Southern Conference Semi-finals Series Preview

#1 Texas Brahmas vs. #4 Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees

With season series split 2-2, Brahmas face upstart Killer Bees team

Originally posted on IntoTheBoards.net

After defeating the Corpus Christi IceRays two games to one in the first round of the 2009 Central Hockey League playoffs, the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees will advance to the Southern Conference semi-finals this weekend to meet the #1 seeded Texas Brahmas.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Brooks, the Killer Bees have transformed from the worst team in the league last season, to a #4 seeded playoff team to be reckoned with. In addition to beating the IceRays two games to one, the Bees finished the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the league, winning their last four games in a row and eight out of their last 10.

Brooks speaks humbly about his teams’ success but is proud of the work ethic that has gotten them where they are today.

“I tell the guys that to be an elite team in this league, we have the play the same every single night and do what we do really well…” Brooks said. “When we do that, and I tell the guys all the time, we’re not as skilled as any other team in the league, but the thing that separates us from other teams is our work ethic and our attention to detail.”

The Texas Brahmas, under the leadership of second-year head coach Dan Wildfong, battled their way to the Northern Conference Championship last season, only to fall in a forced game seven to the Colorado Eagles. Brahmas players have waited all season to get another shot at the President’s Cup. Forward Tyler Skworchinski echoed that sentiment.

“I think a lot of guys are thinking of last year, and trying to improve upon the results from last year and have that opportunity to win the cup,” Skworchinski said. “I think that’s why a lot of guys came back. They knew we were going to have a good chance, with the team we have.”

The Brahmas moved to the Southern Conference this season and won the Southeast Division and the Conference title, falling five points shy of the Governor’s Cup (regular season champion). They have earned home-ice throughout the conference playoffs and with a league-leading 26-5-1 record at the NYTEX Sports Centre this season, that may be a huge advantage.

The Killer Bees

Rio Grande Valley’s top three regular season scorers are Jesse Bennefield (LW) with 71 points (35 G, 36 A), Nicolas Dumoulin (D) with 58 points (17 G, 41 A) and Evan Rankin (RW) with 51 points (28 G, 23 A). Bennefield scored five points (3 G, 2 A) in the three-game series against Corpus Christi.

The Killer Bees have seven starting defensemen on their playoff roster with a cumulative +/- rating of +26 and 153 points (34 G, 119 A) scored. They are led by Kurtis Dulle and rookie sensation Nicolas Dumolin.

On special teams, the Bees finished 10th in the league on the power play at 16.71% and fourth in the league on the penalty kill at 84.47%. Over three games, the Bees killed all 17 power-play chances for the IceRays.

The Bees went 14-16-2 on the road but were a franchise best 21-8-3 at home and won their last four games at the Dodge Center against the Corpus Christi IceRays, the Odessa Jackalopes, the Laredo Bucks and the Texas Brahmas. Games three through five (if necessary) will be played at the Dodge Center.

The Brahmas

Texas’ offense is led by their top three regular season scorers: Scott Sheppard (F) with 66 points (32 G, 34 A), Jordan Cameron (F) with 60 points (23 G, 37 A) and Grant Jacobsen with 55 points (21 G, 34 A).

The Brahmas have shown how dangerous the depth of their lines can be with eight different forwards scoring goals in their last four games (Burto, Cameron, Deitsch, Jacobsen, Quinn, Rouleau, Sheppard, and Skworchinski) alone.

They have six starting defensemen on their playoff roster with a cumulative +/- rating of +90 and 153 points (42 G, 111 A) scored. They are led by veteran Craig Minard and second-year man Kevin McLeod. With so many weapons at forward, the Brahmas have a strong defensive posture and their blue line enjoys the support of “defensive forwards” like Tyler Skworchinski and Brandon Benedict.

On special teams, the Brahmas finished third in the league on the power play at 19.74% and 11th in the league on the penalty kill at 81.52%. They led the league in short-handed goals with 19 in the regular season.

Goaltending

Both teams have effective goaltending tandems, allowing them to make virtually worry-free changes in-series, if necessary.

The Killer Bees have Wylie Rogers and Christian Boucher. Rogers had an 18-10-3 record with a 3.12 GAA and a .908 save percentage and had both Bees victories during the play-in series, stopping 60 of 61 shots he faced in two games. Christian Boucher had a 17-14-2 record with a 2.89 GAA and .919 save percentage. The two have split wins against the Brahmas.

The Brahmas have Brett Jaeger (28-9-5) and David Cacciola (14-7-1). Jaeger had a 2.36 GAA and a .924 save percentage and was in net for both of the Brahmas wins against the Bees. He is expected to get the start in this series. Cacciola had a 2.76 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

Outlook

The Killer Bees and the Brahmas played four times during the regular season, alternating wins with each team scoring a total of seven goals against the other. The Brahmas won 2-0 on December 9th and then lost 3-0 on December 26th. The Killer Bees lost 4-1 on January 25th but won the regular season finale 3-1.

The Brahmas have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games, making March their least successful month this season. They’ve also struggled on the penalty kill all season. Scoring early and maintaining the lead will be a priority for the Brahmas. In the regular season, they were 24-0-2 (15-0-0 at home) leading after the first period and 29-1-2 (18-1-0 at home) when leading after 40 minutes. Although they have had some strong third period comebacks this season, they struggle when trailing. They have gone 5-7-3 (1-2-1 at home) when trailing after one period and 5-11-0 (3-3-0 at home) when trailing after 40 minutes.

Brahmas defenseman Nathan Saunders is confident in his team but knows that success in the regular season doesn’t guarantee a thing.

“With the team that we have right now, it’s really exciting going into the playoffs, knowing that you have a chance to win it all,” Saunders said. “At the same time, the playoffs are a whole different season. Nothing we’ve done (before) means anything now… it’s simple, if you don’t come to work, it can be done in four games.”

These two teams are very well matched. Expect a tough series. Prediction: The Brahmas win four games to two.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith