Game Day No. 27

The Bucks and the Colorado Eagles will face off in about 20 minutes at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo.

These teams are obviously two perennial contenders in the CHL, and they lead their respective divisions at this point, as usual.

Through 26 games this season, the Eagles are a league-best 21-4-1 (43 points), while the Bucks are 18-7-1 (37 pts.).

The Bucks have lost three of their last five and not played up to Coach Ruskowski's standards in any of those games, while the Eagles have won three in a row since falling to the Oklahoma City Blazers in a shootout.

The Bucks had quite a bus ride to get out to Loveland, and the altitude there is something they are not used to playing in, but Ruskowski is not looking for excuses tonight, just results.

In my preview of this weekend's 3-in-3, I talk about some of the problems he has seen and what he and associate captain Adam Rivet think the team needs to do to fix them and come out on top tonight.

You can also read Adam Dunivan's preview from the Loveland Reporter-Herald, which focuses on the Bucks' top line...which may not be playing together tonight, but we'll see. He also discusses the rivalry between these teams on his blog.

And, of course, there is Bryan Benway's preview and the Pointstreak pre-game notes.

The CHL has a full slate tonight, so I'll keep you updated on the Bucks and the rest of the league, as well as NHL scores.

P.S. The Winter Classic commercial just came on MSG Plus (on which I am watching the Penguins play the Devils), and it has reminded me to share it. I'm so excited for that game, even if only because I can actually watch it on a television.



P.P.S. I almost forgot to mention this, but the Bucks will be hosting a press conference on Tuesday. I was told about this the other day but ordered to keep it to myself until it went up on the team's Web site. Of course, I asked if this had anything to do with some people's favorite topic of rumorous conversation, and I was told "absolutely not." I'll still give him a call, though I assume this is going to be some kind of announcement about ticket pricing or something else that will help "get people back in the building."

Merry Christmas!

Hopefully while the Bucks are finishing up their drive to Colorado and I am working in a very empty office the rest of you are having a nice Christmas (or whatever holiday you may celebrate).

My preview for this weekend's games will run in tomorrow's Times, and I'll talk a little bit more about the matchup with the league-leading Eagles on here tomorrow.

I'll post the score from tonight's only game when it's over, but until then, here are some holiday wishes from some people not nearly as camera shy as myself:



Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Hope you all have a safe and pleasant evening.

Tonight's Score: Oilers 3, Blazers 2. Funny how some teams just seem to have another's number. The Oilers are 8-13-3 (19 points) this season and the Northeast's cellar dweller, while the Blazers are 18-5-3 (39 pts.) and lead the division. Yet, the Oilers are 3-2 against the Blazers, having won the past three games of their in-state rivalry.

'Twas the Day Before Christmas...

Practice this morning was tough, but Coach Ruskowski wasn't as hard on the guys as I expected. They weren't falling over or struggling to catch their breath, and most of them left the ice smiling, so I guess that's good.

I talked to Ruskowski and Adam Rivet after practice to get some quotes for my preview of the upcoming games in Colorado, which will run in Friday's paper. I had wanted to talk to Serge Dube, as well, but he wasn't at practice today. Ruskowski said he will make the trip out to Colorado and play on Friday, though.

There were some line shakeups at practice today, with Alex Goupil replacing Rick Kozak on the top line and Kozak moving to the Jason Dixon line with Igor Agarunov. That leaves Erick Lizon, Bobby Russell and Ryan Salvis on the other line, but Matt Miller will likely split shifts with Lizon and take the majority of them when he meets up with the team in Colorado.

I was a bit surprised by the change to the top line, but not at all because I don't think Goupil is worthy. He's proven himself to be a very talented, hard-working player, but he also has great chemistry with Dixon. We'll see how that works out. But, with the team's top three point-getters on the same line, I'm not sure Ruskowski will get the three lines that can score for which he is always looking.

We have an early deadline tonight due to the holidays, and finding material to put in the section for tomorrow was not an easy task. At this point, it's time to finish up pages then go to the post office in hopes that it is holding regular hours. Apparently it's impossible to get in touch with a real person when you call there.

There are no games today in the CHL or NHL, and tomorrow's lone contest is the game between the Oklahoma City Blazers and Tulsa Thunder. I thought this was interesting, though:







So then I looked into it. Apparently, Casey was signed to play only in last night's loss to the Colorado Eagles and make the night a "Ftorek family affair" on behalf of his brother Sam. Their father Robbie, a former NHL coach, helped lead practice on Monday and dropped the ceremonial first puck for the game. Cute.

Christmas Eve Eve

I'm sure last night's game is one the Bucks would love to forget soon...and I'm sure Coach Ruskowski did not give them a chance to do anything of the sort at practice this morning.

Last season, I was told constantly that I was too positive in covering the Bucks. But, honestly, there wasn't too much to be negative about with the way they were playing. Last night, and in the few games prior to that, there has been.

Seeing the completely defeated way the guys left the ice after shifts in the third period last night led me to believe there was no way they could win that game. Obviously, they could not.

I don't mean to take credit away from Christian Boucher or the Killer Bees' defense, but the lack of heart was beyond evident out there.

Due to the fact that I spent the night in the Valley out of fear for driving back here in the dark (especially while it was raining), I did not make it to practice this morning. I'm sure anyone who did got to see some pretty exhausted, unhappy players by the end of it.

I will be heading over to the LEC tomorrow morning to catch up with everyone before they take off for Colorado tomorrow night. The game against the Eagles should be an interesting test.

Anyway, there are four CHL games tonight and a whole bunch in the NHL. Here are the scores:

CHL: Jackalopes 5, IceRays 3; Eagles 5, Gorillas 2; Brahmas 4, Mudbugs 3; RiverKings 8, Thunder 3.

NHL: Thrashers 4, Islanders 2; Bruins 2, Devils 0; Kings 3, Blue Jackets 0; Flyers 6, Senators 4; Capitals 5, Rangers 4 (OT); Panthers 3, Predators 0; Lightning 2, Penguins 0; Stars 8, Maple Leafs 2; Red Wings 4, Blues 1; Wild 3, Hurricanes 2; Flames 4, Ducks 3; Avalanche 5, Coyotes 4 (OT); Sharks 5, Canucks 0.

P.S. Paul Szczechura, who had a goal and an assist for the Lightning tonight, played for Killer Bees head coach Chris Brooks when Brooks was an assistant at Western Michigan University. Can't say I'm a big fan of Szczechura right now, but I thought that was a fun fact.

Game No. 26 - Bucks at Killer Bees

Starters: Bucks - Jeff Bes (F), Sebastien Centomo (G), Serge Dube (D), Mike Gooch (D), Rick Kozak (F), Darryl Smith (F) ; Killer Bees - Nathan Ansell (D), Christian Boucher (G), Aaron Lee (F), Zak McClellan (F), Jesse Perrin (D), Evan Rankin (F).

You can follow the game scoring here or read about it in a bit more detail here or here...

First Period: The Bucks came out a bit early, requiring them to skate around to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" for quite some time. ... The Bucks are falling all over the place out there. Granted, not completely on their own, but nothing penalty-worthy so far. The Killer Bees got a couple good breakaways but were beaten back. Other than that, not much going on in the first 3:35. ... Puck-handling-wise, these teams are kind of looking sloppy so far, especially in the corners. ... It is very weird seeing Erick Lizon sakte regular shifts; I'm very used to him alternating out. ... Rankin skated right into Centomo, knocking him back into the net, but play didn't halt as the puck stayed alive. ... Jesse Bennefield just threw a punch at Ryan James Hand's face in the middle of action to earn the game's first penalty at 7:11 in the period. He'll serve two minutes for roughing. ... The Killer Bees just missed a shortie, as Brian Bicek and Grant Goeckner-Zoeller took it to the other end on a turnover in their own zone. ... Oops. Now they actually have. How on earth does a goalie get pulled completely out of his net with the entirety of the opposing team in his zone during a power play? Defense? Anyone? The Killer Bees are on the board at 7:56 in the period with a shorthanded goal scored by McClellan. Lee had the assist. Bennefield will stay in the box for the rest of his penalty. ... Both of these teams looked sluggish to start, but the Killer Bees definitely picked it up first. They are playing pretty intensely right now; I'm guessing that shortie didn't hurt. ... Igor Agarunov just fired one at Boucher but right into his pads. The Bucks are purportedly outshooting the Killer Bees 8-6, make that 9-6, but not on very high quality shots. ... The Killer Bees just had another great chance, as defenseman Stephen Burns put a good shot on net, but Centomo made the glove save to keep it 1-0. ... Rankin just lost his stick between Dube's legs due to some incidental contact, and Dube was nice enough to hand it back to him after scraping himself up off the ice...then the Killer Bees got another good scoring chance but apparently missed high. ... Is it a bad sign that Ruskowski can't even look at his players when they come off the ice? Possibly. The top line just bobbled the puck in the crease enough to allow Boucher another easy save...then another off the following faceoff. ... Are the Bucks really outshooting the Killer Bees 14-7? Too bad the Bees are up about 6-1 on quality shots. ... I'm not really sure what to think about Lizon's performance so far. I guess he's not used to this exactly, so I'll cut him a break for now. But he clearly doesn't click with Dixon and Goupil the way they do with each other. I'm not sure if Miller will be playing on that line, but if so, he better hope for his sake that he fills that spot better than the other guys who have tried. ... A couple shifts in this game have looked like a comedy show more than a hockey game. Sorry; I don't know why I'm so cynical tonight. But seriously, with 1:28 to play in this period, these Bucks must know they're going to be getting chewed out soon. ... Dixon and Bennefield just got into a little shoving match...at least I think it was Bennefield, since he's going to the box now and all. I need new contacts. Bennefield is serving two for holding. With 1:05 left in the period, that means the Bucks will start the second with 55 seconds of an advantage...unless anything happens to change that. ... Nothing happened to change that, so now it's time for a ridiculous intermission. I have to say, one of my favorite things about covering the Bucks rather than another team in the league is that they don't have ice girls. The Killer Bees, on the other hand, do. And those girls will now be competing against Hooters girls while both groups are wearing shorts smaller than some people's underwear. Is this really something parents need their kids to see? Oy. ... Shots read 18-12 in the Bucks' favor, by the way. I don't believe that for a second.

Second Period: Yaaay, the Penguins won in overtime. On a goal by Sid, no less. Geno had three assists. Okay, back to the Dodge. ... Couple good saves to start this period and not much else other than a few neutral zone turnovers almost five minutes into it. ... Now we are experiencing a bit of a delay due to some sort of problem with the ice. ... I'm thinking this will be another one of those games that Ruskowski will say could have been much worse if it weren't for his goalie. Please disregard the fact that someone thinks the Bucks have outshot the Killer Bees 24-16. ... Bicek just went one-on-one to the net against Adam Rivet and chose to brake and wait for his linemates. I guess that's a compliment to Rivet or Centomo, to an extent. ... We have reached the point that pretty much every play stoppage results in a 5-on-5 shoving match. Nothing brutal yet, though. ... Rankin just almost inadvertently netted the puck around Centomo, but it went slightly wide. ... Bennefield and Weidlich just got tangled up and exchanged some shoves at center ice, sending Weidlich to the box for the first penalty against the Bucks tonight. He'll serve two for elbowing. ... Centomo was solid gold during that penalty kill, and that's about all there is to say. The Bucks only managed to clear the puck once, but he took care of the rest. ... Goeckner-Zoeller just earned the first tripping call of the game at 14:33 in the period. ... Goeckner-Zoeller just got the puck right out of the box and went on a decent break, but Centomo stopped him even before Devin Featherstone pounced. ... Just as they did in the first, the Bucks will end this period on a power play, as Robin Bouchard has been sent to the box for hooking. It came at 18:21 in the period, so if the Bucks don't score, it'll carry over to the third. ... Boucher made a save at the buzzer to punctuate another period of scoring futility for the Bucks. They'll have a 20-second advantage to start the third.

Third Period: I guess 20 seconds of 5-on-4 doesn't really do much. ... Bicek just fed one to Bennefield that Centomo got a glove on at just the right angle to keep it out of the net. ... I'm not sure if Lizon is creating more chances than everyone else or messing up more than the rest of them, but he's had a few that seemed like they should have been goals...but obviously weren't. ... Nobody seems to agree with this call (for the first time tonight, surprisingly enough), but Rankin is headed to the box for interference at 2:33 in the period. ... Chris Brooks is nodding his head, while Ruskowski seems to be biting at his clenched fist, so I guess you could say this period is more of the same for tonight. ... Bennefield is all over the place tonight. He chased down a puck while outstretched and his stick (followed by his body) knocked Centomo over, then he got a breakaway but sent the puck out of play just seconds later. ... So us press box folk have to look up random information when situations happen to be occurring, and let's just say Jan. 20 is a popular date of discussion right about now, as is March 20, 2007. The Bucks have just under 13 minutes left to try to get into this one. ... Well, shots are at 36-29 in the Bucks' favor now...well, you know. ... I bet Centomo is really regretting the one he let get by now that he's saved dozens of better shots. ... Ruskowski is now using Dube as a forward on the Bes-Smith line. That would be a sign of desperation. ... Smith and Lee just intentionally ran into each other with their sticks across their chest. The linesmen pulled them apart before anything could happen, but I wonder if anything would have. ... Ryan Salvis may have just earned himself a phone-less trip to Colorado with an interference penalty with 8:15 in the game. That puts the Killer Bees, who are clearly more lively than the Bucks already 5-on-5, on a power play. Oh geeze, Rick Kozak took a simultaneous roughing call. Time for some 5-on-3. ... Somehow, the Bucks handled that better than their regular penalty kill, though that was also thanks in large part to Centomo. ... Shots are even at 36 now. Not really. But at least the count has evened up if nothing more. ... The puck just trickled into the net between Boucher's legs...after the whistle. Complimentary shoving match followed. ... Jeff Hopkins (tonight's referee) is getting an earful from Ruskowski, who is possibly going to chop off one of his arms from having them crossed across his chest so tightly. ... Centomo is going to be wiped out tonight. Yikes. Just made about as pretty a pad save as you can, then followed it with a glove deflection. ... The Bucks are trudging off the ice after shifts like they've already lost this one. Not a good sign. There are 78 seconds left, and Ruskowski has called a timeout. ... Centomo is out of the net, and...wow, they do not want the Killer Bees to nail that empty net. Playing with intensity for the last 78 seconds won't win you a game, though. Offsides with 5.2 seconds to go.

Game Over: Killer Bees win 1-0. Wow. Despite what he will tell you to the contrary, Centomo is very unlucky sometimes. ... Ruskowski was beyond angry. Possibly beyond furious. That was his longest postgame lecture this season. Bucks fall to 18-7-1 (37 points), while the Killer Bees improve to 12-11-2 (26 pts.). This means Paul Gillis will most definitely be the All-Star game co-coach, regardless of how the Odessa Jackalopes fare tomorrow night.

NHL Scores: Maple Leafs 6, Thrashers 2; Penguins 4, Sabres 3 (OT); Oilers 4, Coyotes 2; Canucks 4, Ducks 3.