December 22, 2007 Mudbugs 4 Steelhounds2
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!
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!
posted by HeidiB at 6:37 PM
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