Mudbugs Fan Blog

Series 1, Game 2: Bugs 3, Brahmas 4

2008-03-31T23:35:00.002-04:00

Boys are in a deep hole now and need a lot of effort to get out of it. I'm proud of the way they fought back in the third, but it just wasn't enough. Kudos to them for hanging tough with just four d-men playing. Hope the rest they get before Friday is what they need and not too much.

Series One, Game One: Bugs 1, Brahmas 3

2008-03-30T21:59:00.003-04:00

Not the effort we fans expected from the Mudbugs, certainly. I made a list of things in the car as I listened to Travis's post game show --in my opinion ( not that it counts for anything)--that I saw problems with:

1. Ye olde "Keep your sticks on the ice" mantra. Miscues and bungled passes were more prevalent than the water puddles outside the CTC.

2. Out of sync set-ups. Someone was either too far ahead of a pass in front of the net or too far behind and a Brahma snagged the puck. That shouldn't be happening, should it?

3. No one in front of the net for passes from behind/beside the net. I don't understand the "hang back close to the blue line" deal that occurred tonight.

4. Way too many turnovers, at least a dozen alone by one Mudbug. No excuses for this stat.

5. ZERO for 5 on the PP, two of those being 5-on-3. HELP!

There were some bright spots, Jason Campbell's play being at the top of the list. Hopefully he will inspire the rest of the team.

Cruickshank called a pretty even game, but I have to take exception to the no-call high stick that had Karlis Zirnis bleeding profusely and spitting out teeth. How is that not called?

In the first period, it was a pretty evenly played game until Scott Sheppard scored...and where was he? Right in front of the net. Then, with goal number 2 by the Brahmas, they went into heavy d-mode. Most of their shots came on powerplays after that. The Bugs never really challenged Cacciola. Things continued not to go well until Tyrel Lucas's goal in the third. Then the team seemed to wake up. The funky, trickle-in 3rd goal by the Brahmas was , well, funky and certainly annoying.

Thank goodness we go back at it tomorrow night. Hopefully they've gotten rid of all the bad bounces, passes, etc. I--and the rest of the fans--expect much better because we have seen what this team can do.

Round 1, Game One: Bugs vs. Brahmas

2008-03-30T06:12:00.002-04:00

Looking back to opening night of this Mudbugs season and the ensuing craziness of the Bugs/Brahmas series-renewed rivalry, Hollywood couldn't have written a better script. What a mini-series this would make. Where's MapleLeaf TV when you need it?

I missed a few Bugs/Brahmas tilts this year, but I saw enough of the games to know this series is going to be extremely entertaining. I'm not even going to try make any predictions, never was too good at those anyway (a dead person would do better than me at the boats or the track. Now, my grandma, she was something else. Somehow that gene missed me.)

All I know is, I'm up on a Sunday at 5 a.m., the anticipation making for a bit of sleeplessness. (Plus I have to get back into the groove of getting up earlier and going back to school tomorrow.)My hockey friends and I have discussed that a rather large bottle of Tums may be a needed accessory for this series, as we know how past contests between these two teams have played out.

But the Bugs have three lines that will score, a wily veteran whom we all know as Soupy, a smothering defensive corps that was ranked #1 in the regular season, and two tremendous All-star goaltenders, all being coached by two outstanding guys, which, when all is said and done, is the definition of excellence and success for this season.

Mudbugs fans are poised and ready to do their part in this series, signs, horns, clappers, chants. We've had enough time off, dagnabit! It's time for playoff hockey, Mudbugs hockey. Bring on the Brahmas, the Mudbug Nation is ready.

Let the Playoffs begin

2008-03-24T21:50:00.002-04:00

Hmm, it's been about six weeks since I last blogged....my apologies. Life and work has been a bear lately. So it has been for the Mudbugs for several games lately as well. Despite some injuries to several key players, the team ended the regular season on a winning note: Governor's Cup champs and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Scott Muscutt was honored by his peers with the CHL Coach of the Year award, and John Decaro was awarded membership in the All-CHL team and his second consecutive Goaltender of the Year nod. Both of these guys have publicly acknowledged the entire team's efforts as the reason the awards were given to each of them.

The playoff roster is set, and the team will be, according to coach, practicing at an elevated, more intense level. The first-round game 1 will be either this Friday or Sunday, depending upon the elimination round playing out between the Brahmas and the Riverkings. After seeing the Bugs decimate the Brahmas 7-1 this past Friday and beating the Rage 2-1 on Saturday, my friends and I discussed that if the team can click on all cylinders like it did in those two games, there's no stopping this team.

So, many thanks and congratulations to the team for a wonderful, fun, regular season, and it's crunch time. For a team that's re-written the CHL record books this season, adding a couple more would be the best yet.

The hockey gods have a sense of humor....

2008-02-06T16:44:00.000-05:00

...but today Mudbugs fans do not find them too funny.

With the sweep of the three-game series in Wichita, including the 8th shutout (3rd in a row) for John Decaro and the record setting 11th for the team, the view from the top was looking mighty nice. The team has a league-leading 68 points, the top two goalies, the top defensive unit, three dangerous scoring lines,so the drive down the CHL highway was gliding along nicely….until…..BAM! someone attacked the Mudbugs' Hemi-driven machine with a ball-peen hammer. Yes, the AHL Quad City Mallards decided to pull off a theft of epic proportions and call up defenseman Dale Lupul for potentially the rest of the season. This is where a fan's inital reaction is “AHHHHHHHHH!” or a combination of several words not printable in a family publication. And there’s possibly more bad news on the horizon. Roy Lang reports that ANOTHER d-man could be on his way up the ladder later on this season. Things that make you say “YIKES!” or “*%$#!”

Already a d-man short last night (Matt York sat out), the Bugs struggled a bit to pull off the win against the Thunder. Whether it was due to the flu, the familiarity of the “easy” opponents, the knowledge that the team would be playing short-handed for a while, or a combination of the above, the Bugs were back to some old bad habits last night: poor passing, sluggish skating, bad positioning, missing d-men in front of the goal. You know, the things that gave me (and other fans) a great deal of pain back at the beginning of the season, the "you don't want to go down that road" song and dance. And Coach was not a happy man after the game. I think he had “Herbies” on the brain (but he didn’t actually go through with them), and we haven’t heard about those since November when life was pretty dismal in the CTC “Swamp”. But a game like last night's might be a good thing overall. It'll get the boys focused on areas which need improvement.

Yes, the hockey gods decided it’s time for another unexpected twist in a roller-coaster season, this time flipping us all upside-down for an eyes-squeezed-shut, stomachs-in-our-throats turn, making us wonder/worry what’s around the next curve. But, we’ve got great leadership on this team, and losing and excuses are not options for Scott Muscutt and his boys. Knowing that they understand this makes this fan rest a bit easier. And the rest of the ride certainly won't be boring.

No Mid-season slump for this team

2008-01-30T17:14:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the lack of recent posts. In my susperstitiousness, I held off in posting about the long road trip because I was afraid that I would somehow jinx the team and anger the hockey gods. Plus, plain old life got in the way and I have just been very busy. But these recent two weeks of Mudbugs hockey have opened many eyes, local and league-wide. We've got one heck of a talented hockey team in Bossier-Shreveport!

Bugs/Youngstown series

The three games in three days in Youngstown two weeks ago were quite exciting, with our Mudbugs taking 5 of 6 possible points. The team had three strong games and acquitted themselves when they came back in the third period of the third game to force overtime and the dreaded (at least to my mother and my friend J) shootout.

Bugs/Riverkings' kiddie game

This game occured two days after the OT loss in Youngstown...beginning at 10:30 in the morning, in front of a gazillion (well,it sounded like that many) screaming, thunder-sticking, gyrating kids. Bring on the extra-strength Excedrin. I only got to listen to Justin's broadcast of the last period, but the Mudbugs put on quite a show, with Ken Carroll getting another shut out. Kids, that's how a great hockey team gets it done.

Bugs/Blazers game

Another road game. The boys were home for a day and a half, I think before having to leave again for OKC. If my memory serves me correctly, that was the day it snowed here in NW Louisiana and there was some iffy weather in OKC as well. No worries about the Bugs, though. They continued on their roll, John Decaro getting the second consecutive shutout of the week. The Black Pearl rolled back into town the next morning for the big rematch with the nefarious Laredo Bucks. And boy, were the fans ready for this one.

January 26, 2008
Mudbugs 2 Bucks 1

After the craziness in the LEC back on January 12, Mudbugs fans were eager to voice their displeasure for the southeastern conference's powerhouse Laredo. (Of course, there is that little thing called Game 7 from 2004 that sticks in every Mudbugs' fans' craw.) This game had a definite playoff feel to it from the drop of the puck. the game was much tighter than the one two weeks previous; but we got to see some great hockey that night, the Mudbugs putting the hurt on the faltering Bucks once again, and Coach Roskowski holding his head in his hands. And the electricity stayed on for the whole time. Imagine that.

January 27, 2008
Mudbugs 2 Killer Bees 0

10 shutouts so far this season. John DeCaro and Ken Carroll taking up what seems like permanent space on the CHL Player of the Week/Month wall. Three lines racking up points like a video game genius. A +227 on the plus/minus ratings. A miserly 73 goals allowed to opponents (every other team is 100 or over in this category). A defensive system that has shut down all the league's top teams save one (Rocky Mountain will visit in March). A truly awesome yet "Cheesey" Rock Band video. A coach who, during his post-game shows, looks like a cross between the ever-smiling Cheshire cat and a tap-dancing Savion Glover. A team that has become so "scary-good" that they're scaring me a little, wondering what unbelievable efforts are next?

If you're not a regular visitor to the CenturyTel, you are really missing something special. In looking back to the 2003-04 season, this team's current stats are mind-boggling compared with the last four seasons' Mudbug teams. Roy Lang has done a great job in putting all that in the paper; these kinds of players coming together for this kind of season is a rarity. So I'm telling you, if you want to see a great team having a great time, come out to the CenturyTel Center SOON. The next home game is Tuesday, Feb. 5th against a currently revamped Wichita Thunder team. This team certainly deserves all the love the community can give it. They could be our very own Miracle on Ice.

January 12, 2008 Mudbugs 6 Bucks 2

2008-01-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

If you’d told me that the Mudbugs would score 3 goals in the first nine minutes of last night’s game, I’d have laughed you off your seat. These two teams have an angry history with each other. The Bucks are a tough, talented team...who apparently didn’t show up last night. Coach Ruskowski probably had a hard time deciding whether or not to knock some heads of his players or knock his own head against the dressing room wall during the first intermission last night.

All I know is that when the score was 4-1, with half the game left to play, I got VERY worried about what sort of physical hijinks the Bucks would stoop to. I knew better to think they’d play cleanly. When you’re getting run all over your home ice, embarrassed by an “inferior” team in front of your fans, I guess you get angry. I've seen the Bucks do exactly that in past contests with the Mudbugs. And James Hiebert and Andrew Penner decided to go head hunting--literally.

Hiebert has long been a thorn in the Mudbugs’ side. He’s a tough, fiesty, hot-headed, all around pain-in-the- neck forward who has loads of scoring talent. Give him some Prozac and he might actually be a player I could admire. But he’d rather misbehave and cost his team points. I can’t type what I really think of him, it’s a family paper. He thoroughly embarrassed himself, his coach, and his team last night.

Andrew Penner should be suspended for numerous games, if not indefinitely. As I listened to Bugs’ broadcaster Travis Huntington angrily describe Penner’s blatant cross-check from behind to Matt York’s head and then continue to pound him in the head while York was on the ice, I became livid. Penner had been skating all over the ice, trying to provoke trouble, and the Bugs just kept skating away. I have a difficult time believing that the actions of Hiebert and Penner were sanctioned by their coach. York has paid an awful price for playing decent hockey. Too many players across the league have been hurt with head injuries. If the CHL doesn’t see fit to send a message that this sort of behavior is not going to be tolerated, I’m afraid something truly awful will happen to someone this season. Who cares if it’s minor league hockey that’s “entertainment”? These young men deserve to be protected from idiotic behavior.

In last night’s game, the weirdness was there in capital letters. I’ve been to the LEC three times and in each game something bizarre happened. It wasn’t just Game 7 of the 2003-04 Championship, the other two games had some craziness attached. When the power went out at the LEC last night during the second period, the radio broadcast was dropped, the NiftyTv feed went dark, and the Internet pointstreak.com connection went kaput. I thought here we go, someone's pulled the plug because they're getting their butts handed to them. For about 15 minutes we fans were scrambling for news. Just as the radio broadcast returned, the score went up 5-1 and the goon squad emerged.

Our Bugs held tough--not without plenty of bumps and bruises, though. Six different Mudbugs scored goals, a testament to the depth of this team. Congrats to the boys for hanging in there and sticking up for each other. Special congrats go out to Jason Basile for his first goal of the game and of the season. Basile quietly does an amazing job game in and game out, it’s nice to see him lead the team to this victory. Super congrats to the team for its new franchise record of 13 consecutive wins. These boys have just really come together and are playing lights out hockey.

The next few games on the schedule are going to be challenging. 7 games in 14 days. Games against key divisional opponents. Games of possibly a very physical nature. Three back-to-back in Youngstown, a day game with a gazillion screaming kids in Southaven, and a trek out to OKC before the Bugs return home on the 26th to face guess who? The Laredo Bucks. We’ve reached the part of the season that scared me when I saw it on the schedule back in August. It’s gonna be a tough two weeks for this team, but they’ve been in tough spots already this season. They’ll be just fine.

Just a note: The CHL All-Star Game is this week in Broomfield, Colorado. Best wishes to All-Stars Daniel Pegoraro and John Decaro. Enjoy yourselves and have fun, guys!

January 11, 2008 Mudbugs 5 Killer Bees 1

2008-01-13T19:08:00.000-05:00

Going into Friday night’s game, the ‘Bugs had a chance to tie the franchise’s longest winning streak at 12. They seemed to have no problem doing that against a floundering Rio Grande team. Kevin Cooper and Brett Smith had two goals each, with Joe Ori adding one of his own to the total. Ken Carroll had a relatively easy night, stopping 22 chances for his 10th straight win.

With the Brahmas' trade of Robin Big Snake to the Bees earlier this week, I was worried that Mr. Snake would try to pick up where he left off--wanting Chris Brassard as a “dance” partner. Thankfully, Big Snake was pretty much a non-factor in the game.

It was almost impossible for me to not look beyond this game to the one in Laredo on Saturday night. The Bucks are currently the cream of the crop in the CHL Southern Conference but have had little success against Northern Conference teams. Even with their league-lead in points, have the Bucks been regularly tested? Don’t think so, but the Mudbugs will certainly challenge them.

January 8, 2008 Mubugs 5 Steelhounds 2

2008-01-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

There was something special in the air at the CTC last night. Ever have one of those experiences that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up or that sends shivers up your spine? Well, it happened to me last night during the first period of the hockey game. When Mudbug #14 Chris Brassard scored the first goal of the game (assisted by #41 Brett Smith), Steelhound #14 Chris Richards had 14 seconds left in the sin bin. My friend B marveled over that unusual occurrence. I told her, "Just wait, it gets weirder!" I had gone to a local bookstore before the game to purchase a couple of things, and when the clerk rang up my bill, the total was....$14.14. When I told my friends that, we all pretty much freaked out at that point. Cue the Twilight Zone music, please. (I won't even go into almost getting beaned by a caroming puck...)

Whatever magic was floating around last night, the fact is that Chris Brassard had a 4 point effort and a whale of a game last night. He was in "the zone". And Ken Carroll seemed to have his magic mojo working in top form because he made a save that I swear he never touched. From our angle, we watched the puck zoom toward the net and suddenly, like it had hit an invisible force field, bounce back out. I sure would like to see a replay of that save. Cosmic forces or some unusual planetary alignment, coupled with grit and determination, buoyed the Mudbugs and sank the Steelhounds.

New Mudbug Mike Falk made his debut last night, and while it looked as if he was a bit tenative, he manufactured several very good, solid plays while on the ice with his new teammates. Welcome, Mike!

I'd figured last night's game would be a tough contest, a well-played hockey game that would be decided by one goal. One free 44 ounce (there are those 4's again) Sonic drink later (with sleep deprivation thrown in, thanks to the LSU win), I'm still a little bit fuzzy about last night's vodoo or whatever it was. Maybe it was the fact that the video guys finally showed the whole Rock Band video. Who knows? I do know the Bugs looked really, really good last night. I'd forgotten how big Y'town's players are and was only reminded about that worrisome fact as I watched them in warm-ups. I think I mumbled, "Did these guys grow taller or is it just me?" Watching them come off the ice with red faces and mouths gasping for breath during shift changes made me remember that bigger is not always better. This Bugs team is winning through talent, smarts, and hard work, not physically gooning it up. The Bugs are beating their opponents into submission through speed, skill, and teamwork, not elbows and cheap shots. Oh, they get physical when they must, but it's not their main objective.

It's only January, and Coach says there's much work to be done, but from what I've seen and what he's telling us, awesome, maybe even magical things are still to come for this team and its fans.

January 5 2008 Mudbugs 3 Riverkings 1

2008-01-06T19:46:00.000-05:00

14 home wins in a row, 10 consecutive wins in a row. Wowzers! And it gets better:
3 powerplay goals. Did I say powerplay goals? Mudbugs powerplay goals? Yep, three of them. Another almost shut out for the Bugs. Johnny D stood tall, until the third when there was a pile up in front of Decs and literally a dogpile on top of him, and the ‘Kings popped one in. Oh, well. We’ve gotten so used to the shut-outs we’re getting annoyed when another team scores just one goal, haha. (Other teams’ fans are now furious at me for reveling in that “problem”.)

Elias Godoy showed how much he missed the ice by scoring the game winner tonight. Glad to have you back in skates, Goody! We'll forgive you for telling Paul DePuydt where to go, etc.

The Riverkings Diving and Elbowing, er, hockey, team was in top form last night. With the exception of Dumont (my favorite Turtle to watch this season) and Woolard, these shellers looked mighty pooped. Steve Makway obviously didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions to behave himself, and Derek Landmesser should really look into selling real estate on the blue line since he lives there. I saw him actually skate and make an effort on ONE play in the third, otherwise, it’s like he’s out for a Sunday afternoon walk on the ice, just a-roamin’ around, earning his keep at his pace. Then when something goes wrong for his team, he yells at them in the team box. Just ask Stoddard.

And Coach McClelland, Section 119 LOVES you. You just can help but look up and wink at us, can you? Gotta love a coach who muggs with the opposing fans.

Big guy Neil Pouleson made his debut as a Mudbug, and Sheldon Wenzel has a headache to remember him by. Saw Pouleson last night after the game. No swollen knuckles, no gashes or bruises on the face, nothing. Wenzel, on the other hand, had the audacity to bleed on Neil’s new jersey. What a shame. I will refrain from commenting on the Lightbody/Makway scuffle as Makway deserves no more print from me. Quade, you're awesome.

It’s always great to get a win against the Riverkings, but Coach wasn’t too happy with the boys. They let the ‘Kings push them around the first period and didn’t really get into the game until the second, which they played really well. The third was almost a snoozer as they went into d-mode--3 measly SOG--(which I hate, but I understand)and tried to play keep-away with the Turtles. Coach knows that there is plenty of room for improvement, and down the road, things are going to get tougher (and ugly) if the team is happy with its current play.

Bugs are now without the services of Lupul, Zirnis, and d-man Derek Miller who was injured in Friday’s game against the Blazers in a suspicious, possible slew-footing incident. Derek went feet first into the corner boards and had to be helped off the ice. The injuries are coming too quickly and are worrying. It’s tough to play a defensive-type system when you’re short an important d-man. Matt York, however, had another stellar game, even better than his debut last game.

But there is good news: the Mudbugs are now in sole possession of first place in the NE division, thanks to an OT win by Tulsa over Youngstown. THANK YOU, Tulsa! Youngstown comes to the Swamp on Tuesday night, looking to take back that spot. Don’t think the Mudbugs are going to let it happen, though. Mr. Falk may be in a Bugs’ sweater come Tuesday night, and if he’s half as good as I’ve been told, the Bugs are only going to get better.

January 4, 2008 Mubugs 4 Blazers 1

2008-01-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

First game of the new year, and Superman does it again...almost. Some folks around me were so sure KC would get the shut-out, they uttered the dreaded word just before there was one minute left in the game. Several of us came unglued when seconds later the Blazers scored, and we could see the Bugs just kinda deflate. They really wanted to help Kenny to get another one.

The other KC on the team, Kevin Cooper put two goals past the big, bad Wolfe, as did Ortmeyer and Fairbarn. Who says d-men don’t score?

The Bugs looked a big slow in the feet during the first half of the game, and Coach was happy with the win, but not necessarily the effort. With this win the Bugs are still tied with Youngstown for first place in the division and the floundering Memphissippi Turtles come to town, having lost both of their road games this week. They’ll be snapping for a win.

New Bug Matt York proved himself by fitting right into the Mudbug system, and his coach was uncharacteristically excited with his effort in the post-game show. Musky “LOVES” this guy. The fans feel the same way. Welcome to the Swamp, Matt!

Special props and shout-outs to the Bugs front office for the “Start up the Bus” video. Very nice. And I can’t say enough about how much we all love the 99X/Bugs Rock Band video. The hockey helmet on Labatte, a shaded Pegs, and Ortmeyer’s hideous plaid pants/tuxedo t-shirt combo are hilarious. Of course, all the puck bunnies can’t get past a shirtless Joe Ori, I don’t think they could tell you who else is in the bit. We’ve been told the end of the video is the best, but the vid guys aren’t giving it enough time to run. C’mon, guys, give us the good stuff!

December 31, 2007 Mudbugs 2 Brahmas 1

2008-01-06T19:38:00.000-05:00

Since I missed the “goonfest” (a 6-1, up-yours-old-fashioned whoopin'by the Mudbugs) the previous game due to my attendance at the Stars/Blues game--which the Stars won in a shoot-out, I was clearly hoping for a cleanly played good game. I got my wish, but I was still disappointed in the on-ice antics of certain Brahma players, one in particular. I’ll forgo naming him (name rhymes with tanning.....). The first period was a well-played one, both teams testing each other.

Then things got a little scary for our boys. Lupul took a shot to the back of his head either from an elbow or a high stick behind their goal in the second period and had to be helped from the ice. It was a pretty scary hit, poor Loops was really out of it. The team seriously missed his blue line effort for the rest of the game.

No comment about ref Tudor Floru, other than to say he needs to learn there are numbers other than 8....

Brahmas came out pushing in the third, but the Bugs pushed right back. I had a close up view of Tyrel Lucas’s rocket of a game winner from the blue line. New Brahma goalie Jaeger just kinda sat there with a “Wha’ happened?” look on his face. It was awesome. With 90 seconds to go in the game, the crowd stood and cheered....and I sat chewing on my thumbnails, watching the clock. The action was at the far end of the ice and it was all I could do to watch the seconds tick by. The Bugs prevailed, but not without cost. Loops and Zirnis fell victim to injuries.

We had a nice crowd at NYTEX and we let our boys know we were there. The Brahma fans knew we were there too, as did the on-ice clean up crew. Not sure what they’re gonna do with all that fake poop, but Ernie, you’re da man. Congrats again to NYTEX for putting on a party for all fans after the game. The band was great, and the free party hats and horns were a nice surprise.

December 26, 2007 Mudbugs 3 Brahmas 0

2007-12-27T17:59:00.000-05:00

Two months ago, the home season began at the CTC against the newly formed Brahmas and the Texas team spoiled our opening. A week later Mudbugs fans descended upon North Richland Hills' NYTEX complex to watch again, as the Brahmas took the game (in overtime) from our struggling Bugs team.

Two months later, the Brahmas are the team struggling and the Mudbugs have won the last 11 home games in a row. The boys posted another nice win last night, another shut out at that. John Decaro had an easy night(his fifth shut out of the season--that's got to be some sort of record?) and the Bugs' defensive system shut down another team. Seven shutouts so far this season, and we're only twenty-six games in. Decs and KC are near the top of the rankings for league goalies. All three lines are producing goals. The defensive unit is stifling their opponents. Wowzers, what a great Christmas present for Bugs' fans, eh?

My parents were in attendance last night, and Brett Smith is my mom's favorite player to watch (although she is partial to the Brahmas' David Cacciola, too, but that's another tale); and I knew that when he scored the first goal, she was a very happy fan.

I did think the Bugs didn't really wake up until about mid-way through the second period as far as playing "their game". The Brahmas clogged up a lot of open lanes and I thought the Bugs' passing and puck handling looked suspiciously weighed down with remnants of fruitcake and other Christmas sugar. But they woke up and took control of the game quite nicely and left the Brahmas shaking their heads and their head coach very frustrated.

Can't say enough about KC....no, not Ken Carroll (no offense, Kenny!), the other guy, Kevin Cooper. Two goals through Cacciola's five hole were results of Coop's continuous, feisty hard work on the ice. This guy never lets up and the more I watch him, the more he reminds me of a combination of former Mudbug players from the 03-04 season...which is a GREAT thing.

One down, two more to go with that Mudbugs West team this weekend. The next ten games for the Mudbugs include SEVEN against divisional rivals. January is setting up to be a very important month for the Bugs, and it's possible for this team--who started off so poorly and we never thought they'd catch up with a steamrolling Youngstown--to be tied for first place in the division as the 2008 begins. Who'd have thunk it two months ago? Not some Mudbugs' fans. But I believe we're all on the same page now, and we're more than ready to cheer on what this team can and will do. It's an exciting time to be a Mudbugs fan!

(A side note: I will be in Dallas on Saturday night attending a Stars game, thanks to my brother's Christmas gift, so I won't be blogging about Sat.'s game. Here's hoping Marty Turco doesn't decide to do his best impression of a slice of Swiss cheese!)

December 22, 2007 Mudbugs 4 Steelhounds2

2007-12-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

This game had me worried. The Hounds are a notoriously physical team, not afraid of the rough stuff, and they have the big players to do some damage. That and the fact the Mudbugs took them out to the woodshed and gave them a 7-2 whipping the last time the Hounds were at the CTC. AND then there was the fact the Hounds had lost the night before to an underachieving Tulsa Oilers team. I figured they were at the top of the "They're not happy" list as they rolled into the Swamp. And I was right.

The Mudbugs played a good first period of hockey, keeping up with the physical play of the Hounds and outpacing them nicely. Referee Mike McCreary had done a good job the night before in OKC, and he was letting the boys play...for a while.

After scoring 2 in the first period, the ugly play surfaced. Tyrel Lucas crawled into the team box after he was pushed from behind into the open door of the Bugs’ bench by Milan Mislonka . The ref’s eyes were on the puck in play up the ice and he missed what happened. Mislonka proceeded to be a butthead (can I write that?) for the rest of the night.

Ken Carroll was roughed up several times when the Hounds got close to the net. At one point I thought KC was gonna throw down with Eric Przepiorka; Kenny had had enough and he let Eric and the ref know it. Then Kevin Cooper got a cross-check to the face and left the ice for some stitches, bu in typical Mudbug fashion, he returned and scored the game winner in the third. At one point towards the end of the second period, my friend B and I were worried that that McCreary had lost control of the game and a line brawl was brewing. It didn’t come to that, but tempers were hot out on the ice last night.

The Bugs were given a large number of 5-on-3 power plays, only one of which they were able to convert to a goal. Troubling? Yep. It’s hard to score a goal when you spend half the PP cycling the puck, but Youngstown did a great job of keeping the Bugs to the outside of the “house”. Yes, it was frustrating to watch (and according to Coach, it was driving the boys themselves a little nutso), but it’s something that can be fixed.

The Texas Burgers come to town the next two games and these two games are huge in the standpoint of the division stakes. Former Mudbug Dan Wildfong gets to spend his birthday in the CTC on Saturday, Dec. 29th. I have a feeling he ain’t gonna like his present from his former team. Memphissippi and Youngstown meet up at the end of the week, so these four teams could be doing a lot of fast-shoe shuffling up and down the division's standings by years’ end. Who doesn't enjoy a little two-step now and then? The NE division, by far, has been the one to watch in the CHL this season.

To all the readers, I wish you a very blessed Christmas holiday. May you and yours celebrate merrily.

Don’t forget that the Bugs are in action again on Wednesday night in the Swamp. The Bugs will be ready with lumps of coal for their old teammates....fire up the grill and let’s have some holiday hamburgers!

December 21, 2007 Mudbugs 2 Blazers 0

2007-12-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

John Decaro gets his fourth shut out for the year, and the Mudbugs get their 6th shut out of the season. The third in the last eight games. If that isn’t a testament to a tough d-corps and defensive system, I don’t know what is. When the season began, Captain Chris Brassard was adamant that the d-corps would be the best in the league. At this point, I doubt anyone is ready to argue with him.

The Bugs played great hockey in OKC, and the Blazers had no answer for it. Karlis Zirnis potted the Bugs' first goal of the evening at the end of the first, and the Bugs held off the Blazers as we listening fans held out collective breaths for the next 39 minutes and 57 seconds of the game. Good thing we've got experience, haha. Daniel Pegoraro got an empty netter three seconds before the end of the game, a pretty nice way to say "Merry Christmas" to the Blazers. I hadn’t realized it was the Teddy Bear Toss night in OKC until the end of the game, as Travis described the plethora of bears being chunked onto the ice. The Bugs had spoiled the evening for teddy-tossing fans and come home with two big points. Tulsa had done us a huge favor in defeating the Steelhounds, and the Riverkings--quite shorthanded--beat the Brahmas. The Mudbugs are quickly moving up in the division as they rack up points. Yep, I love the month of December!

December 18, 2007 Mudbugs 3 Oilers 1

2007-12-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

In a word, this was an exhibition of sloppy hockey. Miscues on passes and set-ups, scrambling in the zone, average play at best. The first fifteen or so minutes were good, and then Tulsa started pushing and the Bugs just seemed to lose focus. At one point I thought someone had played with a time machine because the boys were eerily looking like they did about 6 weeks ago...not too good. I told my friend B that we'd fed the boys too well at the Booster Club Christmas party, since it looked like all that food had settled into their feet. UGH.

Elias Godoy, however, scored another amazing goal in the first, and Joe Ori made it 2-0 in the second. Tulsa would score in the second, making things anxious for us fans, but Brett Smith, with his second consecutive empty net goal, put a cap on the Oil leak and sent Tulsa home with a loss.

After the game, Coach called it an ugly win, and he was not happy with the way the team performed. He knew that some re-focusing had to be done, but he told us that the players were unhappy with themselves and their effort, so I felt like they’d get their acts together for the trip to Oklahoma City.

December 15, 2007 Mudbugs 5, Oilers 4 OT

2007-12-17T17:36:00.000-05:00

From what my friends tell me, this was one weird game. Once again, all I got was static on the radio (thanks, KEEL!), so I followed the game on pointstreak while I graded papers.

The Bugs started out shaky, down 2-1 at the end of the first, but Coach must have given them a good motivation speech as they scored three in a row (2 goals were PP goals--yippee!)in the second. But the Oilers weren't ready to quit on that snowy Saturday night, and scored two more to tie the game. The third period involved no scoring, so the game went to OT. Ryan Fairbarn didn't want to spend all night in Tulsa, so he scored the game winner just 56 seconds into OT and the Bugs get a 4-point weekend, tying them up with the Brahmas with 27 points.

I understand from friends that a Bugs' goal was waved off by Paul Depuydt, despite the fact that the puck sat a good four inches over the goal line, the goal light went on, and the Bugs began to celebrate. Not sure who Paul sees for his eye exams or who scored his referee test, but get this guy some specs and a CHL rule book.

The Oilers come to the Swamp Tuesday night, looking for a little revenge. Tulsa enforcer Curtis Voth may want to watch his manners; we don't take too kindly to impolite behavior at the CTC....

December 14, 2007 Mudbugs 3 Eagles 0

2007-12-17T17:31:00.000-05:00

Games against the Eagles have always been great contests, so I expected nothing but the same. Never did the thought of a Mudbugs shut out occur to me or my friends. At the end of the first, the Bugs had 19 shots on goal and had zipped all over the ice with great speed. I told my friend B that I was worried that there would be nothing left in the tank for the rest of the game. KC and the d-unit kept them out of trouble at the end of the first, killing of a crucial 5 on 3 penalty, and, I think, squishing the momentum for the Eagles.

75 seconds into the second period, Justin Aikens got a feed from Elias Godoy, shot it from the right side of the net, sending the puck into the crossbar. It popped right down behind Eagles’ goalie Keserich, and the teddy bears went a-flyin. It was fun watching the players avoid being hit with the bears, and a few plastic mudbugs did make it to the ice. Finally, the bears were toted off—in a shopping cart, no less—and the game moved on. At the end of the second, the Bugs had 30 SOG to the Eagles 24, and the Eagles were looking pretty worn out. Greg Pankewicz was none to happy with his teammates and fussed at them during one of the official time-outs, much to our delight, haha.

The third period began with the game still at 1-0, not a reassuring thing against the scoring machine Eagles. But, the Mudbugs did a tremendous job of shortening up the space of ice (thanks, Coach, for that explanation) and taking away any sort of set up for Colorado. I totally missed Elias Godoy’s wonder of a goal at the beginning of the third as I was working the booster club table, but my friends tell me that it was awesome. The next 16 minutes of the game were a bit stressful as we watched the Eagles’ frustration mount. I kept expecting some sort of goon exhibition to be forthcoming, but I think the Mudbugs had worn out the Eagles so much, that all they were looking for was the bench and an oxygen tank. After Brett Smith’s empty-netter at 19:35, Eagles’ captain Greg Pankewicz wouldn’t even face his bench, and when the buzzer sounded, he was their first player off the ice. So much for teamwork. Colorado is not the dominant force it has been. Ryan Tobler is out on IR and big guy Chris Hartsburg has retired. The absence of both players and Coach Chris Stewart was painfully obvious.

Mega-congrats to Ken Carroll for his shutout, making him the CHL/WPHL Superman of shutouts. KC worked hard on Friday night, and his teammates worked even harded to help him out. The Mudbugs continue to improve, and the lines are doing some amazing things. Things are looking really good for this team.

Apologies

2007-12-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts concerning the Mudbugs' trip to Colorado. I went to North Richland Hills to watch the Brahmas take on Laredo and Amarillo two weekends ago, and was out of pocket in keeping up with the Bugs' games. From what I was told, the Bugs played two good games, and should have won both, just as people predicted the Bucks would take one from the Brahmas and the Brahmas would beat the Apes. Oh, well, I never was one for predictions anyway.

December 4, 2007 Mudbugs 5, Blazers 2

2007-12-05T20:00:00.000-05:00

The Bugs decided to gift their fans with another Sonic Route 44 Cherry Limeade drink with its 5 goal-performance last night. OKC's big Wolfe in goal--he's 6'5"--hollered "UNCLE", I think, after goal number 5. My friends and I were a little worried when we saw how big this guy was (his waist was as high as the top of the goal net), but he moved about as quickly as a defensive tackle trying to make a touchdown run: not very well. Good news for our speedy Mudbugs.

The Bugs had 9 players who earned points last night, and Ken Carroll had a great night in goal, stopping 38 of 40 shots. The lines are really starting to click as the players are getting comfortable with their line counterparts. By the third period, the Blazers were pretty much toast. They were huffing and puffing, looking for the oxygen tank as they came off the ice. Our guys looked quite cool and collected.

The Blazers did have a few good moments. OKC's second goal should make someone's highlight reel; that spinorama move by Dallas Flaman sure was a jaw-dropper. They were given a crucial 5 on 3 powerplay at the beginning of the third and tried their darndest to score, but Superman kept his composure and the Bugs defense was tremendous once again.

Special Kudos to Kevin Labatte for standing up to Graham Dearle, one of the top pugilists in the league. Kevin has taken on two of these guys recently and made both of them bleed. Not bad for a rookie.

The unnecessary silliness by Chris Barth and whomever sticked Jake Ortmeyer in the neck near the end of the game prompted an ominous promise from Coach: be very ready for the next Bugs/Blazers match up, which is December 21st in OKC.

The Bugs hopped onto the Black Pearl at midnight for their trek to Colorado to face the much-improved Rage and the struggling Eagles. The Rage will be without goalie Terry Dunbar and Justin Schmit, due to lengthy suspensions from their actions in last weekend's game against New Mexico. The Eagles are once again dealing with injuries to some of their premier players, playing short-handed quite a bit. I don't want to look the gift-hockey gods in the mouth, but....nope, I won't say it. If the Bugs play these next two games the Mudbug way, then they should come home with four more important points. Don't forget to listen to the games via the radio broadcast this weekend; these should be two really exciting contests. (and Pegs, please wear your mouthguard this time!)

December 1, 2007 Mudbugs 3 Oilers 0

2007-12-02T15:31:00.000-05:00

Ryan Fairbarn decided, “Hey, this scoring thing is fun!” and garned two more goals in an early Saturday afternoon game against the Oilers in Tulsa. Karlis Zirnis showed how much he likes to share and sent a winning pass to Chris Brassard who was able to score his 500th professional career point. Ginormous congrats, Captain Brass!

After the game on Friday night, some of us were worried that the boys didn’t have any goals left and that the short turn-around time between games would adversely affect their efforts. SILLY US! They had the game solidly in hand the whole sixty minutes.

The team now boasts 9 wins and 1 OT loss in the last 10 games. Even I did a double take when I checked that stat. WOW! That’s impressive. That’s AWESOME! That’s Mudbugs hockey. (Insert big smile here.) That stat ought to make fans around the CHL to take notice and should put the other CHL teams on guard. Yep, it’s December and it’s time for the annual rev-up-the-Hemi engine that fuels the Mudbugs team. As Coach Muscutt mentioned, there’s still work for this team to do to improve. And the Oklahoma City Blazers are next up for the Bugs' fine-tuning this coming Tuesday night. Wonder if they’ll wear their disco gold sweaters? Hey, Jason, can you play some cheesey 70’s disco music if they do? If they wear those awful stripes, how about some "Folsom Prison Blues"?

(An aside, my deepest sympathy goes out to my buddy Roy Lang. Your Turtles really stunk it up this weekend.)

Edit to add: I am a total moron. I can't believe that I typed in the wrong score and that I didn't mention the fact that Decs got another shut out, his third so far this season. Shame on me. And the Riverkings still stunk it up this weekend, Roy.

November 30, 2007 Mudbugs 7 'Hounds 2

2007-12-02T15:26:00.000-05:00

Yes, that score is correct. What a difference twenty-four hours can make. The Mudbugs re-signed Kevin Labatte and the team on the ice was like nothing we’d seen so far this season. The Steelhounds are a big, physical team that had an unprecedented road win streak of 12-1-1 before the Mudbugs visited them in Ohio last weekend. The Bugs took 3 of 4 points from the Dawgs at home, and I’m sure that they were ready to get back to winning. Top scorer Peter Pohl had returned to the team, which made me gnash my teeth a bit, but Andy Franck was called up to the AHL earlier this week, so I felt like this game would be more of a test for the ‘Hounds.

Just a note for Steelhound Milan Mislonka: Don't wear yourself out in pregame chirping to your opponent. It obviously didn't work.

And the scoring begins...We’d all just sat down after cheering Elias Godoy’s (who garnered a 3-point night) goal to tie the game at 1-1, when-whammo-six seconds later we were on our feet again as Justin Aikens struck at the ‘Hounds ‘tender Brad Roberts. At the end of the second, the score was 3-2 Mudbugs, and I silently prayed against a dreaded third period meltdown. Little did I know who was going to do the melting.

At the beginning of the third, I watched as Ty Lucas was just off to the right of the net. I yelled, “Move up, Ty, move up! Right there!” And as I called it, Joe Ori passed the puck, and Lucas potted goal number 4. I felt better but we were still waiting for the Steelhounds to start pushing. When Kevin Cooper scored goal number 5, you could almost feel the visible sigh of relief released from Bugs fans. Goals number 6 and 7 were the whipped cream and cherry on top of a dominating, offensive onslaught. I hope somebody bought Brad Roberts some aloe to put on his neck burns.

Congrats to Ryan Fairbarn and Karlis Zirnis for getting their first goals of the season. (The monkeys made a b-line for the Hounds bench as they lost last night to the Brahmas in a similar fashion.) I didn’t get to see Fairbarn’s face after he scored, but Zirnis’s expression was one of such relief, his whole body just sagged with it. So much for the invisible men.

Kevin Kaminski and his team had to be wondering if Andy Franck,was really the glue that had been holding his big team together. The much bigger, more physical Steelhounds couldn’t keep up with the speed and cycling and shooting styles of the Mudbugs. And the Mudbug Nation shouted for joy.

November 29, 2007 Mudbugs 2 Thunder 1

2007-12-02T15:24:00.000-05:00

I was worried the team would play to the level of the poor-performing Thunder. I guess it’s difficult to get motivated to play against a team that’s doing so badly at this point in the season, and I’m sure the next game against Y’town was certainly at the back of the Bugs’ minds. Despite a good performance by Thunder goalie Sebastien Laplante, the Bugs prevailed with an ok effort. But that same effort was certainly not going to work against the Steelhounds, many of whom sat---along with their Coach Kevin Kaminski--in section 120 watching the game.

The best things about this game, besides the win and the two points, were getting a first look at new Mudbug Kevin Cooper (whose play reminded several of us of a certain former Mudbug named Dan...), who zipped all over the ice, and watching Thunder player Kris Wiebe participate in the KISS cam, haha.

November 24, 2007 Mudbugs 4 Steelhounds 2

2007-11-25T17:08:00.000-05:00

Amazing what can happen in two and a half minutes in a hockey game. If you’d gone to get some popcorn at the Chevrolet Center, you might have missed the quick scoring rally by the Mudbugs in the second.

Thanks to some loopy broadcasting problems, radio listeners missed the beginning of the first period. Seems like I tuned in just in time to hear Joel Irving (not this guy again) score a shortie as the period ended. So, I had to tough it out during the intermission, but Travis Huntington recapped his pregame program, which was cool.

In the second period new Mudbug Kevin Cooper decided to make his mark and Jason Campbell was more than happy to help him out. About ninety seconds later, Tyrel Lucas, with help from Elias Godoy and Joe Ori, smoked one past Franck. ANOTHER ninety seconds later Chris Brassard decided Franck was begging for the puck again and obliged him with the winning shot.

The Bugs held on to their 3-1 lead for most of the rest of the game, but the Steelhounds made things interesting with a PP goal in the third. With John Decaro getting peppered with the puck, I was once again chewing on a pencil. About a minute after that, Brett Smith said, “Nope, we’re going home with three points,” stole the puck, zipped into the ‘Hounds’ zone and sent one over Franck’s glove side to take care of the night. (Yep, there's that killer instinct. See, it can work!)

I do have to wonder, however, if the Y’town scorekeepers weren’t a bit stingy with the Bugs’ SOG numbers: 22 on Friday, 19 last night. Seems a little low to me. Were they sitting in the far corner with Travis?

The team has to be happy with the results of the trip. Only one other team had beaten the league-leading Steelhounds in regulation before last night (Mississippi--yea, Roy, your team). Each of the other two games the Mudbugs have played against the Steelhounds have been close, well-played games. The ‘Hounds return to the CTC this coming Friday, a day after the Mudbugs face the seemingly hapless Wichita Thunder. The Bugs have a great chance to move up in the standings this weekend, but it's a tough three games in three nights. But these next possible six points could be huge for the Mudbugs.

November 23, 2007 Mudbugs 3 Steelhounds 4 OT

2007-11-25T17:05:00.000-05:00

This was an exciting game to listen to, I can’t imagine what it was like to watch. Even thought the Mudbugs lost in OT, they still earned an important point.

I thought this game was similar to the one that was played in the CTC back on October 30. It seemed fast and physical, and it sounded like the Mudbugs had good control of the game. When the Steelhounds tied it up in the third, though, I just couldn’t listen to the radio broadcast anymore, so I ~gasp~turned it off. Yes, call me chicken. I’d listened (and seen) too many of these types of games go to the other team in recent weeks. I just didn’t feel up to being tortured by another close loss.

Great play by ‘Hounds’ goalie Andy Franck---I could hear Elias Godoy’s angry mumbling all the way back home---and a stellar night from Joel Irving countered scoring efforts from Bug players Jake Ortmeyer, Dale Lupul, and Brett Smith.

In Coach Muscutt’s interview before the last night's game, he said it was quite an exciting game to watch, and he said, at times, he was caught up in being a spectator who was enjoying the skills of both teams. He said he thought the Bugs played very well, so I’ll take him for his word. But it was still tough to stomach another loss, especially that way. Wonder if they read my memo? On to night two in Youngstown....