Saturday, January 30, 2010

Game No. 40 - Bucks vs. IceRays

Starters: Bucks - Kevin Desfosses (G), Kevin Dieude-Fauvel (D), Todd Griffith (F), Jay Holladay (D), Robin Richards (F), Neil Trimm (F); IceRays - Kurtis Dulle (D), R.G. Flath (F), Morgan MacLean (F), Adam Powell (F), Kris Tebbs (G), Jason Tessier (D).

First Period: Curtis Billsten is back in No. 12 tonight, and Mark O'Leary is out of the lineup. Can't say I know why, but I'll ask about that later if I have time to go downstairs after the game and before the Bucks leave for Odessa. ... Bucks get the first power play of the game 59 seconds into it, as Darryl Smith managed to draw a penalty skating in on Tebbs with Jeff Bes. Ryan Garbutt is in the box for hooking. ... Billsten got the best chance of that one so far when he took a shot Tebbs wasn't able to fully control, but he couldn't get in to knock in his own rebound before Tebbs gathered the puck. ... Eric Giosa just missed the net on a slapper for which Dieude-Fauvel battled into the zone to get the puck to him. ... As of this point, the IceRays fans in the LEC are definitely louder than the Bucks fans. ... According to the scoreboard, the Bucks hold a 7-0 advantage on shots as of 4:18 in the period, but there was a shot that Desfosses had to stop that just hasn't been recognized by the off-ice officials for some reason. ... The first one that was noted just came, about 4:40 into the period. Pad save by Desfosses. ... Both teams have missed the net wide on a couple slap shots so far, and shots on goal are now 7-4. ... Holladay just did a great job on a 2-on-1 for the IceRays, knocking the puck away from right out front of his goalie. ... Not sure what Bes was trying to do when he just went in 1-on-1 with Tebbs and flipped the puck straight up in the air, but that was arguably the best chance of the night so far. ... IceRays get their first power play with Dieude-Fauvel going to the box for hooking at 7:57. ... First goal of the game is a shortie for the second night in a row, as Looby knocked one in just seconds after a faceoff to give the Bucks a 1-0 lead at 9:04 in the period. Trimm won that faceoff, then Billsten deflected it over to Looby, who rocketed it past Tebbs. Desfosses looks more excited about the goal than any of the skaters involved in scoring it, haha. ... Defenseman Paul Elliott just helped Desfosses keep a loose puck that as creeping toward the goal line from crossing it. Close call there. ... Penalty killed. ... Greg Rajan has just informed me that Looby's goal was the first the Bucks have scored on the IceRays in 139:17 of play between the teams. ... Shots have been going back and forth since they knotted up for the first time at 7 and are now 12-11 in favor of the IceRays. ... Maxime Lincourt just took himself out flying into his own goalie's net and slammed Justin Quenneville into the boards, where the two of them fell into a heap for a few seconds. They both seem to be fine, though. ... Smith is looking more like the frustrated player he had been earlier in the season again tonight. He fell behind on one play to get in a shoving match and just slammed his stick into the boards in anger after a play was called offsides. ... Quenneville and Chad Woollard just tried to score on a two-man tic-tac-toe play, but Woollard ended up in the net instead of the puck. ...Bucks get their second power play at 16:11 in the period as Matt Smyth goes to the box for cross-checking Smith into the boards behind the IceRays' net. ... The second power play unit is coming out first because most of the top unit was on the ice for the penalty, and they are generating much better chances than the first does most of the time. ... Well, a random mix of guys from the first and second units has managed to score a goal, one of the "garbage" variety with several players hacking away at a loose puck in the crease, at 18:09 in the period. Robin Richards was the one who knocked it in, and Bes is getting the primary assist for his initial shot on goal. Smith is getting the secondary. That might change if it turns out someone else got a stick on the puck in the crease before Richards knocked it home. Bucks lead 2-0 with 1:51 to play in the period. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 2-0, shots tied at 16. Is it just me, or did that period seem to take forever? ... Apparently Garbutt took a penalty for taking the puck out of the net following Richards's goal and shooting it? Ten-minute no-category misconduct. They were very subtle about that somehow.

Second Period: The IceRays are on the board, as Kyle Peto knocked in a rebound from a shot by Woollard just 1:16 into the second. Chad Costello gets the secondary assist on that one. Bucks lead 2-1. ... And now it is tied, as MacLean deflected a puck past Desfosses from the side of the crease to which he was not paying attention. Powell and Smyth get the assists. Game tied 2-2 at 3:38 in the period. ... Everyone in attendance just got to witness a pathetic display of defense by Dieude-Fauvel and Holladay, who both lost a race to the puck against Powell, who started off well behind the two of them, and couldn't even keep him from scoring. I'm sure Desfosses feasibly could have stopped that himself, but those guys practically seemed to give up on the play. They aren't giving any assists yet, but MacLean had stolen the puck on a drop pass by Lincourt intended for Smith in the Bucks' offensive zone. ... Coach Ruskowski called a time out after that goal, but Desfosses is staying in the game. ... Kind of ironic that after being praised for finally keeping a lead last night, the Bucks go from being up 2-0 to down 3-2 in a matter of 5:25. ... Tessier is headed to the box for hooking to put the Bucks on the first power play of the period at 8:30. ... Okay, I guess Richards is just a member of the top power play unit at this point. Not sure what he's supposed to bring if he keeps failing to corral the passes Bes and Smith send his way, but if they would just shoot more, he might do some more good. ... Unwilling to be responsible for another goal being allowed, Holladay just took a holding penalty at 11:10 to put the IceRays on their first power play of the period not long after the Bucks came off theirs. ... The IceRays just put on a bit of a skills show, leading to a slap shot from the point by Dulle, but Desfosses deflected that out of play. ... Penalty killed. ... Smyth just blasted a shot right by Desfosses to make it 4-2 in favor of the IceRays at 16:16. Chris Richards and Ryan Bennett get the assists. ... During a delayed penalty call, Igor Agarunov went down in the corner boards and has yet to get up. Play kept going around him, so Bobby Moore couldn't run to his side until a whistle blew. He is getting up slowly, but seems very disoriented. ... Okay, Agarunov just skated back to the bench, so I guess he wants to think he's okay. I'll keep you posted as to how many shifts he plays in the third, but with only 1:14 left in the second, I don't expect to see him out there again. ... Oh, the penalty was slashing on Quenneville, by the day. Bucks on the power play. ... Not anymore, as Robin Richards just took out Tebbs, knocking off his mask in the process, sending himself to the box for roughing with 1:33 to go on Quenneville's penalty. ... People are just wiping out into the boards left and right, with Griffith just sending himself in hard on an attempted check gone awry. Took him a minute to gather himself from that one. ... After the whistle, we have some yelling and shoving, with Elliott the most verbally violent aggressor. Interesting. ... End of the period, IceRays lead 4-2, up 27-26 on shots.

Third Period: The Bucks just do not look good right now. Garbutt has scored to make it 5-2 at 2:49 in the period, with some guys already well in the minus column for the Bucks on the ice. Bennett gets the primary assist, and it seems Chris Richards should get a secondary eventually. ... Flukey goal makes it 5-3 as a shot by Smith got caught up on Tebbs then flew into the net behind him at 3:44. Appropriately, the guys did not celebrate very much; we'll see if they can string something more together. Looby has what is currently the lone assist. ... Lincourt just hit the crossbar. ... IceRays get a power play with Robin Richards headed to the box for holding at 8:59. ... Nothing happened there, and now the Bucks get one with Powell off for tripping at 11:57. ... Bucks will get 1:12 of a 5-on-3 now with Bennett joining Powell in the box at 12:45 on a hooking call. ... The pushing and shoving to follow stoppages in play has taken a bit of a violent turn, with some punches thrown on the last one, but no penalties are being called. ... Mohr just lost the puck trying to pull a spin move against the wall moving into the Bucks' zone, giving up a 2-on-1 break for Quenneville and Later. Quenneville carreid the puck up and shot it himself, Desfosses stopped it, and Later then crashed into him, which prompted Rivet to look for a penalty. Pretty sad for a team on a 5-on-3 to give up a 2-on-1. The power play definitely needs work. ... Quenneville was just destroyed on the boards by Griffith, and he is not getting up. Yet again, the ref missed the fact that a player was down and let play continue. ... Quenneville was just helped up by the IceRays' trainer and seemed to shove her away as he skated toward the bench. Let's assume that means he's a bit disoriented. ... Sorry I forgot to post this before, but Agarunov has not been on the ice this period, and I am fairly certain he is not on the bench. ... More words and shoves being exchanged, and Lincourt seems pretty unhappy as he mouths off at Flath right now. ... Bucks have pulled Desfosses. ... Garbutt just knocked in an empty-netter at 18:55 to make it 6-3. The IceRays fans in attendance certainly seem happy. ... Robin Richards decided now was a good time to jump Powell right off a faceoff. He landed one punch that brought Powell to the ground, then that got broken up. If Richards was going to do something like that, he should have done it sooner. Powell now has a Gordie Howe hat trick tonight. ... Richards got two for roughing, two for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct in addition to the five for fighting.

Game Over: Bucks lose 6-3, dropping their sixth straight to the IceRays, to fall to 19-14-7 (45 points). IceRays improve to 17-18-6 (40 points). No time for quotes, but I'm pretty sure I know what Ruskowski would have to say after that effort.