are the only ones who have had any chances. They're up 3-0 on shots. .. Eric Giosa is wearing his third different number as a member of the Bucks as he has traded in the 12 he had Wednesday night for No. 23. ... Lincourt just did some great forechecking to steal the puck and eventually got it to Evan Schwabe, who was alone in front of Franck but missed the net high. Best chance of the game so far. Killer Bees have gotten some shots, though, and the Bucks are now up 4-2 in that category. ... Bucks just generated another good chance when they managed to get the puck out with the Killer Bees all concentrated in the area in front of Levasseur, but Mike Sgroi kind of tripped himself up entering the Killer Bees' zone, and by the time Smith got the puck to take a shot, Franck was ready to stop it. ... Okay, there are actually more people here now than there have been at a few night games. Pretty surprising. ... Franck is standing tall again tonight. He's already made some impressive stops. A little over halfway into the period, Bucks are up 8-3 o shots. ... And now it's 8-4, but the Killer Bees' last shot is the only one that counts so far. Jesse Bennefield and Grant Goeckner-Zoeller broke into the Bucks' zone, and Bennefield easily snapped the puck past Levasseur, who probably wasn't sure which one of those two he should be watching. ... Justin Styffe and Lee were tangled up out there for a bit, shoving each other around, but the refs seem to be blowing mostly everything off so far in this one. ... You'd really think the Bucks would have some more jump considering how well-rested they are; they haven't even practiced since Friday. But maybe all the playing time kept the Killer Bees in a better game mode. Not saying the Bucks are slacking, but they are acting a bit lifeless since that goal. ... Well, yikes. Styffe just flew into the net, and Franck, who seems to have some beef with him anyway, starting shoving him around. Obviously, this kid isn't one to not stand up for himself, so when Mike Harr started pushing him, too, they went at it. Styffe did his usual skull-cracking routine but got it done a lot quicker against someone who is not usually much of a pugilist. Speaking of the whole Styffe-Franck thing, Styffe did say that Franck's trip of him following his shorthanded goal on Wednesday was definitely intentional. Both players are being sent to the locker room, as there are only 4:38 left in the period. Five for fighting apiece and nothing more. ... Giosa just had a great individual effort to create a chance for the Bucks, but Franck stopped his shot. ... The Killer Bees left Bes completely alone around their blue line during a change, and Cody Hamilton sent him a long pass, giving Bes just enough time to get off a shot before the buzzer. But Franck stopped it. He's saved all 14 shots he's faced so far, while Levasseur has set aside five of six. End of the period, Killer Bees lead 1-0. ... By the way, Mike Looby, Robin Richards, Schwabe, Smith and Jeremy Swanson were the Bucks on the ice for Bennefield's goal, which is still listed as unassisted at this point. ... Forgot to mention, though I guess it's implied, that there was not a single penalty called in that period.

Second Period: First penalty of the game has been called 2:55 into the period, as Looby is headed to the box for interference to put the Killer Bees on their first power play. ... Bucks had a great chance shorthanded, but Bes and Smith collided coming up the ice and weren't able to get in on the net. Schwabe came on the ice and did get close, but his shot was stopped. ... Levasseur just batted a puck out of the air with his glove and almost sent it right back to the Killer Bees but escaped that situation no worse for the wear. ... Lee's stick just broke on a hard shot, and part of it is still hanging out over in the Bucks' end. That made quite a noise. ... The penalty has been killed. ... Well, Franck certainly isn't going to like Styffe any more now, as he just played a big role in Giosa tying the game for the Bucks with a goal at 7:34 in the period. Wow, and they showed footage of that trip from the other night on the jumbotron just to rub it in. Good forechecking by Trimm to get the puck to Styffe, who made Harr look invisible with a great centering pass to Giosa, who put the puck in the perfect spot for his first goal with the Bucks. Game tied 1-1. ... Swanson just made a great play 1-on-1 with Goeckner-Zoeller to prevent a scoring chance without taking a penalty. Play has really picked up the past few minutes. ... Levasseur just made a stop only to have the puck trickle through his pads and toward the goal line, but Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel was there to knock it out. Guess the defensemen got the memo about staying home and doing their jobs. ... Lines are getting shuffled like nobody's business right now. Lincourt, who I thought was looking decent with the top line, is out there with Giosa and Sgroi. ... I think another Buck just made Franck his enemy, as Giosa has his second goal of the game after driving the net and knocking the puck into it off his body on a pretty quick break from one end to the other. Giosa took the puck into the Killer Bees' zone, made a quick pass to Sgroi, then got the puck back just in time to knock it in. Franck seemed to try to bear hug him after the fact. Can't imagine he's too thrilled right now. Bucks up 25-15 on shots, by the way. Oh, and they're giving Looby the second assist. Bucks lead 2-1. ... Lincourt getting on that line has led to Lance Monych re-joining Bes and Smith on the top one. ... And now Lincourt and Sgroi are out with Schwabe. ... It appears there are some issues with the Pointstreak box score, but I assure you that the Bucks are up 2-1 with 5:43 to play in the second, not down 1-0 with 4:38 to play in the first. ... Schwabe just poked a loose puck from the crease into the net, but the goal has been waved off. Bucks won't let that go without a fight, but the refs are saying there was a high stick prior to the shot. ... Giosa just beat Topher Scott on a faceoff, then knocked his opponent to the ground. Seems like scoring made the kid a bit feisty. Nothing dirty, Scott probably just wasn't expecting any contact and was thus fell pretty easily. ... Bennefield just came close to making this yet another two-goal game for him against the Bucks, but Levasseur was able to make the save and hold onto the puck, setting up a faceoff in his own zone. ... Sawatski just took a shot from near the point that almost seemed to flutter into the net but actually hit the post and fell into the outside of the netting. ... The Styffe-Giosa-Trimm line is back together and was out there for a while as the period winded down. The Killer Bees got a couple chances at the end but no goals. Giosa and Styffe are skating off the ice bent over and looking winded, but I guess being out there for a long shift like that will do that to you. End of the period, Bucks lead 2-1, up 26-20 on shots. ... We've gotten through 40 minutes with only one penalty called by Tom Steinel. Well, unless you count the fighting majors.

Third Period: Couple good stops by Franck already early in the final period, as Schwabe got a decent shot off from the slot less than a minute in and Bes sent Monych a perfect centering feed just now at about the 3-minute mark, but both shots were saved. ... Now about seven minutes in, a few decent chances for both teams but no goals. ... Joel Irving nearly changed that with a good shot off a nice feed by Andrew Schembri, but Levasseur stepped up to the challenge and made the save. ... Bes somehow managed to hold onto the puck with two Killer Bees defenders on him, but his attempted behind-the-back pass to Smith moving into the zone missed his stick. ... Looby just blocked a pretty hard shot with his chest and dropped to the ice at the next whistle, but he's up now and seems to be okay. ... Second minor penalty of the game has been called against Harr at 10:24 in the period. He'll go to the box for tripping, giving the Bucks their first power play of the game over 50 minutes of playing time into it. ... That did not look like a power play at all. Maybe the Bucks forgot what those are supposed to be like considering how long it's been since they had one. ... Irving headed to the box with 2:19 to play for holding, but the Bucks won't be getting a power play, as Mohr took a roughing call in response. At least I think those are the penalties... that's what was initially said, but not what I just heard over the PA system. With Pointstreak down, it's kind of difficult to find out. It'll be 4-on-4 for almost the rest of regulation. ... Killer Bees are taking their time out with 39.5 seconds left, and they'll be going into the next faceoff with Franck on the bench. ... Not going to lie, I kind of hate Bennefield right now. He just tied it, which means I will be missing at least some of my Colts game. Anyway, Bennefield tipped in a puck that had bounced off the boards on a slap shot by Shaun Landolt. Daymen Rycroft gets the second assist. Game tied 2-2. ... Overtime, here we come again.

Overtime: This is the third straight time these teams have gone into overtime. You'd think the Killer Bees, playing their third in actually less than three days and going into OT would be tired, but we'll see if the Bucks can take advantage of anything like that at all. ... Smith just got called for holding to give the Killer Bees a one-minute 4-on-3 power play with 3:48 left in the OT period. ... Killer Bees just got a chance similar to the one on which Bennefield tied the game with the puck bouncing around of the boards, but they couldn't do anything with that one. ... Penalty killed. ... Seriously, can these teams play at the LEC without going into a shootout? Guess not.

Shootout: Bucks opt to shoot first. ... Smith going first. Nice shot, scored five-hole. Bucks up 1-0 in the shootout. ... Schembri up first for the Killer Bees. Tried to fake Levasseur out and failed, as he made a right pad save. ... Bes next. Snap shot right into Franck's pads. ... Muncy up now. Shot grazed off Levasseur's pad. ... Giosa up now with the Bucks leading 1-0. Wow, that was a very nifty little goal. Nice stick-handling, and he got it in five-hole, too. Bucks up 2-0. ... Bennefield needs to score here to keep the next shooter from having an opportunity to win it. No goal. ... Schwabe has a chance to close it out. Franck made a glove save to keep that from happening. ... Rycroft misses high to end the game.

Game Over: Bucks win 3-2 in the shootout. Again. They improve to 7-2-2 (16 points), while the Killer Bees fall to 6-4-2 (14 points).