Banga appeared in all 64 games for the Killer Bees last season and led the team in scoring with 61 points (23-38-61). He led the team in assists and finished second in goals, while his 18 power play points were second on the team. He also finished tied for first on the team with three shorthanded goals.

“Travis approached us right away and expressed interest in coming back,” explained Killer Bees Head Coach Paul Fixter. “He enjoyed playing here last year despite the tough season. As for the player/assistant role, it’s something he wanted to take on. He’s energetic about it and has the connections to help us recruit. We’re fortunate to have him back.”

Banga’s rights were acquired in May, 2007, from the then Memphis Riverkings in exchange for forward Matt Reynolds.

A native of High River, Alberta, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound forward spent three full pro seasons with the Riverkings. He also played three games with the former Kansas City Outlaws (UHL) in 2004-05.

Banga will enter his fifth pro season with better than a point-per-game average. In 230 pro games, Banga has collected 251 points (107-144-251). He has also shown a feisty edge, adding 323 penalty minutes to his career totals.

Prior to turning pro, Banga played four seasons of college hockey. In 2000-01, he played at the University of New Hampshire and began the following season there before moving on to New England College.

Season tickets for the Killer Bees 2008-09 hockey season are available now by calling 956-843-PUCK (7825).

—killerbeehockey.com—

The coach’s show on ESPN Radio 1240 will be live from 6-7 p.m. I’ve got conversations lined up with Killer Bees Head Coach Paul Fixter, who is on a recruiting trip watching, among other things, the Memorial Cup Finals. I’ll also chat with Ralph Strangis, the TV and Radio play-by-play voice of the Dallas Stars.

Prior to the opening faceoff, the Killer Bees will host a live contract signing for the first member of the 2008-09 roster. The signing, in addition to a special edition KILLER BEES COACHES SHOW, will be carried live on ESPN Radio 1240 AM from 6-7 p.m.

The Stars advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a four-overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks last Sunday. This will be the first Conference Finals appearance for the Stars since 2000, a year after they won the franchise’s only Stanley Cup. 

Door Prizes will be given away all night including a Team Italy hockey stick, Travis Banga and Rob Voltera autographed hockey helmets, a children’s entry into the Jason Cirone and Darren McCarty (Current Red Wing Player) Hockey Camp, plus the Grand Prize of 25 tickets inside the Party Suite for a 2008-2009 Killer Bees game for one Lucky Season Ticket Holder! Fans must be present to win.

The Grill and Bar at the Grove will offer Drink Specials throughout the event including $.99 Margaritas, $2.00 Bud Light and Michelob Ultra Draft Beer and $2.50 bottles (any Budweiser product). 

Season tickets for the 2008-09 hockey season are on sale now by calling 956-843-7825. Ticket packages start as low as $432 for the entire season and include parties with the players, the same seat for every game and are %100 satisfaction guaranteed.

—WWW.KILLERBEEHOCKEY.COM—

• This is an interesting matchup because both teams can play run-and-gun. I said back in December that if the Sundogs could pick up a true No.1 netminder, they’d be unstoppable. They did get Emond by way of Colorado, although his regular season numbers with Arizona were so-so and his playoff stats have been weak. How fitting would it be for him to have a stellar finals series against the team that dumped him? All that said, Colorado clearly has the edge in goaltending with Laplante, and isn’t that what playoff hockey comes down to? They obviously have a ton more overall experience to boot, and given their precarious entry to the playoffs, I don’t expect they’d be overconfident. If Arizona can break through and get timely saves by McVicar or Emond, they might be able to steal the title away from the defending champs. For now, I’m left thinking Arizona is still a year away, but they did pull of an amazing Game 7 win over the Bucks. I hate to have to make a pick here, but I still have to go with the Eagles.

Personally, hockey has been the furthest thing from my mind lately, although I added the digital sports tier to my cable package so I can watch the NHL Network and playoff games on Versus. I’m hoping the Bruins can overcome their 0-8 regular season against the Canadiens in the first round.

TEAM AWARDS

The team handed out season-end awards at the season ticket holder party a few weeks back at Cimarron. I thought the night went well and everyone had a good time.

MVP - Rob Voltera. A worthy choice in my opinion. Rob’s a guy who plays through injuries and gives his heart and soul to the team. Not the most vocal guy, he leads by example and hopefully an injury free season awaits him in 2008-09. Dennis Maxwell would be my pick for runner-up. He played forward and D, and is another guy who battled through injuries.

Rookie - Josh Bonar. A 20-plus goal season made Josh the easy pick.

Defenseman - Jeremy Van Hoof. Stay at home guy who chipped in with a few goals. He played most of the season with more of an injury than anyone knew until his year-end physical.

Most Improved and Heart and Soul - An AHL callup showed what Mark is capable of. He scored a few goals with the Griffins, forcing people here to take another look at how valuable he is.

Darcy Smith Community Award - Rob Voltera and Dan McNeill. Both of these guys went out of their way to participate in communiy relations functions this season. The entire team is generally very accommodating, but this season these two guys stood above.

Fan Favorite - Selected via online voting, Jason Slusher took home the award. Friendly and talkative (very), he beat Maxwell and Dave Lemanowicz, barely.

PLAYOFFS

Pretty surprising so far in some regards. Bossier getting swept by Texas was a shock, but in hindsight the Brahmas were the best team in the league the final 20 games or so. Like lots of people, I figured that to be a flash in the pan. That said, I wasn’t overly impressed by Bossier the two games I saw against them. They looked lazy and almost too confident.

Arizona/Laredo is no shock for the Southern finals. Colorado/Texas obviously is. I’m not even going to attempt to predict who and why. I will say I picked Laredo/Arizona in the South and Bossier/Colorado in the North. Two out of three is pretty good for someone with my luck.

THE SUMMER

As most Bees fans know, I do Dorados af2 football in the summer. If you have yet to give it a chance, come out to a game. It’s a fun time and a very unique game.

I’ve never been a huge football fan, but like the game enough. I loved listening to the Patriots when I was back home, even before they were a big deal. Most of that is thanks to Gil Santos, their longtime play-by-play guy on the radio. He paints a beautiful picture and I model my football call after his.

The Arena game has really grabbed me. It isn’t football by the numbers and is oddball enough for an oddball like me to latch on to.

Hockey-wise, things will be quiet for a while. All PR scheming aside, I don’t think there will be a whole lot to report for a while. I know the recruiting process has already begun, but I doubt we’ll be making any formal announcements until July. I know from past experience, people freak out about that.

Recruiting and signing players in a months-long process that usually begins, officially, when the regular season ends. Unofficially, a little sooner.

So enjoy the summer, watch the NHL playoffs and follow the CHL playoffs online, and when things develop, I’ll keep you updated right here.

Hidalgo, Texas — The Laredo Bucks handed the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees a 6-2 loss for their final game of the 2007-08 season. Jason Slusher and Rob Voltera each posted goals late in the third for the Bees tallies, while Alex Goupil (2-1-3) and Paul Elliot (0-3-3) ended their night with three points a piece for Laredo.

It was all Laredo Bucks for most of the game with Goupil picking up his first point of the night on a shorthanded goal just eight seconds into the second period. Steve Weidlich added one more for the Bucks at the 14:40 mark to up the lead 2-0 Laredo going into the final frame. 

The third period was where most the scoring took place with Laredo’s Jeff Bes, on the power play picked up his 46^th goal of the season and a new franchise single season record for the Bucks at the 6:12 mark. Chris Stanley followed at 7:22 to give the Bucks a 4-0 advantage.

Slusher put the Bees on the board with his second goal of the season late in the final period at 15:54 with helpers from Jason Weitzel and Lance Herauf. Goupil picked up his second goal of the night on the power play at 17:38, but Voltera fired back with his team leading 27^th goal of the season at 18:35, but Laredo wasn’t quite finished. With just 4 seconds left in the contest Alex Penner connected on the power play to end the game with a 6-2 Laredo pounding. 

John Ceci nabbed the win in net for the Bucks with 24 saves, while David Lemanowicz suffered the loss with 39 saves.

NOTES: Laredo went 4-for-6 on the power play while Rio was 0-for-5…Alex Goupil’s first goal of the night was a new franchise record for fastest goal by an opponent from the start of a period at just eight seconds in. The old record was set back on January 8, 2005 by Adam Paiment ironically from Laredo. 

COACH FIXTER SOUNDBITES

Thoughts on the final game of the season and how the Bees skated…
“We started well and then it just kind of went south on us. It was a good first period, but then that goal eight seconds into the second period killed us. It was a momentum killer, and then we had some penalties that killed us. We lost to a team that was much better then us.” 

How do you feel now that season is over?
“Since we have known that we were not going to make the playoffs I’m glad that the season is over. It hasn’t been fun for anyone involved from ownership on down through the last player, the trainers and certainly the coaching staff. It’s a season to bury and put away in the garbage and move on and try to get back.”

What were some of the highlights of the season? 
“Well there’s lots of examples. I try to focus on the positive and the most recent I suppose was Mark O’Leary getting called to the American League and playing quite well. The guys that accomplished milestones in terms of 500 points and X number of games; those are personal milestones. The raising of Sean Giliam’s jersey, the tremendous support, the fans and having the 5,000 average are all positives. There’s been lots of positives in the season and positives to build off of.” 

What are you looking forward to for next season? 
“More wins, and a lot more fun.”

Any final thoughts on the season?
“No… it’s over and now we move forward with smiles on our faces, and our hard hats and work boots on because now we have a lot of work that needs to be done.”

http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534787

THERE’S STILL A PLAYOFF RACE
There’s still an intruiging playof race in the CHL. If Colorado loses tonight and Rocky Mountain wins, the Rage are in with the No. 2 seed in the North. As Greg Rajan points out, would you tank on purpose if you were Bossier? I would. If Rocky beats Bossier and Youngstown wins, Rocky is in.

Meanwhile, Texas, Youngstown and Memphisippi have their own race going on. Hopefully by the time you read this pointstreak is updated. Youngstown never finalized their game last night (I’m assuming Internet trouble) so the stats are not quite right.

Basically, if Texas beats Austin or at least gets a point, they have the No. 3 seed in the North. Youngstown and the Riverkings will then play for the 4 seed.

ON THE BOOB TUBE
Tonight’s game is on Televisa XERV-9/cable 19. The contract to televise the games, sponsored by Texas Ford Dealers, is up. I hope the Saturday games next season are on TV. Televisa has done a great job, so be sure to set your Tivo/DVR/VCR to record the game and your gleaming smile.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE COLLEGE KIDS
Show up early and get a Bud Light baseball cap, and bring your checkbook to buy a jersey at the post game auction. All the proceeds are tax-deductible and go directly to deserving college kids in South Texas. STARS (South Texas Academic Rising Scholar) and L&F Distributors don’t take a dime from the auction.

THIS YEAR
There have been some positives from this season, both professionally and personally, as there always are regardless of the win-loss record. I’ve worked with, from a front-office perspective, a great group of people.

For someone that does what I do, having an owner and a GM that not only likes what you do (unless they’re lying to me) on the air but also understands the stupid hours you keep and the weird times you get game notes and things done (right now it’s 4:21 a.m., and we got off the bus around 2 a.m.)…well, it makes things good.

I am fully aware of some teams that require their radio/PR guy to be a desk jockey regardless of when they got off the bus or how many days in a row they’ve worked. They’re slaves, all for the “glory” of announcing minor league hockey games. I want to publicly, and openly, thank Troy and Grant treating me like a human being and allowing me to do what I need to do to get things done.

The coaching staff we have here is top-notch. Paul Fixter is one of the most engaging people I know. He is friendly, professional and generally a good guy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know his wife Leslie and also knowing that his parents listen to the games on the Internet. We’ve shared some funny stories and he has done little things, like pass on newspaper clippings about Kitchener (his hometown) native Milt Schmidt, the former Bruins great, that makes me realize he listens to what I say and appreciates my passion for the game.

On a professional level, he has kept me informed of what’s going on with the team, often times days before moves are made. I’m privy to conversations about player performance, moves, etc., that quite honestly, I have no business hearing. The tight quarters on the bus lend to that, but he could just as easily tell me to beat it and go to my bunk. I trust he knows that what I see and hear is filtered and never made public unless I’m given the go-ahead. Hockey-wise, I’ve learned quite a bit. Sitting down and watching video with Paul is amazing. He breaks things down in ways I’d never think of.

Sean Gillam has been my roommate on the road for the past two seasons. Going from a player to a coach is never easy, but I think he has done a fantastic job. Sean is not the most talkative guy in the world. But if you get to know him, you realize he speaks when he has something important to say. There’s no BS coming from him. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know Sean’s family. I’m actually a few months older than Sean, which surprised me when I discovered that. I have no doubt “Gilly” will be a head coach at some point, whether it’s here or someplace else, and I know he’ll do a great job.

I’ve also learned quite a bit about the game from him while watching video on the bus. He’s pointed things out that again, I probably wouldn’t have noticed or never verbalized. I have a pretty solid knowledge of the game’s history and also the technical aspects of it. But one of the most important things I’ve learned from both Paul and Sean is that the game really is simple. Types of plays, breakouts, defensive schemes, etc., that I’ve seen over the years but never fully comprehended have been explained to me. I hope that in turn makes for a better broadcast to give you, the fan, a better understanding of the game.

I can’t thank the two of them enough; I’ve always told myself when I decide to go and do something else for a living, I want to coach or ref youth or high school hockey. I squirrel away every little tidbit of info and strategy I can, using this experience as a bit of hockey grad school if you’ll allow that bad comparison.

I also want to thank my interns and unpaid help (Chelsea, April, Rachel and Elyssa, as well as my old pal Joey). They make my job so much easier and I can’t thank them enough. Thanks as well to Alex (basssssketball and all) and Dennis, my broadcast counterparts; Joe, Joey, Danny, Serge and everyone else at BMP Radio for making things sound good; and the folks at Televisa XERV-9 for caring and working to overcome the language barrier. Your work has helped hockey grow on both sides of the border.

As for the players, I like most of the guys as people. There have been some who have disappointed me as players that I really like off the ice. Other guys have sacrificed so much for the game. I consider some friends while I’m sure I’ll never talk to others ever again.

THE FUTURE
The coaching staff has already begun the arduous task of putting together next year’s roster. There are never any guarantees when it comes to winning and losing. I know Paul and Sean will do, and have done, their best to put a winning product on the ice.

Although I plan on being back for my fourth season here in the Valley, it’s no secret I would like to move up to the AHL or NHL and spend more time with my daughter. However, I can honestly say there are not many jobs in the AHL that I think compare to what I have here in the Valley. The NHL is, well, the NHL, but that’s a bit of a pipedream. At some point I know I have to go and do something else for a living. I hope fans continue to support the team, and hockey in general, here in the sub-tropics of South Texas. It is a great game, regardless of how the home team does, and I hope the kids who have done such a great job of representing the Valley in youth hockey stick with it.

DORADOS
It indeed is almost af2 football time and hopefully the Dorados can pull off the same type of season they did last year. I’ll look forward to hearing from everyone over the summer during the broadcasts.

Laredo scored six consecutive goals to earn the win after the Bees tied the game in the second period. Eight different goal scorers lit the lamp for the Bucks, who had seven different players record multiple points.

The Bucks took a 2-0 lead into the second period on goals by Alex Goupil and Igor Agarunov.

The Bees tied the game in the second on goals by Josh Bonar and Jason Weitzel, only to see the Bucks respond with three consecutive goals. James Hiebert broke the 2-2 tie with his 26^th goal at 11:06. Just 19 seconds later, Matt Summers banged home his 12^th to make it a 4-2 game.

Bucks vet and CHL MVP candidate Jeff Bes connected at 16:57 for his franchise record-tying 45^th goal on a shot that beat Bees goalie A.J. Bucchino off the far side pipe. The 45 goals by Bes is a professional high for the 15^th-year pro.

Dustin Traylen made 19 saves in goal to earn his 25^th win of the season. Bucchino finished with 38 saves.

The Bees close out the regular season Saturday against the Bucks at Dodge Arena. The first 1000 adults get Bud Light ball caps. The Bees will wear special Bud Light jerseys which will be auctioned after the game to benefit South Texas Academic Rising Scholars. Face off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

NOTES: Nick Warriner missed the game with an ankle injury…Laredo’s 46 shots marked the 50^th time the Bees have been outshot this season…The Bucks outscored Rio 25-10 in the second period and 14-2 in the third over the season series.

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534777

GUTS GARBS
Josh Garbutt could have easily pulled the chute, sat out the last few games with an injury, and collected a few extra weeks of workman’s comp pay. But, he returned to the lineup and scored a goal for the Bees on Wednesday. That’s guts, and that’s character. There’s always a few guys throughout the leagues who mysteriously come down with “injuries” in the last few games of the regular season, usually when the team is out of the playoffs.

IN THE HUDDLE
As the Killer Bees season winds down and the Dorados kick off, I’ll be focusing the majority of my attention on the af2 team and the new IN THE HUDDLE news blog at www.doradosfootball.com. Which isn’t to say I’ll be ignoring this site here. Most of you know hockey is my passion, so I’ll be piping in with the usual news and commentary I usually post here, albeit a bit less frequently. Rest assured as soon as there are signings, etc., this will be the place to find out.

JUGO
In response to Jugo’s lengthy comment under the BATS DOUBLE UP BEES headline…

Scouts? There’s one team in this league that actually lists a full time scout. Can you guess who it is? Recruiting in the CHL isn’t really “scout” based. It’s an inexact science. You talk to people. You list guys you want and think you can get. You played with a guy’s current coach and see if he’s going back there. You played for the guy’s coach in junior, etc.

The process of recruiting for next season probably began a month or two ago. I know Coach Fixter and Coach Gillam have a master outline of what and who they want for next year. Now it’s a matter of waiting for the playoffs to end to officially make offers.

Who will return from this year’s team? I have an idea, but certainly won’t publicly comment on that until I’m given confirmation and the green light by the two guys who run the show on the bench.

Rocky Mountain’s third period collapse Wednesday night is an utter shock. I didn’t think Arizona had anything to play for. They’ve locked up their playoff berth, although if Laredo loses its final two games and the Dogs win both, they earn the No. 1 seed in the South. It’s unlikely, but possible.

The game brought back a fun memory for me from the 2002-03 season while I was the color analyst for the Worcester IceCats. The only recap I can find online reads almost like a carbon copy of the Rage’s stunning loss. From March 30, 2003, at Worcester’s Centrum Centre…

SUNDAY, NUTTY SUNDAY … Down 6-1 entering the third period on Sunday, the Worcester IceCats staged an epic comeback to dethrone the Manchester Monarchs, 7-6.

Jeff Panzer and John Pohl each scored twice during the final frame, and Panzer capped the IceCats’ first hat trick of the season and the six-goal rally at the 1:53 mark of overtime. Aris Brimanis scored five seconds after Panzer’s second goal, tying an AHL record for the fastest two goals by one team. Worcester improved to 5-0-3-0 in its last eight home games.

The Monarchs’ overtime loss allowed Providence to clinch the North Division championship.

In the Worcester case, the IceCats were battling for a spot in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs, trying to avoid the three-game qualifying round. Trailing by five goals entering the third, play-by-play man Mike Thornton (now the PR director for Philadelphia in the AHL and a still good friend) asked me if I wanted to call the PBP of the third period. I still vivdly remember walking down through the concourse of the arena as he asked me; I think he was on his way to get coffees or bottled water from the training room while I made a pit-stop in the men’s room before resuming my intermission host duties.

By habit, Mike returned and started calling the third period. What a period of hockey it was. We joked afterwards that he nearly blew calling one of the biggest comebacks in AHL history. I feel for the Rage, but also know how it feels on the other side.

By the way, the IceCats went on to lose 3-0 in the first round best-of-five playoff round to the Binghamton Senators, a team that included the likes of Ray Emery, Brian Pothier, Antoine Vermette and Jason Spezza (though I’m not sure he played in the series - he only appeared in two playoff games that year shuttling between Bingo and Ottawa). Worcester included Christian Backman, Curtis Sanford, John Pohl and Mark Rycroft. Mark never went by “Bencharski.”

Astute fans will recall that Houston went on to win the Calder Cup that year, defeating a Hamilton club that produced several future Edmonton Oilers.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Rage do get a point, so with 76 points, they’re tied with the Riverkings for the No. 5 seed in the North. But the Kings have a game in hand and play OKC and Corpus (twice) in a three-in-three to wrap up the season. Rocky plays its final two games vs. Tulsa, who’ve won three in a row (including wins over the Rage and Bossier). If Rocky wins out and Colorado loses out, the Rage win the Division based on a 7-4-1 regular season vs. the Eagles. The Eagles, meanwhile play two more games at Youngstown after losing 3-2 Wednesday. This is the kind of playoff race that makes the game fun. I just wish the Bees were involved this year.

Hidalgo, Texas — Justin Quenneville (0-4-4) and Nicklas Lindberg (2-0-2) led the way for the Corpus Christi Rayz as they blew out the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 6-2 Wednesday night at the Dodge Arena. Dennis Maxwell added his 12^th goal of the season, while Josh Garbutt added his seventh for Rio’s two goals. 

Garbutt’s power play tally at 11:17 into the first with helpers from Mike Tuomi and Danny Lapointe gave Rio a 1-0 lead, but Corpus’ Geno Parrish tied things up with just 2:19 left in the frame on the power play.

The Rayz pulled ahead of the Bees with Lindberg’s first of the night at 10:54 of the middle stanza. Jay Latulippe followed up at 13:21 to give the Rayz a two-goal lead, but Maxwell’s power play tally at 17:43 brought the Bees within a goal. Corpus regained the two-goal advantage 21 seconds later on Adam Powell’s 14^th of the season. 

Corpus added two goals in the third, one by Derek Smith at 3:36, and Lindberg’s second at 5:15. That goal came while the Rayz were short handed.

Jason Tapp picked up his 22^nd win in net with 49 saves, while David Lemanowicz suffered the loss with 45 saves. 

The Bees travel to Laredo Friday to face the Southeast Division champion Bucks at the Laredo Entertainment Center and then return home for their final game of the season against the Bucks Saturday night at the Dodge Arena. Game time at home is set for 7:35 p.m.

NOTES
The teams combined for a franchise-record 102 shots on goal…Rio’s 51 shots were the most this season and only three short of the franchise mark (54)…Garbutt returned to the lineup after missing the previous five with an injury…Nick Warriner was helped off the ice late in the third after an opponent’s stick apparently got lodged in his blade and brought him to the ice.

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534769

BROOM-WIELDING FURBALLS
If nothing else, Phil and the game ops crew will make sure you’re entertained tonight. The first intermission will feature MASCOT BROOMBALL, featuring some of the fuzzier creatures from around the Valley. This ought to be a hoot.

COACHES SHOW AND GREEN BEER
We did our final coaches show of the year last night at RA’s. Paul Fixter and Sean Gillam joined me on the air and we also had a visit from the incomparable Tony Fe-Fi Forina. We talked about Mark O’Leary’s AHL callup (which has been extended by the way) and what a great thing that is for the team. Inevitably, the question of an affiliation came up. Paul mentioned striking while the iron is hot, and indeed the iron is a bright orange at the moment. Of course, affiliations come with their own perils which have been discussed here before. But it’ll be interesting to see what happens.

One thing I learned last night is to avoid day-old green draft beer. Enough said.

WRAPPING UP
The final three games of the season begin tonight against Corpus Christi, another team that’s out of the playoffs. So what kind of game will it be? I’m curious to find out. I doubt anyone will just go through the motions since jobs are on the line; not just with both teams, but elsewhere. Coaches will look to see who pulls the chute in a game like this. This type of matchup usually shows you more about character than you’d realize.

PLAYOFF PONDERING
Things are finally shaking out as far as the CHL playoffs go. Arizona clinches the Southwest while Amarillo is finally eliminated. Yes, that means somehow, someway, there will be playoff hockey at the Chap in Austin. What a turnaround by the Bats and Brent Hughes.

Meanwhile, the North is still up in the air. I have no clue what Dan Wildfong is feeding his players in North Richland Hills, but where has Texas come from? I thought they were a decent team when the Bees played them, but certainly not as good as they’ve been lately.

The most interesting thing is that one team that you’d think should make it will be out. Right now, it’s Rocky Mountain. Two months ago that would have been unconceivable, but the loss of Scott Wray for the season and the games Brent Cullaton missed really hurt the club. If they get in the playoffs, they’ll be a tough team to beat.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING
If you’re Rocky Mountain, who do you want to win tonight? Youngstown? Colorado? It’s one of those rare games that you wish they still had ties in hockey if you’re in Broomfield.

Of course, the Rage need to worry about their own game against Arizona, but what do the Dogs have to play for? You’ll hear the obligatory crap about not wanting to go into the playoffs on a sour note, but the main concern for them is not to sustain any injuries.

And could Wichita take a page from their rivals in Tulsa and pull of an upset over Texas? The Oilers have somehow knocked off three wins a row, beating Colorado, Rocky and Bossier.

Things will be interesting tonight for sure.

Killer Bees Head Coach Paul Fixter and Assistant Coach Sean Gillam will join Bees play-by-play voice Rich Bocchini for the one hour show. The trio will discuss, among other things, the CHL and NHL Playoff races as well as the Year-End Awards for the CHL.

—killerbeehockey.com—

Just 54 seconds into the second period a shot by Rio right-winger Rob Voltera broke the glass behind and to the left of Austin netminder Miguel Beaudry to delay the game a bit, which proved to be the most notable event in the period until Tuomi, with just 0.4 left on the clock, sent one home on the power play giving the Bees the 2-1 lead going into the final frame.

http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534756vbg

Hidalgo, Texas—The Austin Ice Bats bagged two power play goals en route to a 4-1 win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Friday night at the Dodge Arena. 

Austin started early as R.G. Flath connected on a power play at 2:48 into the first period. Henry Kuster followed at the 6:11 mark on a shot from the right side of Rio netminder David Lemanowicz that grazed the top of his glove to increase the Bats lead 2-0 going into the second period.

Flath scored his second of the night at the 3:29 mark in the second, with John Ronan following midway through the period on the power play to give the Bats a 4-0 lead.

Bonar became the third Killer Bee to score 20 goals by redirecting a Mike Bartlett shot at 17:27. 

Miguel Beaudry captured the win in net with 25 saves, while Lemanowicz suffered the loss with 37 saves.

The Bees end their 3-in-3 weekend at home for the last game of a double-header versus the Ice Bats at the Dodge Arena Saturday night. Game time is set for 7:35 p.m. 

COACH FIXTER SOUNDBITES

 What is this team looking to achieve now that they are out of the playoffs?

 ”Well I think that would be a good question for the players. Based on tonight’s performance a few of them aren’t looking to achieve much. I was rather disgusted by some of the efforts put in by some of the guys and there were other guys who played their heart out. There is still a reason to play, for sure, in my eyes.” 

What allowed, or how was Austin able to score four times before the Bees posted even one goal tonight?

 ”It was a combination of bad play and bad luck. Their a team that is fighting for their lives and they came out guns ablazing. They showed that they still have a chance and they played hard.”

Do you feel the latest schedule has taken a toll on the team and how they have skated the last few games (the last three were losses)? 

“It’s been tough. They are tired and I’m not making excuses, but they are a tired group. We have had a lot of games in a very short period of time.” 

Any other thoughts on tonight’s game?

 ”I’d like to forget about tonight and think about tomorrow.”

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534747

The win for Odessa snaps a five-game losing skid and pulls the club back into second place in the Southwest Division, trailing Division leader by three points. 

The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period on goals by Rio’s Nick Warriner and Odessa’s Brian Swiniarksi.

Warriner’s goal at 1:14 was his first since Dec. 31 and fourth of the year. He rifled a shot past Jacks goalie Alex Vincent from 15 feet away. Swiniaski tapped home a rebound to tie things at 1-1 just 1:35 later while Rio’s Jason Weitzel was in the box for holding. 

That score held up through the second period until Olivier Proulx stole the puck at the Rio blue line and beat AJ Bucchino for his 10^th goal with 1:21 left in the middle stanza.

The Jacks scored twice in the third with Alex Dunn bagging his fourth of the season at the 1:40 mark. Colin Circelli closed out the scoring with his sixth goal of the year at 10:11.

The Jacks went 3-for-5 on the power play while holding Rio 0-for-6.  

Bucchino made 30 saves for Rio while Vincent, a nominee for both the CHL’s Goalie of the Year and Rookie of the Year Awards, making 31 stops.

The Bees return home for games Friday and Saturday against the Austin Ice Bats. Both games at Dodge Arena begin at 7:35 p.m. 

The first 1000 fans on Friday get Killer Bees collector card sets, while the first 1000 kids 12 and under on Saturday get Killer Bees jerseys.

NOTES: Rob Voltera sat out tonight’s game, recovering from surgery on Tuesday…Josh Garbutt missed his third straight game…Rio was outshot 34-32, marking the 48^th time this season that has happened. 

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534742

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In their quest to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Grand Rapids Griffins might prefer to play every remaining game against the North Division’s top team. The Griffins pounded the first-place Toronto Marlies for the second consecutive meeting and earned their season-high fourth straight home win in 7-1 fashion on Wednesday, in the process climbing above the 0.500 mark at Van Andel Arena for the first time this season at 15-14-1-2.

Darren Helm and Evan McGrath notched their first two-goal games as Griffins while Mark O’Leary also potted a pair in his AHL debut, helping Grand Rapids to its first seven-goal output in exactly two years. Helm, who also had two assists for his first four-point night, was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings after the game along with goaltender Jimmy Howard.

The fifth-place Griffins (27-31-2-5), who’ve dealt the Marlies their only two defeats by more than three goals this season, climbed within 11 points of idle Syracuse for the third playoff spot in the division. They’ll stay at home to host the Lake Erie Monsters at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The Griffins jumped on top only 3:40 into the contest thanks to a tremendous effort by Helm. The speedy rookie burst into the Toronto zone, won a race to a loose puck at the top of the left circle and quickly snapped a shot past Justin Pogge. That goal, Helm’s fourth in the last five contests, extended his point streak to five games.

Grand Rapids took that 1-0 lead to the locker room before extending its cushion to three, scoring a pair of goals within a 30-second span early in the middle frame. McGrath netted his 10th of the campaign at the 2:03 mark, and the newly signed O’Leary sliced across the slot to redirect Tyler Redenbach’s blast at 2:33.

Pogge was relieved of his duties a minute later, marking an end to his disastrous week against Grand Rapids. He sported a 0-2 record, a 5.78 GAA and a 0.771 save percentage the last two Wednesdays versus the Griffins, after beginning his career with a 5-0 mark, two shutouts, a 1.50 GAA and a 0.957 save percentage in his first six clashes with Grand Rapids.

Scott Clemmensen entered in relief and was also greeted with hostility. McGrath cleaned up a scrum by popping the puck into the far corner of the net exactly halfway through the contest, then Garrett Stafford calmly walked in and roofed a shot during another power play at 14:22 to make it a 5-0 game.

When O’Leary tallied his second goal with 1:54 remaining before intermission, it gave the Griffins their first 6-0 advantage at home since a 7-0 win over Houston on Jan. 28, 2003, and their first six-goal lead in any game since a 6-0 victory at Syracuse on April 8, 2006.

The Marlies (38-18-3-5) finally beat Howard on their 27th shot of the night 4:09 into the third period, a power play goal from the high slot off the stick of Jay Harrison. But Helm notched his second goal on the power play at 12:54, providing the final margin and giving the Griffins a tidy 3-for-7 performance on the power play.

Howard finished with 34 saves to earn his 19th win of the campaign. Pogge surrendered three goals on eight shots to suffer the loss while Clemmensen made 11 stops on the night, as Toronto’s losing skid reached five games (0-4-1-0).

Hidalgo, Texas — The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League today announced that left wing Mark O’Leary has been called up to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, the top affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

He is expected to sign a professional tryout with the team prior to Wednesday’s game vs. the Toronto Marlies. The Griffins also play this Saturday vs. the Lake Erie Monsters and on Sunday at Toronto.

A second year pro, the 23-year-old Owen Sound, Ontario, native represents the first Killer Bees player to be called up to an AHL team during the regular season. Primarily a checking line winger, O’Leary posted 20 points (5-15-20) in 55 games with the Bees this season, nearly doubling his point total (6-5-11) from his rookie campaign.

“I’m excited for Mark and for our organization,” explained Killer Bees Head Coach Paul Fixter. “Even in a season that has been as trying as this, there are always bright spots and this is one of them. Mark’s commitment on and off the ice, and his tremendous work ethic, make him deserving of this opportunity. I hope it makes other players realize you never know when an opportunity will present itself.” 

—killerbeehockey.com—

The Mudbugs opened up the scoring quick into the first with three players netting four goals all within 1:59 of each other to give the Mudbugs the 4-0 lead. Daniel Pegoraro and Tyrel Lucas each scored one and Jason Campbell picked up two goals. 

Goalie A.J. Bucchino, who started the game, was replaced by David Lemanowicz after allowing two goals on three shots. Robin Big Snake scored the Bees only goal in the first with the assist going to Mike Tuomi and Jeremy Van Hoof.  

Bossier’s Kevin Cooper and Justin Aikins scored in the second. Cooper connected at 7:40 and 19:12 for his 23^rd and 24^th goals. Rio’s Danny Lapointe collected the lone Rio score in the middle stanza by redirecting a Jeremy Van Hoof shot from the point on the power play.

Bucchino returned to start the third period in goal for Rio. Jason Weitzel closed out the scoring in the game at the 12:30 mark.  

Bossier’s John DeCaro earned the win while stopping 12 of the 15 shots faced. Lemanowicz took the loss with 16 saves, while Bucchino stopped eight of 10.

The Bees travel to Odessa for a Thursday match against the Jackalopes and return home for a pair of games vs. Austin on Friday and Saturday. Face off in Odessa is set for 7:05 p.m. 

Coach Fixter Sound Bites

After both goalies let in two goals each within minutes of each other, what was your plan of action?

To find another goalie but there was not one on the bench. I was thoroughly disgusted they were not ready to play.

Do you think the goalies at fault or was it the defense in front?

More so the goalies, the whole team has to take part in the blame. There were mistakes made all the way along and the goalie is the last mistake so people always want to point the finger at the them because that’s the only mistake they see.

Were there any factors that might have hindered the team today, such as the volume, time of the game, or the amount of games you have had in the last week?

The number of games but that’s just an excuse. As for the time of the game, Bossier started the same time we did and they were ready to play.
 
Final thoughts?

I hope the kids had fun! Even though it was not the out come hoped for. I appreciate the effort of the school board and again I hope the kids had fun. 

Game time is 10:30 a.m. Listen live on ESPN Radio 1240 or watch online via the CHL Network.

Bonar drew the penalty shot 1:13 into overtime after being hooked from behind by Bats defenseman Darryl McArthur on a breakaway.  

The Killer Bees led 2-0 after the first period on goals by Josh Bonar (3:39) and Jason Weitzel (10:52). Travis Banga set up Bonar’s 18th of the season and second since January 8, while Lance Herauf dished a pass to Weitzel who snapped home his seventh.

Banga, who was held scoreless last night, now has at least one point in seven of his last eight games. Herauf and Weitzel reconnected after combining for five points (2-3-5) in Saturday’s win over the Bats. 

Ted Vandermeer and R.G. Flath responded for Austin in the third just 24 seconds apart to tie things at 2-2.

AJ Bucchino made 41 saves in goal for the Bees to earn his fifth win of the season. Miguel Beaudry took the loss with 29 saves.

The Bees return to action this Tuesday at home vs. Bossier-Shreveport in the annual Kid’s Day Game at 10:30 a.m. Listen live on ESPN Radio 1240 AM. 

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534732

NOTES: Nick Warriner, Josh Garbutt and Dennis Maxwell were the Rio scratches…Maxwell took a two-game suspension for a physical abuse of officials penalty on Saturday night…Warriner and Garbutt are day-to-day…Jason Weitzel has four points (2-2-4) in his last two games…With seven games left, the playoff race is now a one-point affair for the Bees…The most the Bees can finish with is 53 points, so any combination of a Rio regulation loss and an Austin win eliminates the Bees from playoff contention.

Hidalgo, Texas—Jason Weitzel nabbed the game-winner as the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees defeated the Austin Ice Bats 5-3 Saturday night at the Dodge Arena. Lance Herauf (1-1-2) and Weitzel (1-1-2) each posted two points for the Bees, while Austin’s Brendan Cook (2-0-2) picked up two goals in the contest. 

The win was the first home win since the Bees defeated the Laredo Bucks 3-2 back on January 4^th.

Both teams were out for blood (literally) in a first period that lasted nearly an hour due to multiple confrontations between the two teams. Rio’s Herauf silenced the Ice Bats bench early at 2:13, banking a shot off fallen Austin’s netminder Doug Groenestege. 

With 4:03 left in the frame, Cook nabbed his first of the night on the power play with helpers coming from Ted Vandermeer and Mike Bartlett. He banked home his second a minute later at 16:48 on a shot off the left shoulder of Rio’s A.J. Bucchino.

Rio’s Bernie Chmiel tied things up once more with just 1:35 left in the frame with helpers coming from Weitzel and Jason Slusher. 

Mike Tuomi game Rio a 3-2 lead at 10:57 of the second with helpers from Robin Big Snake and Danny Lapointe. That sent Groenestege packing in favor of Miguel Beaudry.

Weitzel secured his second point of the night as he one-timed home his sixth goal of the season and the eventual game-winner on a great setup by Herauf from behind the goal line. After a shmazzle with 3:28 remaining, Austin’s John Neal used the resulting 5-on-3 advantage to bring the Bats within a goal, but Rob Voltera’s empty-netter from 160 feet with just 15.8 left on the clock sealed the Rip win. 

Bucchino picked up the win with 33 saves and an assist on the Voltera goal, while Miguel Beaudry suffered the loss.

Rio travels to Austin for a rematch Sunday at the Chapparal Ice Center with game time set for 4:05 p.m. 

NOTES

-          The Bees staved off elimination from playoff contention with the win.

-          A.J. Bucchino’s assist on the Rob Voltera goal was his second this season.

-          The win tonight was the first home win for the Bees since they defeated the Laredo Bucks 3-2 back on January 4^th, which is also the only win they have over the Bucks.

-          The game was the start of a 10 games in 13 days stretch that will see the Bees face Austin three more times, Corpus Christi, Laredo and Bossier-Shreveport.

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534728

Laredo scored three times in the second period after the teams entered the middle stanza tied 1-1. Desjardins scored at 2:24 and 6:06 for his 18^th and 19^th goals of the season. Then, with Laredo’s David Walker off for tripping, Goupil stole the puck in the Rio end and lifted a backhander past Bees netminder Dave Lemanowicz to make it a 4-1 Laredo game. Desjardins completed the hat trick at the 17:48 mark of the third. 

Travis Banga scored Rio’s only 16:41 into the first period after Goupil gave Laredo a 1-0 lead just 59 seconds into the game.

John Ceci turned aside 20 shots for his sixth win of the season, while Dave Lemanowicz made 44 saves in net for the Bees. Rio heads home to face Austin Saturday at 7:35 p.m.

NOTES: Josh Bonar received a slashing major and an attempt to injure game misconduct for slashing Ceci at the 7:02 mark of the second period…Rio is scoreless in three games (0-for-16) on the power play…..The penalty kill has stopped 26 of 27 opportunities i=over the last five games.

http://pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=534719

Make sure to get to the game early on Saturday to get one of the Killer Bees wall clocks being given away. And don’t forget to set your clocks ahead Saturday night. That’ll make Sunday’s 4 p.m. game at Austin all that more fun.

And just as a reminder, there’s no CHL Network video from Austin. Online audio only at killerbeehockey.com and on the air at KURV 710 Talk Radio. Of course, Saturday’s game is also on Televisa XERV-9 (cable 19). DVR it and let me know what you think.

POKE CHECK!
This is possibly the funniest hockey commercial ever. Listen close to what the goalie is saying, especially in the beginning when the two other guys are talking on the bench.

DOUG SOUR?
Looks like Doug Sauter’s had it in Oke City, with good reason. I think you could insert “Paul Fixter” and “Killer Bees” in place of Sauter and Blazers and most of the story would apply here. That said, I’m not sure how absolutely ripping you’re team like that helps. There’s a difference between a public cattle prod and a full out rip. By the way (and this is no way a knock on Sauter, who from my limited time talking to him seems like a genuinely nice guy) but he annually gets my vote for Best Mascot in the Best of the Best Poll. Why? He is easily the most recognizable face in the CHL and perhaps in minor pro hockey.

WHERE’D EVERYONE GO?
The gallery has been silent lately. Few complaints and absolutely no discussion regarding any of the posts here. The biggest reason the blog exists is for discussion, so let’s go!

MORE WITH BIG T
I sat down with Terry Tychon and did a pretty lengthy interview with him yesterday. I’ll run it in two parts during the first intermission of Friday’s game at Laredo and will also post some selected comments here on the blog.

SHORTEN THE SCHEDULE!
I’ve long been a proponent of the NHL and AHL reducing the number of games they play for a host of reasons, not limited to the wear and tear on the players and travel expenses. The fact is the season is just too damn long. The most compelling argument, however, is attendance. This recent story about the Rockford IceHogs has a great quote from the team’s GM regarding mid-week games…

“Wednesdays are what they are. We can’t convince anyone to come out on Wednesdays. Kids have practices, there’s bedtimes. Those decisions, no matter what we do or advertising dollars spent, they are what they are.”

Ain’t that the truth?! The pie-in-the-sky types in minor pro sports always say “we could be doing more, our sales staff needs to pick it up and do a better job, blah, blah, blah.” Enough already. Listen up leagues; stop wasting everyone’s money and shorten the schedules already. The CHL has it right although I think 60 games is plenty. There will always be a few mid-week games due to travel and arena logistics, but the fact of the matter is, with very few exceptions, NO ONE DRAWS during the week.

NUMBAH FO-AH, BOBBY O-AH

Just bought a couple of books…Searching for Bobby Orr and Static. The first is obviously about the greatest defenseman and arguably the greatest player in the game, ever. Part bio, part documentary, this is awesome so far.

As a kid growing up in Rhode Island, I heard lots about Orr from my dad. I’d always loved the game of hockey, but for one reason or another never started to follow it seriously till I was about 14. I do remember trying to stay up late for the 1987 Cup Finals when the Oilers beat the Flyers (my 2nd favorite team) and running around the basement with a left-handed stick my Aunt Anna (a Habs fan) got me even though shooting right felt more natural. Also remember being excited that the Flames won the Cup in 89 (my 3rd favorite team). I still shoot left, and I suppose that helped me, minimally, when I finally started playing goal in high school.

One of the first times I really heard of Orr was when I was maybe eight or nine. My dad took me to a baseball card show and I got a Bobby Orr Rally Patch. I won it from a game called Pick A Stick, where you paid a few bucks, picked a stick, and won the prize that coincided with the number. The patch originally came with skates, from what I’ve been able to find. I asked my dad who Bobby Orr was and I remember him telling me he was the greatest hockey player ever. My dad’s a bigger baseball fan than a hockey fan, a Yankees fan no less, but he certainly loves hockey.

As I got older and started to follow the Bruins more intently, going to games at Boston Garden with the old man and learning about the game and eventually the great history that surrounds it, it became far more obvious who Orr was as a player.

I was at the last game at Boston Garden with my dad in September of 1995, an exhibition match between the B’s and the Habs. They brought out all the old Bruins they could for one final lap around the ice. Of course, the final guy to be announced was Orr. Hearing that name reverberate through the Garden sent a chill through me and there were all sorts of people choking back tears. I think the old man was, although he’s never admitted as much.

We were miffed to find out we missed out on meeting Orr and Don Cherry as they greeted fans entering the building that night. Each entrance had different ex-B’s greeting fans. I know we met Don Awrey (who was on the ice and rang the puck just before Orr’s famous goal) and Wayne Cashman I believe, but I’m not sure. Awrey, by the way, used to to run a Boston to Montreal bus charter for B’s-Habs games and my pop and I went twice. Awrey, oddly enough, is now an off ice official in the ECHL.

When they opened the new Garden, Orr signed autographs at an event and my dad and I each got a copy of the famous Cup-winning goal (you have to watch this) signed. Here’s a still photo of the goal, one of the most famous sports action shots of all time. He seemed to enjoy meeting the fans.

At any rate, Orr clearly revolutionized the position of defense and I can’t wait to have some more time to finish the book. Never had anyone led the rush from the back end like he did. Watching old video of him now is still mind blowing. Do yourself a favor and click that link to see some of his work. You might even recognize the theme music.

Static, meanwhile, is a look at how the corporate media distorts the truth and is manipulated by the government and exists to serve corporate interests. Since this is a hockey forum, I won’t go into too much. But if you’re interested in that type of thing, it’s been a good read so far.

MILAN LUCIC
Since this post has Bruins-centric theme, check out this scrap featuring Milan Lucic, the 19-year old rising star for the Beantowners. Good stuff. NESN recently did a profile on Lucic and he was wearing glasses. My good buddy Alex Del Barrio and I were were out at a local establishment watching the game and did a double take. ADB said, “he looks like your younger brother.” I can’t find any pics of him wearing specs, but you be the judge . Me. Lucic.

Robin Big Snake sat out Sunday’s game at Austin after taking a hard hit early in Saturday’s game at Austin. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Captain Rob Voltera also remains a little sore. More on that later in the week.

Resting up — The Bees had Monday off and a Gym Day (600 Plus) on Tuesday. I know the lighter workload is much deserved. I’m completely worn out and feel like I’ve got a touch of a cold, to the point I couldn’t even get up on Tuesday. And, as my standard response goes, all I do is call the games. So I know the players are tired. Add to that Dorados football is right around the corner and I’m up to my ears.

Lines for the last few games were

9-21-20 (29)/19-39-11/16-18-12

47-26/27-94/10-23 (3)

BIG T

For the past few months, Terry Tychon has been following the team around. He’s been on the bus, in the locker room, at the hotels and lunch spots on the road. He’s had unfettered access to pre game speeches, the bench, the coaches office on trade day…you name it, Big T has been around.

When he proposed his idea t