Sunday Evening

The Bucks are probably resting happily on the bus right now after going to Prescott Valley and sweeping their 2-game series against the Arizona Sundogs in spite of the majority of the team (and staff) having colds and being a bit downtrodden after two poor efforts to end that 7-game homestand.

I wasn't able to watch the majority of each game for various reasons, but I did keep up with them, and it seems the third period in Friday's 5-4 win and the first two in Saturday's 5-2 win had to have been some of the best the Bucks have had this season. The first two on Friday and the third on Saturday are probably going to get some complaints, though, but I'm going to wait until tomorrow to find out because I think Coach Ruskowski deserves a break.

With those wins, the Bucks improved to 12-5-0 on the season, and their 24 points have them in first place in the Southeast Division, just ahead of the Texas Brahmas with 23 (11-5-1). The Bucks are also tied with the Odessa Jackalopes (11-5-2) atop the Southern Conference standings after the Jackalopes swept their weekend games, finally winning one at home.

Oddly enough, the New Mexico Scorpions came out of that 6-2 loss to the Jackalopes and went to Oklahoma City to hand the Blazers just their second regulation loss of the season. Considering the way the Scorpions and Blazers had each been playing, that results kind of stunned me last night, and Bob Przybylo didn't seem any less surprised, as he called thefirst two periods "the worst 40 minutes I’ve seen." Seems the third period wasn't much better.

In Wichita, the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees took a 2-0 lead, let the Thunder tie it, took another lead, let the Thunder tie it, then scored with 21 seconds left in the game to grab a 4-3 win, their first regulation victory since Nov. 14.

Killer Bees winger Trevor Weisgerber left late in the game after being knocked unconscious, as noted in Vice President of Communications Rich Bocchini's press release. I didn't think too much of that, as I've seen it happen a few times and the guys be back at practice the next day, but I guess Weisgerber was a bit more shaken up than I expected, as Brian Sandalow posted an update on his condition today. If it was really that bad, I'm glad I wasn't watching that game. Hopefully Weisberger's flight home was a pleasant one. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

One game I would have liked to see was the Mississippi RiverKings' 1-0 win over the Corpus Christi IceRays, which Greg Rajan certainly seemed to enjoy. When the goalies get the first two stars in a game, you know it was a good one...and that the person choosing the three stars isn't preoccupied with flashy scoring or flying fists. Too bad only 2,749 fans were on hand for that one.
The Rapid City Rush had a bit of a better turnout for their home opener, in spite of the early start and the impending lights parade. In addition to the fans, the Rush had at least two reporters from the Rapid City Journal at the game, and Jim Holland and Jeff Budlong were clearly, and understandably, impressed.

Anyway, I know I probably talk a bit too much about the Penguins on here, all things considered, but I just feel obligated to share Sidney Crosby's hat trick from last night.




That first goal was insane. And who thought an empty netter could ever be remotely interesting? Awesome stuff.

The CHL is off today, while in the NHL, the Florida Panthers shut out the New York Rangers in a 4-0 win, the St. Louis Blues beat the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2, the puck just dropped between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars, and the Anaheim Ducks are at the Carolina Panthers in about an hour.

There was not a single OT game last night in the NHL or the CHL, which is pretty rare this season, especially for the NHL. But anyway, it's time to finish watching a team I dislike (the Pittsburgh Steelers) beat a team I hate (the New England Patriots). I'll update all scores when they go final.

NHL Scores: Panthers 4, Rangers 0; Blues 4, Thrashers 2; Stars 4, Oilers 3; Ducks 4, Hurricanes 1.

Game No. 17 - Bucks at Sundogs

As was the case last night, the Bucks will be starting a little later than we're used to, so I'll just post other scores in the meanwhile, though probably not as frequently. I hate it when I can only listen to the Pens' games and Crosby scores "impossible" goals. Le sigh! Okay, hate is probably the wrong word, but someone better YouTube that.

You can follow the Bucks game on Pointstreak, watch it on Nifty or read about it here.

First Period: In an odd twist, rookie backup Ryan Gibb is starting again tonight. Maybe he was so good in the third period last night that Coach Ruskowski couldn't bear to bench him tonight...or maybe something is wrong with Sebastien Centomo and no one is letting the word out. Joe Gistedt is starting again for the Sundogs, as well. ... The Bucks have taken an early lead on Igor Agarunov's first goal since Nov. 8. It was assisted by Bobby Russell, which means it came during a line change or the lines are being tweaked. Bucks lead 1-0 less than a minute into the game. ... Alex Goupil has been called for cross-checking to give the Sundogs the first power play of the game at 5:11 in the period. ... The penalty has been killed, and either Arizona's Poinstreak people don't like updating shots or only one has been made in the first 7:26 of this game, that one being Agarunov's goal. ... Okay, shots are up to two for the Bucks and three for the Sundogs as of 9:12 in the period. ... Bucks get their first power play as Kyle Hood has been called for high sticking just past the halfway mark of the period. ... The Bucks made the most of that advantage, adding to their lead on a goal by Serge Dube at 11:34 in the period. Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith had the assists. Bucks lead 2-0. ... Over in Penguins land, Crosby just went to the box for roughing 6-foot-5, 230-pound Mike Rupp (who earned an identical penalty). As much as those situations are worrisome, they're a little bit awesome, too. ... Three simultaneous penalties at 16:19 in the period have put the Sundogs on their second power play. Dube and Karl Sellan were called for roughing, while Joey Olson got nabbed for interference. ... I think Poinstreak is confused because it has Olson scoring a shorthanded goal while being in the penalty box. But, it did happen after his penalty expired, so who knows. Bes has the only assist for now, and the Bucks lead 3-0. They must really want to be able to watch TV on the bus tonight. ... Rick Kozak and Sellan duked it out to end the period (well, with eight seconds to play), and Kozak picked up a roughing penalty in addition to five for fighting, so the Sundogs will start the second period on a power play. Bucks lead 3-0 heading into the first intermission in spite of being outshot 11-9. The shorthanded tag has been taken away from Olson's goal, so it seems he really did finally score his first as a Buck. Good for him. He's been skating his butt off and playing fairly fearlessly in spite of his size; it had to pay off eventually.

Second Period: Rookie defenseman Devin Featherstone has tacked on another one for the Bucks at 6:18 in the period, assisted by Jason Dixon and Goupil. The goal was scored during the Bucks' second power play, created by a tripping call against Chris Bartolone, making them 2-for-2 on the advantage tonight. Bucks lead 4-0. ... Sellan sure seems to be a fighting mood tonight, as he has just dropped the gloves with Steve Weidlich at 8:37 in the period. ... Okay, apparently everyone is in a fighting mood. I have to pull wire stories and photos, so I'm not going to list all the penalties right now, but it seems things are getting feisty at Tim's Toyota Center. Bucks still hold a 4-o lead with 5:11 to play in the period. ... Make that 4-0 heading into the second intermission. This game is kinda taking a while; I hope it finishes before our deadline. Shots are even at 19. ... Okay, now they're not. Bucks are up 22-21 on shots, having taken 13 to the Sundogs' 10 in the period.

Third Period: Sorry for the recent delay in updates; things are always busier as deadline approaches. Smith has scored a goal of his own to put the Bucks up 5-0. Erick Lizon had the assist. ... The Sundogs have finally gotten in the board at 15:26 in the period, as Mark Kolanos scored during a power play created by a roughing penalty against none other than Gibb. Guess he can't blame anyone but himself for creating that opportunity. Sellan and Jon Landry had the assists. Bucks lead 5-1 with 4:34 to play in the game. ... Make that 5-2, as the Sundogs netted another one just 33 seconds after the first. Something certainly messed with Gibb's concentration. Adam Perry scored this one, on an assist from Cory Stillman.

Game Over: Bucks win 5-2, improve to 12-5-0 (24 points) and retain their Southeast Division lead. Gibb saved 31 of 33 shots and had a shutout up until the final five minutes.

Other Scores: Rush 4, Eagles 0; RiverKings 1, IceRays 0; Scorpions 3, Blazers 0; Killer Bees 4, Thunder 3; Oilers 6, Jackalopes 4; Brahmas 5, Mudbugs 1; Gorillas 3, Rage 2.

NHL Scores: Oilers 4, Blues 2; Kings 5, Blackhawks 2; Islanders 4, Senators 2; Blue Jackets 2, Capitals 0; Bruins 4, Red Wings 1; Canadiens 3, Sabres 2; Maple Leafs 3, Flyers 1; Penguins 4, Devils 1; Wild 6, Predators 2; Avalanche 4, Lightning 3; Sharks 3, Coyotes 2; Flames 3, Canucks 1.

Game Day No. 17

Coming off a big comeback win last night, the Bucks will look to sweep the weekend series with the Sundogs tonight in another matchup at Tim's Toyota Center.

Bryan Benway blogged about last night's win and also has a preview for tonight's game. The part of the blog that I found most intriguing was also the part that is most expectable.

But, as you can imagen (sic), coach was not completely happy with the W last night.

There are still some things that he wants his team to improve on, like being physical, and passing better. When you do those things well, you have a better chance to win.

I hope the fans enjoy having their team coached by a man who never settles as much as I enjoy the fact that Coach Ruskowski never sugarcoats things when I talk to him. If I notice a mistake, I can bet he's going to point it out after the fact. The only way to really succeed is to never be satisfied, and it's nice that he's honest about it.

As mentioned last night, the Bucks' win improved their record to 11-5-0 (22 points), put them back in first place in the Southeast Division and moved them into a tie with the Odessa Jackalopes (10-5-2, 22) for first in the Southern Conference.

Their closest divisional competition, the Texas Brahmas (10-5-1, 21) take on the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (10-4-2, 22) in Bossier City tonight, with the 'Bugs coming off a 4-3 win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (7-5-2, 16), who have dropped three in a row and are in Kansas to face the Wichita Thunder (6-10-1, 13) tonight.

Last but not least, as far as the Southeast Division goes, the Corpus Christi IceRays (6-7-1, 13) will host the Mississippi RiverKings (10-8-0, 20) tonight for the second time in two days and the third in a week.

I mentioned last night how perplexing I found the fact that the IceRays have beaten the RiverKings twice, with RiverKings' wins over the Bucks and Killer Bees sandwiched between the losses, but I guess the IceRays deserve some credit for that. According to Greg Rajan's game story, they "caught fire" in the third, which kinda sounds exactly like what the RiverKings did against the Bucks.

There was a bit of a controversy in the IceRays' 3-2 win last Saturday that resulted in Chris Mei being placed on the IR, and T.J. Reynolds took it upon himself to handle that, then share his opinion with Rajan, last night.

The game also featured some retribution, as IceRays defenseman T.J. Reynolds pummeled Mississippi winger Matt Pierce after a controversial hit last week that left teammate Chris Mei sidelined for at least a month.

Reynolds was ejected for jumping Pierce -- who didn't fight back -- and while he expressed regret for the ejection, Reynolds said "it had to be done."

"We're going to stick up for each other," Reynolds said. "There's a time and place for it. A guy like (Pierce) won't drop the gloves. He's gutless and won't stick up for himself."

Those are some fighting words, but sticking up for each other is what being a team, especially in hockey, is all about, so Reynolds is certainly holding up his end in that bargain.

But, the big story in the CHL today is the Rapid City Rush finally playing their home opener...and finally beating the Colorado Eagles, in a rather dominant fashion.

The teams had already met five times this season, all at the Budweiser Events Center (obviously), and Colorado had won all five contests, averaging six goals per game. Kudos to Miguel Beaudry for shutting out by far the leaugue's most prolific offense.

Jim Holland of the Rapid City Journal had a preview for today's game, in which includes this excerpt about the Rush's equipment manager:

Someone fully expecting no sleep is Rush equipment manager Shawn “Stixy” Smith, who will put in a full day in Colorado, then bring the team gear directly to the civic center to prepare for the afternoon game. Uniforms for both teams will need to be cleaned and skates re-sharpened, then set up in the arena’s new locker rooms.

“It’s going to be a lot of long hours. Everything is in a mad scramble. The deadline’s here. It’s crunch time,” he said.

Smith spent much of the week moving into training and equipment rooms at the civic center, even as construction continued around him.

“There may not be everything situated where you want it, even though we have (the game) here,” he said. “Anyone who’s ever moved into a new home knows what that’s like.”

Adding to the odds for a lack of sleep on his part was the fact that the game was played at 2:05 p.m. Mountain Time to avoid a conflict with Rapid City's "Festival of Lights Parade." The attendance numbers haven't been posted yet, so we'll see if that move paid off.

Oh, and it turns out that major delay in the Rage's win over the Gorillas last night was neither a figment of my imagination nor a Poinstreak error. Here is an excerpt from Gorillas Director of Media Relations Trent Kling's press release:

It was in the second intermission the activities at the Amarillo Civic Center took a turn for the absurd. One-third of the way through its sweep of the ice, Amarillo’s Zamboni broke down in the neutral zone. For a short period of time, Civic Center personnel struggled to get the machine off the ice surface, before finally being towed off by a forklift.

The problems did not end there for Civic Center staff. A large rut was left in the broken Zamboni’s aftermath on the ice near the north blueline. Extensive repair was needed for the rut, which took over an hour to properly fix. Meanwhile, the ‘Ice Crew’ swept the ice with brooms, trying to smooth over the rocky surface.

Wow. Let's hope for the sake of everyone at Bucks' games, especially Art Cullaton, that never happens in Laredo.

The Rush's win over the Eagles was the only early game on another full-slate day. In addition to the games involving Southeast Division teams tonight, the New Mexico Scorpions are at the Oklahoma City Blazers, the Jackalopes are at the Tulsa Oilers and the Gorillas are at the Rage in another one of the league's odd home-and-home choices this season.

NHL-wise, the Edmonton Oilers beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 already today. Later on (well, not much later), the Buffalo Sabres are at the Montreal Canadiens (Long trip, eh?), the Philadelphia Flyers are at the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators are at the New York Islanders, the Detroit Red Wings are at the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals are at the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New Jersey Devils are at the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Minnesota Wild are at the Nashville Predators, the San Jose Sharks are at the Phoenix Coyotes, the Tampa Bay Lightning are at the Colorado Avalanche, and the Vancouver Canucks are at the Calgary Flames.

In other NHL "news," this is pretty amusing. I'm sure that was a necessary story to write...and that Crosby was just thrilled to be asked such ridiculous questions.

Game No. 16 - Bucks at Sundogs

The Bucks and Sundogs won't be getting underway until 7:05 p.m. Mountain Time, so I'll be updating other scores until then. You can read the pre-game notes for the Bucks' game here.

First Period: I guess Coach Ruskowski knew what he was talking about; Adam Perry has opened the game's scoring with a goal against rookie backup goaltender Ryan Gibb, who was given the start tonight. Cory Stillman had the assist. The goal came 7:45 into the game, then Steve Weidlich was called for the game's first penalty at 8:35 for interference. ... Fifteen seconds after they killed that penalty, the Bucks tied it up on rookie defenseman Jaye Judd's first professional goal, which is currently listed as unassisted, at 10:50 in the period. Sean Zimmerman took the Sundogs' first penalty, also for interference, a minute and 13 seconds later. ... Bobby Russell has been called for slashing to put the Sundogs on a power play for the final 1:12 of the first and the first 48 seconds of the second. ... End of the period; still tied 1-1. Bucks lead 10-5 on shots.

Second Period: Russell gave the Bucks a 2-1 lead on assists from Adam Rivet and Adam Goupil at 1:03 in the period, then Erick Lizon and Matt Suderman dropped the gloves six seconds later. ... That didn't last long; Karl Sellan has tied it at 2 on an assist from Mark Kolanos at 1:15. ... Serge Dube got called for slashing at 2:02 to give the Sundogs their third power play, but that was killed. ... Weidlich is back in the box, this time for board checking, to give the Sundogs their fourth advantage at 7:01. ... Kolanos scored on the power play to give the Sundogs a 3-2 lead. Jon Landry had the assist. ... Sundogs lead 4-2 now on a goal by Andre Selander. Tyler Liebel and Peter Cartwright had the assists. Gibb has allowed four goals on just 11 shots, but who knows how much of his fault that has been. ... The Brahmas have lost, so the Bucks could take back over first place in the division with a win or move into a tie with an OT loss. The Jackalopes, however, finally looked dominant at home and will hold at least a share of the conference lead. ... Rick Kozak got sent to the box for interference with 2:07 to play in the period, but the Bucks killed that one and the game is heading into its second intermission with the Sundogs up 4-2. Bucks were outshot 15-6 in the second period and have allowed five power plays while only having one of their own.

Third Period: Alright, I am actually watching this on Nifty now...at least as much as the feed is allowing. But, of course, I missed the five penalties to start the period. Lizon and Suderman fought again, and Kozak and Liebel got called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Additionally, Selander got called for charging, so that'll make it a Bucks power play. ... Ouch, that was loud. The Bucks just scored to make it 4-3. Rivet appears to have had the goal, but it may have been deflected. ... Rivet did indeed get the goal, his and third of the season, on assists from Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith. ... Pointstreak has had the Rage-Gorillas game in the second intermission for well over an hour, and it is starting to get on my nerves. Wonder what's up over there. ... Devin Featherstone and Sellan just tangled, earning interference and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, to make it 4-on-4 at 3:08 in the period. ... Apparently Joel Gistedt has Russell's number...well, other than on that one goal. ... Rookie center Ryan Salvis has finally scored his first goal for the Bucks, tying the game at 4 with 9:21 to play in the game. Russell on the assist. ... Smith is headed to the box with 7:54 to play on a slashing call. ... Bucks killed that one and get a power play of their own now with 5:14 to play on a tripping call against Suderman. ... Bucks had a no-goal on a puck waved dead before it crossed the goal line but couldn't get anything else on that power play. Back to even strength with 3:14 to go. ... Scratch that, as the Sundogs will go back on the power play as Russell was called for interference after flattening Sellan. ... Well, the Sundogs just did the Bucks a big favor by getting called for unsportsmanlike conduct right after that penalty, so it'll be 4-0n-4 instead of a Sundogs' power play. ... Bucks have taken a 5-4 lead with 54 seconds left in the game on a "rocket" from Goupil, assisted by Rivet. ... Technical difficulties are just no fun, especially when they result in loud dial tones on my earbuds.

Game Over: Bucks win 5-4, improve to 11-5-0 (22 points) and take back over the Southeast Division standings. Seemed like a pretty decent win from what I could tell, especially with the third-period comeback. By the way, what is with the RiverKings? They mess up two teams considered to be a bit better than the IceRays but choke against the IceRays twice in a 5-day span. Weird. Oh, and that Rage-Gorillas game seems to have started up again. Strange stuff.

Other Scores: Jackalopes 6, Scorpions 2; Blazers 2, Brahmas 1; IceRays 5, RiverKings 1; Mudbugs 4, Killer Bees 3; Thunder 4, Oilers 3 (SO); Eagles 7, Rush 1; Rage 5, Gorillas 4.

NHL Scores: Bruins 7, Islanders 3; Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (OT); Wild 4, Lightning 2; Ducks 1, Blackhawks 0; Coyotes 2, Avalanche 1; Capitals 3, Canadiens 0; Red Wings 5, Blue Jackets 3; Predators 4, Thrashers 3 (OT); Rangers 4, Panthers 3 (SO); Sabres 4, Penguins 3; Sharks 6, Stars 2.

Game Day No. 16

It has been seven months and two days since the Bucks lost to the Arizona Sundogs in Game 7 of the Southern Conference Finals.

To me, it didn't feel like nearly that long, but I'm pretty sure the few who remain from last season's team have been itching to play this game badly enough that they know exactly how long it has been.

The Bucks (10-5-0, 20 points), coming off a sloppy loss followed by a 20-hour road trip, will play the Sundogs (8-8-1, 17) tonight and tomorrow night in Prescott Valley, Ariz.

I had hoped my preview that ran in today's Times would be able to focus entirely on the conference finals rematch but the 5-3 loss to the Mississippi RiverKings (10-7-0, 20) on Tuesday kind of messed with my plans.

At this point, the sense of urgency wasn't entirely about beating the Sundogs; the Bucks just want, and believe they need, to win.

Coach Ruskowski is very adament about starting strong because points are harder to come by toward the end of the season when teams are fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. He doesn't want to be one of those teams; he wants to have a berth clinched and be ready for the postseason long before the regular season is done.

When I was talking to him on Wednesday before the team took off, he said something that kind of surprised me, considering how respectful he had always tried to be of the less talented teams the Bucks faced last season.

"This season isn't like past ones," he said. "There used to be teams that we knew we could play 75 percent against them and still win. Now, we have to play 100 percent every night. If you don't play 100 percent, you're going to lose."

Obviously, the Sundogs are no exception to that rule, considering the whole defending champions thing and all. They got off to a slow start but have been picking up the pace and slowly getting back players that had started the season with the San Antonio Rampage, including Adam Perry, who Ruskowski cited as a major threat.

The defense is definitely going to need to step up tonight, but there are also a few forwards who are probably on the brink of getting shipped out if they don't do the same.

As I mentioned yesterday, defenseman Vincent Zaore-Vanie has been placed on the 30-day IR, so he will obviously be out of the lineup tonight. D-man Mike Gooch, who was a scratch on Tuesday, will take his place. Ryan James Hand did make the trip out to Arizona, but Ruskowski said he will only take the rookie off the IR as a last resort.

Goalie-wise, Ruskowski, as usual, said he wasn't sure what he'd be doing yet when I last spoke to him. Two games in two nights doesn't necessitate the backup getting a start, but it does allow for it (hence this happening, woot).

These games could be pretty important to the Bucks' season as far as personnel decisions, momentum and confidence. But they are just two games fairly early in the season, so who knows.

Right now, the Bucks are second in the Southeast Division to the Texas Brahmas (10-4-1, 21) and tied for second in the Southern Conference with the Odessa Jackalopes (9-5-2, 20).

The league has a full slate tonight, with the Rocky Mountain Rage at the Amarillo Gorillas, the Killer Bees at the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, the RiverKings at the IceRays, the New Mexico Scorpions at the Odessa Jackalopes, the Oklahoma City Blazers at the Brahmas, the Wichita Thunder at the Tulsa Oilers and the Rapid City Rush at the Colorado Eagles.

Last time the RiverKings were in Corpus (last Saturday), the IceRays won 3-2 in a game that included 23 power plays. Since then, the RiverKings have been gaining steam and the IceRays lost pretty painfully, so we'll see if that matchup is any different tonight. Kevin Beech started the last two for the RiverKings, so he may not get the nod tonight, but if he does, it could be former Bucks Beech and Dustin Traylen in goal.

The Mudbugs might not be the easiest team for the Killer Bees to face following their latest loss, but it should provide a good test for how well the team responds to harsh criticism from its coach after he publicly called them out on Thursday night.

Tonight's game at NYTEX Sports Centre could be a good one...or it could be a pounding like the last game between these teams. I'm sure the Bucks hope it's the latter.

Meanwhile, in NHL land, there are a lot of early games, with the Broston Bruins beating the New York Islanders 7-3 already and the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild playing as I type.

At 3 p.m., the Colorado Avalanche and Phoenix Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks will play. Later on, the Montreal Canadiens are at the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins are at the Buffalo Sabres, the Nashville Predators are at the Atlanta Thrashers, the Columbus Blue Jackets are at the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers are at the Florida Panthers, and the San Jose Sharks are at the Dallas Stars.

I have off today, which is weird for a Friday, but I'll be coming into the office to trail tonight's game...and the Pens-Sabres duel, so I will keep those of you who get annoyed with Nifty TV's ridiculousness updated to the best of my ability.

T-Day

Working on holidays isn't terribly fun, but the fact that Starbucks was open made my day and seeing this video clip certainly didn't hurt:



Many congrats to Curry on his first NHL win.

Meanwhile, the Poinstreak transactions page added something to yesterday's list earlier that hadn't actually been there yesterday, and it seems defenseman Vincent Zaore-Vanie has been placed on the 30-day IR.

Because the team had 19 players on the active roster previously, no one is really needed to take Zaore's spot, but it can be assumed that defenseman Ryan James Hand will eventually. He took the trip out to Arizona with the team, but Coach Ruskowski told me yesterday that he doesn't expect Hand to make his regular-season debut out there unless they have more injury trouble.

Obviously the upcoming two-game road swing against the Arizona Sundogs is a big one, especially for the guys who were around for that Game 7 loss to the defending champions last season.

I'll have a preview in tomorrow's paper with some thoughts on that and the importance of this series for other reasons. Hopefully the guys made good use of the new bus on that 20-hour ride; at leas Bryan Benway didn't seem to mind it.

Meanwhile, the Bucks' two biggest division rivals both suffered pretty bad losses last night, and their coaches were none too pleased.

Brian Sandalow has the story from Hidalgo, where Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees head coach Chris Brooks didn't really have anything good to say about his team's 4-1 loss to the Mississippi RiverKings. In the grainy postgame video with Rio media intern Alvaro Balderas, he holds back a bit but still lets his team know what he thought of that performance. Poor Robin Bouchard.

In Corpus, Greg Rajan had the reaction from the IceRays' 4-0 loss to the Odessa Jackalopes. Seriously, what is it with the Jacks on the road? It seems head coach Sylvain Cloutier was so disappointed with his team's showing that he decided to hold a mandatory practice this morning. I won't steal Sandalow's joke about that.

The CHL is off tonight, and the NHL only has two games, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators currently in action and the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks facing off later tonight.

Scores: Senators 2, Maple Leafs 1 (SO); Flames 4, Canucks 3.

Tonight's Scores

The Brahmas and Jackalopes each took advantage of their opportunities tonight, winning to take over the Southeast Division and Southern Conference leads and tie the Bucks for second in the conference, respectively.

Here are tonight's scores...

CHL: Jackalopes 4, IceRays 0; Brahmas 2, Mudbugs 1 (SO); Thunder 7, Oilers 3; Blazers 4, Gorillas 1; RiverKings 4, Killer Bees 1; Eagles 6, Rage 4; Sundogs 6, Scorpions 4.

NHL: Capitals 5, Thrashers 3; Sabres 3, Bruins 2; Flyers 3, Hurricanes 1; Coyotes 3, Blue Jackets 2; Penguins 5, Islanders 3 (awesome third period); Devils 2, Panthers 1; Canadiens 3, Red Wings 1; Rangers 3, Lightning 2 (SO); Devils 3, Panthers 2 (OT); Stars 4, Wild 3; Avalanche 3, Blues 1; Kings 2, Oilers 1; Sharks 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT).

Just because I think this is fun, I'll share that the Penguins' winning goaltender tonight (John Curry) and I are fellow Boston University alums and were in fact in college together for three years.

There's Always Aftermath

Last night did not go according to plan for the Bucks, as they allowed three third-period goals to lose 5-3 to the Mississippi RiverKings in the last chapter of their 7-game homestand.

As you know if you read my game story, Coach Ruskowski was indeed not happy with his team's physical play, but there were plenty of other things that upset him, too.

Obviously when a coach stresses having three lines that can score as much as Ruskowski does, and only one of them scores on a consistent basis (at least lately), he's going to have a problem with that. The fact that the third line has not scored at all certainly doesn't help.

Seeing the defense get beaten so many times was also a problem, and I'm sure Sebastien Centomo didn't appreciate it much, either, as those defensive mistakes gave him his second 5-goal game since joining the Bucks.

Though the third period is where the RiverKings won it on the scoresheet, their efficient, physical play was something they established much earlier and what eventually doomed the Bucks, who finished the homestand 5-2-0 and are 8-3-0 at home so far this season.

Because there is no ice today and the team leaves at 2 p.m. on its trek to Prescott Valley, I had to stop by the LEC before they started watching tape this morning to talk to Ruskowski and a couple players for my preview of the weekend series against the Arizona Sundogs, which will run in Friday's paper.

Prior to the Bucks' next game, the Texas Brahmas will have a chance to take over the Southeast Division and Southern Conference leads with a game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs tonight.

The Brahmas currently stand one point behind the Bucks (10-5-0, 20 points) at 9-4-1 (19 points) and could create a tie atop the standings with an OT loss or take over completely with a win. The Odessa Jackalopes (8-5-2, 18 points) will also get a chance to tie the Bucks for the conference lead as they face the Corpus Christi IceRays tonight.

Fresh off that big third period last night, the RiverKings will be in Hidalgo to take on the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, who are 1-3 in their last four games, tonight.

Other CHL games tonight have the Tulsa Oilers at the Wichita Thunder, the Amarillo Gorillas at the Oklahoma City Blazers, the New Mexico Scorpions at the Arizona Sundogs and the Rocky Mountain Rage at the Colorado Eagles.

In the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins are at the New York Islanders, the Boston Bruins are at the Buffalo Sabres, the Atlanta Thrashers are at the Washington Capitals, the Philadelphia Flyers are at the Carolina Hurricanes, the Phoenix Coyotes are at the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers are at the Tampa Bay Lightning, the New Jersey Devils are at the Florida Panthers, the Montreal Candiens are at the Detroit Red Wings, the Dallas Stars are at the Minnesota Wild, the St. Louis Blues are at the Colorado Avalanche, the Los Angeles Kings are at the Edmonton Oilers, and the Chicago Blackhawks are at the San Jose Sharks.

Wow, that's a lot of games. While I'm on the NHL topic, I must share my favorite picture from last week...

It was only rivaled by this Photoshop, which I will close with for now:

Game No. 15 - Bucks vs. RiverKings

Rookie forward Darryl Smith was out for warmups, with something covering his stitched-up ear, and I didn't notice defenseman Adam Rivet out there, but he is on the lineup sheet. Mike Gooch, on the other hand is not, and is probably a healthy scratch for tonight.

As always, you can follow the game here, or here...

Starters: Bucks - Jeff Bes (F), Sebastien Centomo (G), Serge Dube (D), Jaye Judd (D), Rick Kozak (F), Darryl Smith (F); RiverKings - Kevin Beech (G), Bobby Chaumont (F), Louis Dumont (F), Derek Landmesser (D), Joe Markusen (D), Matt Summers (F).

First Period: Putting both No. 19's on the ice was an interesting, though expectable, choice. Summers might have glared some holes through Kozak's sweater. I think he got more cheers than the Bucks players did coming onto the ice. ... Summers just sent a beautiful centering pass to Markusen, who was taken down by Kozak, who is now in the penalty box for hooking...32 seconds into the game. ... And now the RiverKings lead 1-0 at 1:57 in the period, as Centomo was drawn out of the net to try and grab a rebound that his defenseman should have cleared. No. 87 Darrell Stoddard scored the goal as I was staring at his jersey thinking about the fact that I'd never seen another No. 87 in the CHL. Trust me; I'd notice. Stoddard was born in 1982, so I wonder why he wears that number. Oh, and Garrett Larson had the assist on that power-play score. ... Bucks get their first power play as Summers is being sent to the box for holding at 7:12 in the period. ... There are some girls in the crowd holding up signs to spell out "Summers" and also have a big sign bearing his name and covered in hearts in the hallway through which opposing players enter the ice. ... Alex Goupil got a breakaway right after the advantage ended, but because the RiverKings' bench is on the same end as their net for this period, they were able to get out and stop him in time. ... Beech is doing a pretty fantastic job so far. He's so tall it's funny to watch him crouch in his net. ... Dang, I really need to stop jinxing people. Kozak just tied it up by flipping the rebound from a shot by Smith over Beech's right shoulder into the top shelf. Score is 1-1 with 11:26 to play in the period. ... I was starting to think that Mark Lemelin had somewhere to be tonight as time was winding down with only one penalty on each team, but a hooking call against Larson just put the Bucks on the power play for the remainder of the first period and 45 seconds in the second. ... Well, scratch that, as Kozak just scored another, this one on the power play, with 54.7 left on the clock. Smith and Bes are getting assists, but that time, Kozak sent his own rebound past Beech to give the Bucks a 2-1 lead. A few minutes ago, the RiverKings had a decent chance at the other end but were shut down by Centomo. ... I really wish the CHL kept faceoff stats because Dixon has been pretty awesome in that regard this season ... End of the period, Bucks lead 2-1. ... So far, Smith hasn't gotten an assist on that first goal; hopefully they give it to him, because he definitely had one. ... I completely forgot to bring a stuffed animal for the "Teddy Bear Toss," but it looks like plenty of other people remembered. Poor things are getting caught on top of the glass everywhere. ... I'm pretty sure I just overheard Bryan Benway say that the New Year's Eve fireworks will be done indoors this year...though that takes away the risk of them being postponed due to crazy winds, it's also kind of scary.

Second Period: Do Summers and Kozak really have to be right next to each other for every opening faceoff? Dramarama. ... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Coach Ruskowski is not going to be thrilled by his team's physicality in this game. Other than Kozak, they're getting pushed around pretty badly out there. ... It seems the RiverKings are so prone to the "rough stuff," two of them just decided to take each other down. Okay, it was obviously an accident, but yeesh. ... This whole Margeson-Markusen thing is throwing me off whenever I hear either announcer say either name. Stephen Margeson is also a D-man, by the way. ... Steve Weidlich has been called for elbowing Dumont to put the RiverKings on their second power play of the game 5:01 into the second period. ... A hooking call against Jeff Nelson 35 seconds into the power play has made it 4-on-4, then a brief advantage for the Bucks. ... Honestly, with the way his own teammates block his eyeline sometimes, I do not know how Centomo makes some of those saves. ... To spite me for saying that, the Bucks just turned the puck over in their own zone to give Matt Pierce an open chance, but Centomo stopped that, too. ... Smith just had a wide open chance but was knocked off his feet before he could get a shot off. No penalty there, but Vincent Zaore-Vanie got called for one seconds later at the other end and is now in the box for interference to even things out again then put the RiverKings on the power play for 1:50. ... That was killed, and now the Bucks are on their own power play due to a hooking call against Nelson. ... Chaumont has just tied it up with a shorthanded goal, scored on a lazy breakaway slap shot from the circle. That was something Centomo couldn't have been expecting but still made a great effort to stop. He guessed wrong, though, and Chaumont netted it above Centomo's right shoulder. ... Joey Olson was just called for slashing after getting tangled up with Summers, putting the RiverKings on another power play. ... One of the RiverKings just fired the puck into the stands to avoid letting Smith get a good chance on a semi-breakaway, and he hit a fan hard enough that some ushers have flocked over to him. ... Summers is trying his best to at least set up a goal out here, but his teammates are wasting his centering passes like nobody's business. ... The Bucks have been outshot 11-5 so far this period but have been put on a power play for the remainder (1:35) of it thanks to a hooking call against Landmesser. ... The Bucks have taken back the lead as Bes knocked in a nice pass from Smith, who has finally gotten an assist on that first goal. The score came with 41.7 seconds to play in the period and is Bes' third goal of the season. ... Now the RiverKings will be on the advantage for the rest of the period, with Kozak going to the box for hooking again. ... Bucks lead 3-2 heading into the second intermission, but I'm not sure if I should think that last-minute goal will give them momentum heading into the third after the way they started the second. ... It seems "Killer" stays out on the bench until all of his players are off the ice, which is something I would totally do obsessively if I were a coach. Random, I know, but that's something that I notice about coaches for that reason. ... Shots are back to almost being even, with the RiverKings leading 17-15. ... Dube had the second assist on that first goal, and they have yet to give out a second assist on the last one.

Third Period: The RiverKings didn't even get a shot off during the end of that power play to start the period, so it's back to 5-on-5 with the Bucks up 3-2. ... Whistles have yet to be blown this period, but Pierce just stopped play at 3:04 by tying it up once again on a shot that seemed to climb up Centomo's jersey and drop over his shoulder into the net. ... Kozak and Stoddard each just got sent to the box for holding, creating a full two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey, barring any other penalties in that span. ... RiverKings just took the lead on their fourth shot in a matter of seconds (Centomo had blocked two and gotten some help from the post on one). They are up 4-3 with a bit over 14 minutes to play. Dane Marshall scored that one. ... And now there are two Bucks in the box, making it 4-on-3. Zaore just joined Kozak on a hooking call, which will put the RiverKings on a power play for the full two minutes. ... I'm pretty sure they just put a mother and son on "Beso Cam." Awkward. ... The physical beatdown the RiverKings have been putting on the Bucks all night seems to have taken its toll, as their play seems a little sluggish at this point. Not a good sign for a team that's down a goal with just over nine minutes in the game. ... One of the RiverKings' players just took out Beech and his net in what could have been an attempt to keep the Bucks from having a chance to score, but genuinely seemed like an accident and is being called one by the refs. ... Summers and Olson have been on each other all night, and it seems both just came close to knocking the wind out of themselves by slamming into the glass between the benches together on their way off the ice. ... I'm not entirely sure why, but Ruskowski has changed up the lines to put Russell up with Bes and Kozak and Olson out with Jason Dixon and Goupil. Not so much on the power play, though, as Smith is centering it as usual. They got one on a cross-checking call against Jeff Alcombrack with 5:26 to play in the game. ... Just as I was wondering if the Bucks would score in the final minute like they had in the first two periods, Chaumont made that question a little less relevant with his second goal of the game on assists from Summers and Nelson, meaning Summers will keep his point per game average intact. Bucks are down 5-3 with 1:24 to play. ... Pulling Centomo for the final 35 seconds or so didn't do much for the Bucks.

Game Over: Bucks lose 5-3, fall to 10-5-0 (20 points) on the season, while the RiverKings improve to 9-7-0 (18) heading into Hidalgo for a game against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Especially with no ice for practice before they leave tomorrow, this was not the way the Bucks wanted to end this homestand.

NHL Scores: Blues 1, Predators 0 (SO); Thrashers 6, Maple Leafs 3; Flames 6, Kings 2.

Game Day No. 15

Tonight is the last night of the Bucks' 7-game homestand, which took up most of the month of November. The team hasn't left Laredo since going to Hidalgo to face the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees on Nov. 1 (a 3-1 loss) and has yet to leave the state so far this season.

Tomorrow, that will change, as they embark on a 17-hour bus ride to Prescott Valley, Ariz., to take on the defending champion Sundogs, who knocked them out of the postseason last year, in two straight games.

But, for tonight, the Bucks (10-4-0, 20 points) are still at home, and will need to focus on the Mississippi RiverKings (8-7-0, 16) if they want to keep their Southern Conference and Southeast Division leads heading into Thanksgiving, as the Texas Brahmas (9-4-1, 19) play tomorrow night.

They will also be looking to keep their win streak alive and improve it to six straight games, which would give them a 6-1 record on the homestand.

When I talked to Coach Ruskowski about tonight's game, he highlighted the RiverKings' defense and how tough his team will have to play to get past it and create scoring chances. And, of course, when they create those chances, they will need to capitalize on them.

I am genuinely looking forward to watching this game, and hopefully it will live up to expectations.

The game at the LEC is the only one in the CHL tonight, while in the NHL, the St. Louis Blues are at the Nashville Predators, the Atlanta Thrashers are at the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Los Angeles Kings are at the Calgary Flames.

Oh, and Claude Lemieux has already gone from tryout signee to Worcester Shark.

UPDATE: Brian Sandalow posted his weekly Bees' notebook, which in addition to talking about the team's power play (A problem for everyone, eh?), mentions something I had left out earlier for no particular reason but should probably share. It seems executives from the Edmonton Oilers visited Oklahoma City last weekend with thoughts of putting their AHL affiliate in the city. They certainly have the capacity on it. Bob Przybylo, Sandalow and Greg Rajan each have some more info and insight about this situation on their blogs. Oh, and could you imagine having your home opener on Nov. 29? I had forgotten it was that late, yikes.

Return of the Matt

As I had mentioned on Sunday and in the first section of my notebook that ran in today's Times, tonight's game against the Mississippi RiverKings is going to feature the return of several former Bucks, including forward Matt Summers, who was traded under a month ago.

Obviously, I've seen plenty of players get traded since I got here and even more in my lifetime as a ridiculous sports fan, but the Summers trade was a little different for me.

He had moved to Laredo exactly when I did, and we were both starting out something that wasn't new to us by nature, but was our first job as professionals. I saw him at every practice, after every game, and he was always about as nice as a person can get.

When he got traded, I knew that was just the way things go, but I was a little upset that I hadn't been able to say goodbye and figured he felt the same way. Last night, I spoke to him for the first time since and found out that was the case, and of course I was far from the only person he had wanted to see before he left that he hadn't been able to.

I called him primarily to talk to him for my story, but he was asleep on the bus and didn't get back to me until after deadline when the RiverKings arrived in Laredo last night, so we just talked about how things have been going. As his stats can tell you, he's been doing pretty well, averaging a point per game, and he said that he likes the guys he's playing with...but he still seems a little upset about being traded.

Trading him got a mixed reaction from fans, I know, as Summers had always shown potential but a lot of people didn't think he had followed through on it. However, a lot of fans loved him, which isn't surprising considering how friendly and humble he is.

Coach Ruskowski always praised everything about the kid, but when it came down to it, he had to follow through on a trade, and Summers was the only one Kevin Kaminski wanted who Ruskowski was willing to part with.

When I talked to Ruskowski about the trade and about Summers' return for my notebook, he said he liked him a lot, as a player and a person, and wishes he could still have him here. But, obviously, that cannot be the case.

Considering the physicality and aggressiveness "Killer" Kaminski expects from his player, tonight's game could be an interesting one. I'm sure it will be an emotional one for Summers, at least, if not also for the other players who have been on both sides of this matchup. Hopefully nothing like Brent MacSween's return last season, though.

From Yesterday

Just to warn you, I'm probably going to blog quite a bit today to make up for lost time (mostly yesterday).

First of all, the league announced the weekly honors yesterday, handing them out to Oklahoma City Blazers forward Bill Vandermeer and Colorado Eagles netminder Andrew Penner.

Vandermeer, the Player of the Week, had four goals and two assists in the Blazers' three wins last week and leads the team this season with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists.

Penner made two starts last week and won both, saving 47 of the 49 shots he faced to improve to 7-1-0 on the season.

In other hockey news yesterday, legendary goalie Patrick Roy had to deal with a bit of an issue just a few days after he was honored by having the Canadiens retire his number on Saturday, as his son Frederick, a forward for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, was suspended 15 games for hitting another player in the face with his stick during a timeout.

This suspension comes just eight months after Patrick's other son Jonathan was suspended for seven games for a fight that also earned Patrick, the team's coach, a 5-game suspension. The most interesting part of that one was that Jonathan is a goalie, too, while Frederick's suspension is a bit worrisome based on the cruelty displayed by his actions.

Meanwhile, Claude Lemieux's comeback tour has finally brought him back to the NHL...at least on a tryout basis, as he signed a deal with the Western Conference leading San Jose Sharks yesterday.

To close out this "yesterday" post, I leave you with Bob Hoffman's Monday "Shots from the Point."

UPDATE: I wasn't going to talk about this because the Pens did something not quite as horrifying but bad enough last week, but I can't help myself. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Matt O'Byrne scored a goal against his own team last night during the delay for a penalty call against the New York Islanders. Watch below:




Ouch. As Pensblog (Possibly my favorite Web site on earth but not good for kids or those easily offended by rude comments about everyone who isn't a Penguin.) points out, this isn't O'Byrne's first embarrassment, as he was arrested for stealing a woman's purse in February. Whoops.

Quick Note

Sorry for the lack of updates today; I got caught up working on a few things, including my notebook/preview for tomorrow night's game, which will run in tomorrow's Times. A few interesting things went on today, but mostly in the NHL, so I'll be sure to blog about those and the CHL weekly honors tomorrow. For now, I'm just going to share tonight's scores.

NHL Scores: Philadelphia Flyers 4, Dallas Stars 3; New York Rangers 4, Phoenix Coyotes 1; Florida Panthers 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2; New York Islanders 4, Montreal Canadiens 3 (SO); Minnesota Wild 4, Washington Capitals 3; Anaheim Ducks 4, Colorado Avalanche 1; Vancouver Canucks 3, Detroit Red Wings 2 (OT).

On a Sunday

The Oklahoma City Blazers did the Bucks a favor today, beating the Texas Brahmas 7-3 to keep the Bucks alone atop the Southeast Division and Southern Conference standings.

Right now, the Bucks (10-4-0, 20 points) and Brahmas (9-4-1, 19) have each played 14 games, while the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (7-3-2, 16) and Corpus Christi IceRays (5-6-1, 11) have only played 12 apiece.

Last night's win was one the Bucks definitely needed as they have only one home game left before heading to Arizona to take on the defending champion Sundogs in two straight games, but it wasn't one they got decisively.

My game story that ran in today's Times features a lot of quotes from Coach Ruskowski in which he makes it very clear that he wasn't happy with the way his team played, and I certainly hadn't expected him to be.

Rookie backup goaltender Ryan Gibb had another solid performance; I'm pretty sure neither Bucks' goalie has had a bad one yet this season. Rick Kozak was also a force in the game; too bad that last slap shot had to hit Darryl Smith instead of the net.

When I was downstairs after the game last night, Smith was already in the locker room and not coming out, but someone told me he was fine other than some stitches. Bryan Benway gave a few more details on his blog today, and it seems Smith got 18 stitches on his ear. Ouch.

I doubt that Smith or Adam Rivet, who missed last night's game, will sit out on Tuesday night, but we'll see. I'll try to find out more at practice tomorrow.

Tuesday's game against the Mississippi RiverKings (8-7-0, 16) will feature a lot of familiar faces for both teams, as Bucks No. 1 netminder Sebastien Centomo and Kozak both played with the RiverKings last season and three former Bucks will be on the other side of the puck this time around.

Matt Summers is the most recent transfer, as he was traded to the RiverKings on Oct. 30. That was an emotional departure to say the least, so I'm sure he's going to want to play his best in front of the Laredo crowd.

Goaltender Kevin Beech, who started last season with the Bucks before being traded to the Youngstown Steelhounds, is also on the RiverKings roster these days, but there's no guarantee the Bucks will see him in net on Tuesday night, as is the case with the RiverKings and Centomo...though the latter is probably pretty likely.

The last name of note in the familiar faces game is winger Bobby Chaumont, who had a stellar rookie season with the Bucks before shipping off to Europe and is now a RiverKing.

That return would probably have been a bigger deal if his former linemate Chris Korchinski was still around, but that is not the case. In fact, Korchinski is no longer even with the team he started this season with, the Las Vegas Wranglers, as he has been traded to the Elmira Jackals.

But enough about that, as it will be the focus of my notebook/preview for the game, and back to today's game.

The Blazers completely destroyed the Brahmas in spite of being without No. 1 goaltender Andy Franck, who was injured in their 3-1 win over the Wichita Thunder on Saturday night. I guess the five power-play goals didn't hurt.

Franck wasn't the only league-leading netminder to suffer a "lower-body injury" yesterday, as the Vancouver Canucks' Roberto Luongo left their game Saturday with a groin injury, the severity of which has yet to be determined.

Back in the CHL, today's other game saw the Tulsa Oilers beat the Thunder 4-2.

In the NHL, the Nashville Predators beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3.

Game No. 14 - Bucks vs. Gorillas

Apparently Adam Rivet is not playing tonight. I'm not sure why, and I imagine no one will be willing to share that information if it's injury-related. He is here, though, and looks fine as far as I can tell. Maybe Coach Ruskowski is just sitting him to give the younger D-men a chance to prove themselves before he decides who to axe when Ryan James Hand comes off the IR. Okay, apparently it is an "upper-body injury" after all. I'll try to get a return timetable from Ruskowski after the game.

As always, you can follow the game here or here...

Starters: Bucks - Jeff Bes (F), Serge Dube (D), Ryan Gibb (G), Jaye Judd (D), Rick Kozak (F), Darryl Smith (F); Gorillas - Sam Ftorek (F), Mike Gorman (G), Joe Guenther (F), James Jernberg (D), Stuart MacRae (F), John Snowden (F).

First Period: Jason Dixon has been called for the game's first penalty at 4:35 in the period for hooking in front of the net. I don't think Ruskowski will mind, though, because the Gorillas were definitely right on the doorstep. Gibb has made a couple nice saves already. The Bucks have generated a few opportunities but not been able to do much with them, as Gorman has lost track of a few deflections but not had any Bucks nearby to clean them up. ... Gibb is taking a lot of pressure in the penalty kill and has some more headed his way as a hooking penalty against Bobby Russell has made it a Gorillas' 5-on-3 for four seconds, then another power play to follow. ... Dube just put a mean hit on one of the Gorillas, and the crowd loved it. Funny that a guy who had planned to retire would be so physical when he came back. ... Both penalties have been killed. ... Bucks get their first power play now, as Jason Weitzel has been sent to the box for hooking at the 10:31 mark. ... Just like Thursday night, Kozak has started the scoring in the game. This time 33 seconds later than last, with the goal coming at 11:16 in the period. Bes had the primary assist; we'll see if they give out another one. Gorman's body language following that one showed exactly why it must kind of suck to be a goalie. In his defense, the Bucks were firing against him pretty non-stop for a while there before he let one in. Bucks lead 1-0 on the power-play score. ... The Bucks are 1-for-1 on the power play and are now getting another one, as Neil Smith is headed to the box for interference. ... The Bucks got some shots off, but that was it, and now Alex Goupil has been called for tripping to make it 4-on-4 for seven seconds, then a Gorillas' power play for 1:53. ... End of the period, Bucks still lead 1-0. They are up 15-12 on shots. Ruskowski was yelling at Ryan Salvis as the team left the ice; I wonder what he did wrong.

Second Period: Bucks get an early power play in this period, as Gordon Bell was called for hooking just 34 seconds in. ... And now they have an early goal, as Smith knocked in the rebound from a shot by Kozak at 49 seconds. Bes gets the second assist, and the Bucks lead 2-0. ... Gorillas get their first power play of the second, as Igor Agarunov has been sent to the box for tripping. ... Dixon just went on a breakaway and got a great shot off, then got robbed by Gorman, but now has a penalty shot for his troubles. First penalty shot (at the LEC) this season, fun stuff. ... Dixon deked the heck out of that thing, then hit the left post. He would have had it otherwise. ... Guenther scored just two seconds out of the power play to put the Gorillas on the board. Okay, they're saying it was Weitzel, but it looked like Guenther had it. He is getting the assist. Bucks lead 2-1. ... Gorillas definitely took that as a momentum swing and are now leading the Bucks in shots 19-18, but Weitzel is now in the box for hooking with just under seven minutes in the period. ... Bucks just got very, very close...as in Gorman is the only person in the world who knows if he truly kept that puck from crossing the goal line. If this were the NHL, they'd be doing a replay for sure; as is, they're just talking it over. No goal seems to be the call. There was just a no-goal call against the Gorillas, in a much less controversial situation, moments ago, so I guess this is retribution. ... They just corrected the Gorillas' goal, giving it to Guenther, with Weitzel and Snowden picking up assists. ... End of the period, Bucks still lead 2-1. They have outshot the Gorillas 26-20.

Third Period: Gorillas have an early play on a slashing call against Bes at 1:43. ... Bucks are getting their first power play of the period now, with a tripping call against Luke Lynes at 8:16. ... The Brahmas beat the Oilers 6-2, so the Bucks will need at least a point from this one to keep their Southeast Division lead outright. ... Right after the Gorillas killed that penalty, Matt Frick took another one, also for tripping, to put the Bucks back on the power play. ... Smith, who has been taking hard hits from the Gorillas for a while now, just took a Kozak slap shot to the face and pretty much ran off the ice, clearly in a heck of a lot of pain. Yikes. ... Dube is in the box for interference with 3:38 to play, giving the Amarillos their sixth power play of the game. ... Penalty has been killed, and the Gorillas now have the puck with an empty net and 49 seconds to play. ... Gotta love icing calls with 4.5 seconds in a game.

Game Over: Bucks win 2-1, improve to 10-4-0 (20 points) and keep their division and conference leads. I have to run back to the office after I get interviews, but I will update all the outside scores, and share the Stars of the Game, later.

Three Stars: No. 3 Gibb, No. 2 Smith, No. 1 Kozak. At the game, they said the stars were Smith, Bes and Kozak, and I was really curious as to why Gibb wasn't getting one, but I guess he did. Gorman was another contender, I'd say.

UPDATE: Smith is apparently fine, though obviously a bit shaken up.

Outside the LEC

Other CHL Scores: IceRays 3, RiverKings 2; Brahmas 6, Oilers 2; Blazers 3, Thunder 1; Jackalopes 3, Killer Bees 2; Rage 4, Rush 3 (SO); Eagles 5, Mudbugs 1; Sundogs 5, Scorpions 4.

NHL Scores: Canucks 3, Penguins 1; Senators 4, Rangers 1; Flyers 4, Coyotes 3 (OT); Blue Jackets 2, Thrashers 0; Islanders 4, Sabres 2; Blackhawks 5, Maple Leafs 4 (OT); Bruins 3, Canadiens 2 (SO); Blues 2, Wild 1; Ducks 2, Stars 1 (SO); Red Wings 5, Flames 2; Sharks 7, Capitals 2; Avalanche 4, Kings 3 (SO).

Game Day No. 14

The Bucks will host the Amarillo Gorillas tonight in hopes of extending their current win streak to five games. Hopefully you all got out to donate blood in this season's "Give Blood, Play Hockey" blood drive and marrow registration. If not, there's still time!

Meanwhile, sorry for the lack of preview in today's paper; there's a lot going on with high school football playoffs and high school basketball starting and everything, so the Bucks not having practice yesterday didn't really lend itself to me getting a story in about tonight's game. Here is Bryan Benway 's preview.

These teams head into the game owning the exact opposite records, with the Bucks at a Southern-Conference leading 9-4-0 (18 points) and the Gorillas at a conference-worst 4-9-0 (eight).

Of course, records don't always mean everything, as we saw the Wichita Thunder (4-8-1, nine) hang tough with the Bucks and the Gorillas topple the Odessa Jackalopes (7-5-2, 16) last weekend.

Coach Ruskowski told me heading into Thursday night's game that each of his goaltenders would get a start this weekend, so that means rookie backup Ryan Gibb should be making his fourth appearance of the season tonight.

So far, Gibb is 2-1-0 (1-0-0 at home), with 3.00 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.

The Jackalopes will tangle with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (7-2-2, 16) tonight at Dodge Arena after the two teams met last night at Ector County Coliseum in what was an interesting game, to say the least. I listened to it online while I was pulling stuff off the wire, and it seems the penalties on the Jackalopes' players, coaches and fans got plenty of people a little worked up.

The Texas Brahmas (8-3-1, 17), who currently sit one point behind the Bucks in the Southeast Division standings, will host the Tulsa Oilers (3-7-1, seven) in their game tonight, while the last-place team in the division, the Corpus Christi IceRays (4-6-1, nine) is hosting the Mississippi RiverKings (8-6-0, 16).

Other games tonight pit the Oklahoma City Blazers against the Thunder, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs against the Colorado Eagles, the Rapid City Rush against the Rocky Mountain Rage and the Arizona Sundogs against the New Mexico Scorpions in a game the refs probably hope won't be similar to last night's.

In the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators already picked up wins today, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, respectively. I guess if the Pens had to lose, it's good to have their division leader lose, too.

Tonight's games have the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Atlanta Thrashers, the New York Islanders at the Buffalo Sabres, the Phoenix Coyotes at the Philadelphia Flyers, the Chicago Blackhawks at the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins at the Montreal Canadiens, the St. Louis Blues at the Minnesota Wild, the Anaheim Ducks at the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings at the Calgary Flames, the Washington Capitals at the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche at the Los Angeles Kings.

Another Friday Off

The Bucks (9-4-0, 18 points) have tonight off following last night's 4-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (6-2-2, 14) and didn't even practice this morning due to the Cirque de Soleil show at the LEC tonight. Assuming the turnover goes smoothly, they'll be back on the ice for a morning skate tomorrow, then for a game against the Amarillo Gorillas (4-9-0, eight) at 7:30 p.m.

Last night's game was another show of strength by the Bucks, and it looks like the Erick Lizon-Ryan Shmyr fights are something everyone should get used to seeing. In spite of the physicality displayed by his team at the start and in scuffles throughout the game, Coach Ruskowski said he's still not quite satisfied with their checking.

Here is my story about the game that ran in today's Times. For the record, when there is no captain on a team, the "A" guys are not assistants. Chris Brooks chose not to name a captain, so the Bees have three associates/alternates/whatever you want to call them...but not assistants. Well, technically, "associate" is really the correct term. But apparently some people disagree with that.

The Bees are back on the ice tonight as they face off against the Odessa Jackalopes (7-5-1, 15), who have yet to win at home. The Texas Brahmas (7-3-1, 15) will also be in action with an opportunity to pull within one point of the Bucks in the division standings against the Wichita Thunder.

Other games tonight pit the Mississippi RiverKings against the Tulsa Oilers, the Rapid City Rush against the Colorado Eagles, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs against the Rocky Mountain Rage abd the Arizona Sundogs against the New Mexico Scorpions.

In the NHL, the New York Islanders are at the New Jersey Devils, the Florida Panthers are at the Boston Bruins, the Phoenix Coyotes are at the Carolina Hurricanes, the Philadelphia Flyers are at the Buffalo Sabres, the Nashville Predators are at the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Anaheim Ducks are at the St. Louis Blues.

Speaking of the NHL, someone got my request and YouTubed that Sidney Crosby goal from last night. Pretty sweet.



In other NHL news, Brenden Morrow is out for up to six months with an ACL injury. That makes the March 1 game between the Pens and the Stars a little less appealing, at least from an excitement standpoint.

And, by the way, Morrow's former QMJHL teammate Marty Standish is now officially an IHL player.

CHL Scores: Brahmas 4, Thunder 2; Killer Bees 5, Jackalopes 4 (OT); RiverKings 6, Oilers 4; Mudbugs 5, Rage 2; Eagles 8, Rush 2; Scorpions 7, Sundogs 5.

NHL Scores: Devils 5, Islanders 2; Hurricanes 5, Coyotes 2; Bruins 4, Panthers 2; Lightning 4, Predators 1; Flyers 3, Sabres 0; Blues 3, Ducks 2 (OT).

Game No. 13 - Bucks vs. Killer Bees

These Día de la Revolución sweaters are certainly something else...

No. 1 goaltender Sebastien Centomo is starting tonight, which, according to what Coach Ruskowski told me yesterday, means rookie backup Ryan Gibb will start on Saturday against the Amarillo Gorillas. Tonight is Ryan Shmyr's 600th professional game, apparently, so it's only fitting he will be on the ice to start it. For those of you watching on Nifty, Jaye Judd is wearing No. 15 instead of No. 5 tonight for whatever reason.

You can follow the game here...or here, as always.

Starters: Bucks - Igor Agarunov (F), Centomo (G), Erick Lizon (F), Adam Rivet (D), Ryan Salvis (F), Vincent Zaore-Vanie (D); Bees - Nathan Ansell (D), Brian Bicek (F), Robin Bouchard (F), Aaron Lee (F), Shmyr (D), Wylie Rogers (G).

First Period: Mayors Raul Salinas and Ramón Garza Barrios just dropped the ceremonial puck. They are joined in the crowd by the LBJ High School band and cheerleaders. ... When I saw that the Salvis line was starting the game, I assumed that meant a fight was in order, and I was right. Lizon and Shmyr dropped the gloves on the faceoff, and "Lazer" landed some mean shots. As Shmyr is being attended to by the Bees' trainer, I'd say Lizon, who is sitting smugly in the penalty box, won that one. Now Shmyr is getting taken off the ice. Kinda sucky way to start his 600th game. Lizon's sweater definitely took away from the street cred of that fight. ... Bees have a power play 55 seconds in thanks to a high-sticking call against Salvis. ... Daryl Moore just broke away from the play and almost had a one-on-one chance, but Serge Dube came out of nowhere to swipe the puck away from him. ... Bucks get a power play now on a slashing penalty against Evan Rankin. ... Whoever decided to put the cheerleaders right in front of the press box and the band right next to us is not my friend tonight. ... Apparently Sid just scored an "absolutely ridiculous" goal. I hope someone puts it on YouTube. ... Both power plays were killed, and shots are tied at six with 10 minutes to go in the period. ... Rick Kozak just scored at 10:43, coming right out of an official timeout. Pretty nice puck handling by Kozak on that one. Jeff Bes gets the assist. Seriously, these cheerleaders are killing me. ... I can't even keep track of anything with how distracting these jerseys are, but supposedly Dube just scored a goal. Just kidding; he did. Rogers was on the outer left edge of the crease, and Dube was easily able to slap it from the right circle into the empty net. As Kurtis Dulle had just been sent to the box for holding, that was a power-play score. Unassisted, apparently. ... Fists are starting to randomly fly everywhere the puck goes. Oh boy. ... Bees are going on their second power play as Bobby Russell was just called for interference. ... That penalty was killed, and the Bucks lead 1-0 heading into the first intermission. Centomo made some nice saves in the last few seconds there.

Second Period: During the intermission, assists popped up on that second goal, going to Rivet and Russell. ... Bees get another early power play, as Devin Featherstone was called for "holding the stick" just about 75 seconds into the period. ... Salvis just broke away from the pack, but a slashing penalty by Nicolas Dumoulin prevented him from doing much with it. It'll be 4-on-4 for46 seconds , then a Bucks' power play for 1:14. ... I have yet to see a goal get scored against Centomo this season that wasn't one for the highlight reel. Bouchard just grabbed a tough rebound from a shot by Jesse Bennefield and "banged it home," as they say. Very nice-looking goal. Bucks lead 2-1. ... Forgot to mention this earlier, but Shmyr came back out to the Bees' bench about midway through the first period. I haven't noticed him skate a lot of shifts, but that could just be another side effect of the Bucks' sweaters. ... Jason Dixon got a nice one-on-one chance, but Ansell poked the puck away. There have been some pretty decent defensive stops in this game. ... Bucks just got a great chance as Joey Olson took a good shot on net, which was stopped by Rogers, then Agarunov grabbed the rebound and hit the right post with his shot. ... First penalty in about 10 minutes was just called, putting Featherstone in the box for tripping. ... And now it is tied 2-2 on a power-play goal by Trevor Weisgerber. ... Well, that was just bizarre. Alex Goupil just hacked the puck from between the circles into the top shelf for the most nonchalant goal I may have ever seen...at least from him. Knocked the water bottle off the net, though. Bucks lead 2-1, Russell with the assist. ... Featherstone just took a shot that dropped Rogers to the ice, but he made the save. Now Dixon is headed to the box for interference with 3:51 to play in the middle period. Bucks killed that penalty and now get a power play of their own as Dumoulin has been called for hooking. ... The Bucks are taking shot after shot on Rogers, and he is stopping them all. End of the period; Bucks lead 3-2.

Third Period: Assists have been added to Weisgerber's goal; they go to Ansell and Dulle. ... Bees get the first power play of the period yet again, as Kozak has been sent to the box for hooking. Took a whole 2:34 this time. ... A high-sticking call against Bicek makes it 4-on-4 for now. Bucks will get a 1:33 power play when Kozak gets out of the box. ... I love it when skters randomly end up literally in the net. ... Salvis and Jay Hardwick just got tangled up and took a tumble, resulting in a holding call against Salvis and putting the Bees on their seventh power play. ... Goupil just broke away to draw a hooking call against Rankin and make it 4-on-4 for 1:11, then a Bucks' power play for 49. ... Another penalty, this one against Dulle, just 18 seconds later gives the Bucks a 4-on-3, then a 5-on-3. ... Rogers just knocked his own net off the posts but isn't getting called for it, which has elicited some boos from the crowd. Honestly, he looked to be following the puck, which was shot over his head into the netting, and I'm not sure that was intentional. Guess the refs feel the same way. ... The Bucks actually just had a 5-on-2 1/2 chance, but a stickless Lee blocked a shot with his body to keep this thing tied. Nice display of the fearlessness. ... Bees somehow killed that and now have a power play of their own as Goupil has been called for slashing. ... Bucks have taken a 4-2 lead on a goal by Darryl Smith, assisted by Kozak. I was just starting to think my streak of players I spoke to before games scoring in them was going to end, but guess not. Smart money says Bes will get an assist on that one by the end of the night. Rogers really seems to never be square in the net when the Bucks score against him; I wonder if Coach Chris Brooks will start Christian Boucher next time these teams face off (Dec. 4, by the way). ... Someone definitely did something to tick Travis Banga off beyond belief, because after getting pulled up off the ice following a scuffle with Kozak, he was fighting with a linesman. The remaining 48 seconds sure are taking a long time. All the penalties are a bit confusing, so I'll clear that up after I write my story.

Game Over: Bucks win 4-2, improve to 9-4-0 (18 points) and keep their Southeast Division and Southern Conference leads.

Other Score: Blazers 3, Gorillas 2.

NHL Scores: Devils 3, Panthers 1; Penguins 3, Thrashers 2; Canadiens 3, Senators 2 (SO); Canucks 3, Wild 2; Blackhawks 6, Stars 3; Flames 1, Avalanche 0; Red Wings 4, Oilers 3; Kings 5, Capitals 2.

Game Day No. 13

The Bucks and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees will face off in a couple hours for the fourth time this season (sixth if you count pre-season). For the Bucks (8-4-0, 16 points), that's pretty much playing the Bees once every other game. For the Bees (6-1-2, 14 pts.), it's taking on the Bucks in 40 percent of their games so far. Geeze.

As was the case in their last game, the Bucks need to win or at least lose in OT to keep the division lead outright.

I'm not sure what can be said about this matchup that hasn't been already, but here is my preview that ran in today's Times, here is Bryan Benway's preview and here are the pre-game notes.

Obviously, the Killer Bees have struggled a bit in their past few games while the Bucks are riding a 3-game winning streak, but tonight's game is all about tonight, and I'm sure the Bees will want to give it their best knowing that this is the start of what will be a long weekend for them, even moreso if they lose.

In the land of former Bucks, Corey Courchene has been waived by the New Mexico Scorpions to make room for defenseman Ben Chaisson, who they acquired in a trade with the Tulsa Oilers. Derek Legault is still on the Arizona Sundogs' roster, for now, in spite of having a plus-minus of minus-7. Speaking of that statistic...

Greg Rajan posted a link today to a story about the plus/minus ratio by someone who happens to think it is useless. I, on the other hand, am a plus/minus freak. You can ask anyone who's watched a hockey game with me; when a goal scores, I want to know every player who was on the ice for both teams. And, when looking at stats online, that is the one to which I tend to gravitate.

Obviously some of the arguments presented in this story are factual, but I do think the plus/minus is very telling and, as Rajan notes, it is something unique to the sport. As much as I love the stat, though, I don't care much for the three players listed as the plus/minus leaders in the NHL this season.

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins provide yet another reason why they are my kind of team. The comments on this posting on Puck Daddy are priceless. Seriously, though, who would step on the Penguin (or any logo for that matter)? If the Bucks do ever decide to let media into their locker room (riiiiiiiight), I promise I won't step on any logos the floor may happen to display. Back to the Pens, though, does this really look to be the size of a port-a-potty?




















Anyway, tonight's other CHL contest features the Amarillo Gorillas and Oklahoma City Blazers, while the NHL has eight games, with the Penguins at the Atlanta Thrashers, the Florida Panthers at the New Jersey Devils, the Montreal Canadiens at the Ottawa Senators, the Vancouver Canucks at the Minnesota Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks at the Dallas Stars, the Calgary Flames at the Colorado Avalanche, the Detroit Red Wings at the Edmonton Oilers, and the Washington Capitals at the Los Angeles Kings.

No More Marty

As you may have noticed, the Bucks waived Marty Standish today.

This was obviously not much of a surprise, and seeing him pop up in another league wouldn't be, either. I guess he wanted to be a "Blazer for life" in the CHL, but we'll see what else he's willing to be for a little money somewhere else...like the IHL.

Anyway, here is my notebook that ran in yesterday's Times, which focuses mostly on Sebastien Centomo's Goaltender of the Week honors, the exceptional play of both goalies to date and the fact that more shutouts could be on the horizon with the rest of the team starting to catch up to its backstops.

I might be using some of my leftover quotes from Centomo in my preview for tomorrow night's game against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, but we'll see. I also talked to rookie forward Darryl Smith today, so I'll have his take on Game 4 of 14 between the teams this season, as well as Coach Ruskowski's, of course.

Last night in the CHL, the Mississippi RiverKings beat the Tulsa Oilers 3-1, and the Arizona Sundogs topped the Odessa Jackalopes 7-4. Odessa seems to have something against winning at home.

In the NHL, Edmonton Oilers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-2, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1, the Pittsburgh Penguins scored on themselves then couldn't score against Niklas Backstrom (not to be confused with Nicklas Backstrom) in a shootout and lost 2-1 to the Minnesota Wild (Ugh.), the Florida Panthers needed a shootout of their own to earn a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Calgary Flames beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1, and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp scored in a shootout to seal a 3-2 victory for the Chicago Blackhawks over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Speaking of Toews, one of his biggest fans (at least in South Texas) has issued an apology to another man of the same surname for leaving him out of the Three Stars in the Wichita Thunder's 3-2 shootout win over the Killer Bees this past Saturday.

I kinda thought Toews deserved a star for his 36-save performance in the Bucks' 2-1 win over the Thunder the night before, but I guess his assist on Bobby Russell's goal didn't help his cause. Is that why he has a point according to his Poinstreak page? Oh, I guess Hockey DB says he does, too. Odd. Kinda like the fact that I have no say in the Three Stars at the LEC when I've been told they're supposed to be chosen by the media...

Sandalow also has his Southeast Division rankings for this week, which match up with the standings pretty perfectly.

In Corpus, Greg Rajan has news of defenseman Jason Krischuk deciding to leave the IceRays for a chance to play in Sweden. Meanwhile, Claude Lemieux's "unretirement" tour has sent him to China.

Yesterday, the league announced the "Performance of the Week" winner for last week as Jason Weitzel of the Amarillo Gorillas for his hat trick in the Gorillas' 6-3 win over the Rapid City Rush on Friday, Nov. 7. Apparently, Weitzel's hat trick got 21,950 votes, which is pretty crazy.

This week's nominees can be seen by following the link above and include Centomo's shutout against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Saturday. So far, the Mudbugs' Travis Clayton playing in his 708th game (coincidentally the same one) to tie a CHL record leads the voting.

Speaking of good performances, the NHL has posted its Top 10 Goals of last week, which are displayed below. I'm a sucker for No. 1, personally.



There are also Top 10 Saves and Top 10 Hits video clips.

Tonight, the only CHL game pits the Colorado Eagles against the New Mexico Scorpions, while the Buffalo Sabres are at the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks are at the New York Rangers, and the Washington Capitals are at the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL.

Scores: Eagles 3, Scorpions 1; Bruins 7, Sabres 4; Canucks 6, Rangers 3; Capitals 6, Ducks 4.