Monday, March 16, 2009

Game No. 61 - Bucks at IceRays

Sebastien Centomo and Kris Tebbs (surprise, surprise) are your starting goaltenders.

First Period: Mickey Gilchrist put the IceRays on the game's first power play with a tripping call at the 2-minute mark. The IceRays' success against the Bucks has often depended on their special teams, so let's see how this goes. ... You can also follow most of what I'll be able to tell you about this game here. ... Right when I was wondering if anything was going to happen that I could actually see in the box score, Chris Shaffer took a hooking call at 7:53, and Darryl Smith turned that opportunity into a power-play goal at 8:58. Bucks lead 1-0, Erick Lizon (On the top power-play unit?) and Serge Dube had the assists. ... End of the period, Bucks still lead 1-0, but the IceRays are up 10-6 on shots. Maybe giving Centomo some serious competition by starting Martin against the Texas Brahmas has had the desired effect. ... Okay, the Bucks' shot total just got upped to eight.

Second Period: An Adam Rivet hooking penalty at 7:57 is the first thing to pop up on the box score for the middle stanza. Well, other than the Bucks outshooting the IceRays 3-2 to start it. ... The power play killed the shot lead, as the IceRays took two to go up 4-3 on shots in the period. ... Chris Richards went to the box for high-sticking at the 11-minute mark, but nothing doing on that power play. ... Bucks will take that 1-0 lead into the second intermission now. IceRays outshot them 8-7 in the period and are up 18-15 on shots for the game.

Third Period: Steve Weidlich and Igor Agarunov took simultaneous penalties (for roughing and hooking, respectively) at 4:46 in the period to put the IceRays on a 2-minute 5-on-3. Justin Quenneville needed 1:09 of that to tie the game with a goal assisted by Richards. ... Still tied up at the end of regulation, so the Bucks and IceRays will each be getting at least one of the points they need to secure their desired playoff spots. ... IceRays outshot the Bucks 11-7 in the final period of regulation.

Overtime: Two shots for the IceRays, one for the Bucks, and that's about it. Shootout time.

Shootout: Smith scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Bucks a 2-1 win. Nice way to open the week that will likely end in him being named Rookie of the Year. Jason Dixon, Brent Cullaton and James Hiebert were up before him, while Centomo stopped Adam Powell, Jereme Tendler, Richards and the newest IceRay Nick Romano before Smith's goal, then stopped Quenneville to give the Bucks the win.

Game Over: Bucks win 2-1, improve to 34-22-5 (73 points) and are within one point of clinching the No. 3 seed. A Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees' loss to the Odessa Jackalopes tomorrow night would do it, or the Bucks will have to take care of business themselves later in the week. Coach Ruskowski is up to 499 career coaching wins.

NHL Scores: Thrashers 5, Capitals 1.

Game Day No. 61

The most important thing heading into tonight is that the Bucks' magic number to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Southern Conference is down to three points.

That means with a win tonight and anything but a regulation loss in one of their three remaining games, the Bucks can clinch that seed without any help from the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.

The Bucks (33-22-5, 71 points) are six points up on the Killer Bees (32-24-5, 65 pts.) with four games to play (three for the Killer Bees), but as previously noted, they need to have more wins than the Killer Bees if points end up tied, so getting three points and moving up to 74, which is unattainable for the Killer Bees, is the easiest means to the end the Bucks want.

On the other side of things, the IceRays could knock the Arizona Sundogs out of contention for the conference's fifth spot with a win of their own tonight, as they would reach 28-29-5 (61 pts.), meaning the best the Sundogs (26-31-5, 57 pts. with two games to play) could do would be tie them but then lose the tiebreaker due to the IceRays thus having more regulation wins.

The New Mexico Scorpions (26-32-3, 55 pts. with three games to play) would still have a small chance of taking that spot away if the IceRays win tonight but lose their last two games and the Scorpions win out, which would leave them with the same number of points as the IceRays but more regulation wins.

Greg Rajan has more on all that and the other ways the IceRays could reach the postseason.

Tonight is also a chance for Coach Ruskowski to move to career coaching win No. 499, which could mean No. 500 will come at home during the two-game series with the Texas Brahmas this week.

You can read Bryan Benway's preview, Greg's preview for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Pointstreak pre-game notes for more info on tonight's game, which I will try to live blog.

And now, some long overdue scores, mostly for my own peace of mind...

CHL Scores from Saturday, March 7: Gorillas 5, Rage 2; RiverKings 6, Mudbugs 2; Brahmas 5, Jackalopes 3; Blazers 4, Scorpions 3 (SO); Oilers 6, Thunder 5; Killer Bees 4, Sundogs 3 (SO); Eagles 6, Rush 5.

NHL Scores from Saturday, March 7: Bruins 5, Blackhawks 3; Islanders 7, Devils 3; Kings 4, Wild 3; Panthers 5, Blues 3; Blue Jackets 8, Red Wings 2; Oilers 4, Maple Leafs 1; Flyers 4, Predators 1; Senators 6, Sabres 3; Hurricanes 9, Lightning 3; Canucks 3, Sharks 1.

CHL Scores from Sunday, March 8: IceRays 4, Bucks 1; Jackalopes 3, RiverKings 2.

NHL Scores from Sunday, March 8: Rangers 4, Bruins 3; Penguins 4, Capitals 3 (SO); Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 1; Thrashers 5, Flames 2; Islanders 3, Coyotes 2; Canadiens 3, Stars 1; Wild 3, Ducks 2.

NHL Scores from Monday, March 9: Hurricanes 3, Rangers 0; Senators 2, Maple Leafs 1; Kings 3, Canucks 2.

CHL Scores from Tuesday, March 10: Killer Bees 2, Bucks 1; Mudbugs 2, Brahmas 1; Blazers 3, Oilers 2.

NHL Scores from Tuesday, March 10: Blue Jackets 2, Bruins 0; Flyers 5, Sabres 2; Devils 3, Flames 2; Canadiens 4, Oilers 3 (OT); Penguins 4, Panthers 3 (SO); Maple Leafs 3, Islanders 2 (OT); Red Wings 3, Coyotes 2 (OT); Capitals 2, Predators 1 (OT); Sharks 5, Wild 4 (OT); Blues 5, Stars 2; Thrashers 3, Avalanche 0.

CHL Score from Wednesday, March 11: Sundogs 3, Gorillas 2.

NHL Scores from Wednesday, March 11: Senators 3, Lightning 2 (OT); Blackhawks 3, Hurricanes 2 (SO); Ducks 4, Canucks 3 (OT).

CHL Score from Thursday, March 12: Jackalopes 7, IceRays 5.

NHL Scores from Thursday, March 12: Sabres 3, Panthers 1; Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (SO); Devils 5, Coyotes 2; Bruins 5, Senators 3; Capitals 2, Flyers 1; Flames 6, Red Wings 5 (SO); Islanders 3, Canadiens 2 (OT); Lightning 4, Maple Leafs 1; Rangers 4, Predators 2; Blues 3, Sharks 1; Stars 3, Hurricanes 2; Avalanche 2, Wild 1 (SO); Thrashers 4, Oilers 3 (OT).

CHL Scores from Friday, March 13: Bucks 6, Gorillas 1; IceRays 1, Killer Bees 0; RiverKings 3, Mudbugs 2; Brahmas 5, Thunder 2; Sundogs 5, Scorpions 3; Rush 3, Oilers 2; Eagles 7, Rage 3.

NHL Scores from Friday, March 13: Blue Jackets 5, Blackhawks 3; Canucks 4, Kings 2.

CHL Scores from Saturday, March 14: IceRays 4, Killer Bees 1; RiverKings 3, Mudbugs 2; Bucks 2, Brahmas 0; Jackalopes 7, Thunder 3; Eagles 9, Gorillas 0; Blazers 3, Rush 2 (SO); Oilers 6, Rage 5 (OT); Scorpions 3, Sundogs 1.

NHL Scores from Saturday, March 14: Flyers 4, Rangers 2; Bruins 2, Islanders 1; Red Wings 5, Blues 2; Senators 4, Penguins 3 (SO); Maple Leafs 8, Flames 6; Thrashers 4, Sabres 3 (SO); Capitals 5, Hurricanes 4 (SO); Devils 3, Canadiens 1; Lightning 4, Panthers 3 (SO); Stars 3, Wild 2 (OT); Predators 2, Coyotes 0; Avalanche 3, Oilers 2 (OT); Sharks 2, Kings 1 (OT).

Yesterday's CHL Scores: Jackalopes 5, Gorillas 2; Killer Bees 5, Mudbugs 3; Scorpions 2, Oilers 1; Brahmas 3, Thunder 1; Eagles 3, Blazers 0.

Yesterday's NHL Scores: Rangers 4, Flyers 1; Penguins 6, Bruins 4; Islanders 4, Blackhawks 2; Red Wings 4, Blue Jackets 0; Blues 5, Wild 3; Sharks 1, Ducks 0; Canucks 4, Avalanche 0.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Pack the House for Charity, Part 2

Very sorry for not getting this up on Wednesday, but the Bucks announced that afternoon that they will be hosting "Pack the House for Charity" night again for their first playoff game.

Obviously, they are unsure as of yet when that first game will be, but it could be as early as next Monday (March 23), so hopefully everyone can get out and buy tickets before then!

As with last year's event, Border Lease Services and Laredo Energy (majority owner Glenn Hart's company) have purchased all of the tickets to the game so that the Bucks can sell them for $5 apiece and give the entirety of the profits to the South Texas Food Bank and Sacred Heart Children's Home.

You can read my story from the press conference on Wednesday and my co-worker Nick Georgiou's story about the event last year, which resulted in $10,000 being donated to each charity.

These are obviously two great causes, and the tickets are just $5. I'm tempted to buy some myself, but I'd have no idea who to give them to, and just buying them and throwing them away defeats the purpose to an extent. Any suggestions?

Maybe It's Something

I imagine I'm not the only one who thought the Bucks needed to beat the Amarillo Gorillas on Friday but wasn't all too impressed when they came out with a 6-1 victory.

Shutting out the Texas Brahmas? That's a different story.

Robert Keith of the Texas Brahmas Insider had this to say about the Bucks' 2-0 win last night:

Well, I didn't see a comfortable face in the NYTEX Sports Centre all night as the Brahmas probably had their worst game in the venue this season.

I didn't see the game, but I'm guessing the Bucks don't mind grabbing an "ugly win" at a time like this. In Robert's photo album from the game, there are some neat fight shots (and some pictures of a bloodied-up Nathan Saunders after his tussle with James Hiebert).

This is for some reason my favorite:


I find it amusing that all the officials are tangled up while Hiebert's over on the side with an "Oh no, you didn't" face on.

Coach Ruskowski has said all season long that this team is too soft, and it seems getting Hiebert back in his lineup may have been just what the doctor ordered.

Hiebert obviously loves throwing his body around and doesn't mind dropping the gloves one bit, and it seems to already be rubbing off on the players around him.

He was obviously a bit out of shape to start but seems to become more and more of a factor with each game he plays, nabbing his first assist on Friday and scoring his first goal last night.

Keep in mind, this is all before Rick Kozak comes back, and you know he's going to love to be a part of this more physical style of play. If he's not back tomorrow night, he definitely should be for the doubleheader against the Brahmas this week.

Of course, you can't disregard Igor Agarunov's part in the team's (very) recent success, as he is now at a career-high 18 goals for this season and four points shy of the 38 he had during the 2006-07 season. He has five points in the past three games.

Andrew Martin seems to have had a pretty good game last night, as he earned his first shutout with the Bucks by stopping all 25 shots from a team that has scored a division-high 211 goals this season.

I'm guessing that tomorrow's game against the Corpus Christi IceRays is still going to be a big one, as the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (31-24-5, 65 points) have a chance to move back within four points of the Bucks (33-22-5, 71 pts.) when they face the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs this afternoon.

Tomorrow, the Bucks are looking for three straight wins and also looking to beat the IceRays for the first time since Feb. 5.

As Greg Rajan has reported, the IceRays lost two defensemen in T.J. Reynolds and John Adams and picked up a forward in Nicholas Romano, who played in the IceRays' wins over the Killer Bees this weekend.

What the Bucks are probably more concerned with is the success that Jereme Tendler has had against them the few times he's played against them (with the IceRays and the Tulsa Oilers). He's had four goals and an assist for five points in three games, all at the LEC.

I'm going to close this post with the schedule for year-end award winner announcements, and I'm guessing Thursday will be the day that matters around here. Well, Tuesday, too.

Monday, March 16
Equipment Manager of the Year
Gunner Garrett Athletic Trainer of the Year

Tuesday, March 17
All-CHL Team
All-Rookie Team

Wednesday, March 18
Rick Kozuback Award
CHL’s Man of the Year

Thursday, March 19
CHL’s Coach of the Year
CHL’s Rookie of the Year

Friday, March 20
CHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman
CHL’s Most Outstanding Goaltender (Scott Brower Award)

Monday, March 23
Joe Burton Scoring Champion
CHL’s Most Valuable Player

Almost every vote I've heard about for MVP has been different, so I have to admit I'm curious to see who wins that one. I guess the other two major awards are also hard to peg, but not as hard as MVP. We'll see what happens.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Game No. 60 - Bucks at Brahmas

Winning last night was big for the Bucks, but tonight's shutout win over the Texas Brahmas is huge, especially with two home games against the Brahmas later this week.

The Bucks increased their lead for the No. 3 seed to six points with the win. Guess Coach Ruskowski chose the right goalie for this game.

Tonight's recap, courtesy of Bryan Benway:

Bucks, Martin Shutout Brahmas

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS - The Laredo Bucks shut out the Texas Brahmas 2-0 Saturday night at the NYTEX Sports Centre.

The Bucks' win coupled with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees' 4-1 loss to the Corpus Christi IceRays increases the Bucks lead to six points over the Bees for the third playoff spot in the Southern Conference.

The Bucks won their second game in a row to improve to 33-22-5 (71 points).
 
Andrew Martin picked up his first shutout of the season as he stopped all 25 Brahmas' shots to lead the Bucks to the win.
 
The Brahmas lost their second straight home game as they fall to 40-15-5 (85 points).
 
The Bucks jumped out in front for the second straight game when Igor Agarunov struck again.

Agarunov sent a rifle slap shot from the slot past Brett Jaeger to give Laredo a 1-0 lead 11:23 into the first. The goal was Agarunov’s 18th of the season.
 
It was just the 11th time the Bucks had scored first in their last 35 games.
 
Laredo is now 21-7 when scoring first this season.
 
The Bucks outshot the Brahmas 9-5 in the first period, with Texas not recording their first shot until seven minutes left in the period.
 
Laredo would increase its lead to 2-0 11:18 into the second when James Hiebert pulled up at the right circle on the power-play and slammed a slap shot past Jaeger. The goal was Hiebert’s first since returing to the Bucks.
 
The two teams combined for 47 penalty minutes in the second period, with Hiebert receiving a game misconduct penalty (Fighting aggresor) for fighting Nathan Saunders.
 
The Bucks were outshot 10-9 in the period.
 
The Brahmas pulled Jaeger for the final 1:30 of the game to try and tie the score, but could not get the equalizer.
 
The win gives Bucks President/General Manager and Head Coach Terry Ruskowski his 498th career coaching win.
 
Laredo outshot the Brahmas 26-25, with Jaeger stopping 24 of 26 Bucks shots.
 
The Bucks conclude their four-game road trip Monday night at Corpus Christi.


More on this and Monday's game tomorrow.