Brahmas show playoff form, shutout Laredo 5-0

Bucks overwhelmed by four goals in the third period

The Texas Brahmas lit the lamp five times in a dominating win over the Laredo Bucks tonight at the Laredo Entertainment Center. The Brahmas set a new franchise record with their 42nd victory this season and netminder David Cacciola's 16 saves tied the single season shutout record at three and set a franchise record for all-time shutouts at five.

I want to highlight second year defenseman Kevin McLeod's contribution of two goals on two shots tonight. McLeod has been outstanding all season long and leads all defensemen in the league with 20 goals, 12 powerplay goals and six game-winning goals. He leads all Brahmas defensemen in points with 49 (20 G, 29 A) and is the teams fourth leading scorer overall.

The Brahmas outshot the Bucks 8-4 in the first period, but neither team was able to get on the board with both David Cacciola and Sebastien Centomo solid in the net. The Brahmas came close with a couple of shots that nearly went in but the Bucks got lucky.

That luck would not hold in the middle frame though, as the Brahmas got on the board first, taking advantage of a five-on-three opportunity provided by forward Rick Kozak (Cross Checking) and defenseman Vincent Zaore (Interference). Thank you, gentlemen! Kevin McLeod's slap shot from the slot beat Sebastien Centomo, who had already stopped 16 shots on goal. Scott Sheppard was in on the assist. The Brahmas led 1-0 at the 9:26 mark.

Jason Deitsch got a rare penalty shot after being taken down from behind during a short-handed breakaway but was unable to find the back of the net through Centomo's tightly closed legs. Kevin McLeod's goal would remain the only score through 40 minutes. The Brahmas led the shot count once again at 15-6 and 23-10 through the second frame.

The third period saw an offensive explosion Brahmas fans haven't seen in a while as four different players found holes in Centomo's force field. Matt Quinn was first up, sending the puck between Centomo's not so tightly closed legs at the 5:23 mark. Craig Minard was credited with the assist. Now it was 2-0 Brahmas.

Jason Deitsch was next up, taking just 50 seconds to find the back of the net on a shot from the circle, assisted by Scott Sheppard and Brandon Benedict. Now it was 3-0 Brahmas.

Bucks forward Igor Agarunov provided another costly man-advantage for the Brahmas when he was called for interference at the 7:13 mark. It would take Kevin McLeod just 48 seconds to find a way past Centomo for his second goal of the night to make it 4-0 Brahmas at the 8:01 mark. That's three goals in less than three minutes folks! Pete Rouleau and Jordan Cameron were credited with the assist.

James Hiebert was called for roughing at the 12:58 mark, setting the Brahmas up for another powerplay score (third of the night) 49 seconds later. This time it was Brahmas leading scorer Scott Sheppard with the goal at the 13:47 mark on an assist from Jason Deitsch and Craig Minard. The final score was now set at 5-0.

Several Bucks players let their tempers and frustration get the best of them in the closing minutes, resulting in some early departures for both teams, but the end result remained - the Brahmas won this game decisively.

The loss for the Bucks, their 23rd of the season, broke the record for most losses in franchise history, breaking the previous mark of 22 set in the 2004-05 season.

The Brahmas outshot the Bucks 9-6 in the final frame and 32-16 in the game.

David Cacciola's win brings his record to 14-6-1-3.

The Brahmas went 3 for 7 on the man-advantage while their penalty killers shut down all five Bucks powerplays. The Brahmas were assessed 14 minutes on 7 infractions while the Bucks were called for 18 minutes on 9 infractions.

All three stars went to the Brahmas. Scott Sheppard received the 3rd star with a goal and two assists on the night. Kevin Mcleod earned the 2nd star with his two goals and David Cacciola got the 1st star for being just that - great game, David!

Personal highlights (besides seeing this win in person): Dan Wildfong giving my four-year-old daughter a fist bump on his way to the ice, shooting photos from the catwalk above the rink in the first period, walking to the locker room with the team after the win and meeting Sebastien Centomo's two-month old baby after the game. (and to think I once, well twice actually, mooned this man during last season's playoffs). Gosh, I love this gig.

I have to say thanks to Brian Benway, the Bucks' Director of Media Relations, for his gracious hospitality during my visits to the LEC. Also, it was great to finally meet Joy Lindsay of the Laredo Morning Times, whose LMT Bucks Blog is probably the best in the league.

You can view the box score here

You can view my photos from the game here (not edited yet)

The Brahmas have left for Hidalgo, Texas where they will play their final game of the regular season against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees on Saturday night. The game starts at 7:05pm and will be broadcast on Nifty-TV.