Not a happy camper

What a difference a day makes

Brahmas, Savage shut out 'Bugs 4-0

See the edited version at Pro Hockey News here

Op·po·site (adj) - Diametrically different (as in nature or character)
- From Merriam-Webster online

If last night was the low of lows, tonight was certainly the high of highs as Wayne Savage and the Texas Brahmas showed that they can recover from a terrible performance in Tulsa and then take a six-hour bus ride to Bossier City and stick it to the Mudbugs, who prior to tonight had won their last five games at CenturyTel.

The Brahmas won 4-0, and from what I understand, it could have been much worse for the home team as at least three shots on goal hit the post or crossbar tonight.

No excuses for the 'Bugs tonight...they plain got whooped. Fortunately for our crustacean brothers, the Americans were off tonight and won't play again until Friday night, when they host...guess who? The Brahmas!

Then there's Savage. Wayne Savage. 33 shots faced - 33 saves made for his first pro career shut out. Nice turnaround from a tough night at NYTEX against the Mavericks last Friday.

I wasn't there, but I understand it was Teddy Bear Toss night - but no bears hit the ice on account of a Mudbugs goal...despite out shooting the Brahmas 27-9 in the last 40 minutes, the ‘Bugs couldn't solve Savage and were blanked at home for the first time since November 2, 2007. Good form Savage, good form. According to the Shreveport Times' Roy Lang, when the Brahmas scored an empty-net goal with 30.44 seconds remaining in the game to take a 4-0 lead, fans finally unloaded the stuffed animals. Embarrasing? You betcha.

"(Savage) played well against Shreveport in our barn," Dan Wildfong told Lang. "He stepped up his game and we're going to continue to need good goaltending. We knew what their record was when the other team scores first; we're not stupid."

"We had to play smart hockey. We knew they are going to keep coming with pressure. We had to make big saves at big times. We did that." Wildfong said.

Both teams missed on two power play opportunities in the first period and the game remained scoreless after the first 20. Shane Hart and Todd Griffith were the under card tonight and came to blows at the 16:58 mark, earning matching Fighting Majors and an early trip to the locker room.

The Brahmas out shot the 'Bugs 11-7 but both 'tenders were solid in net.

The ‘Bugs held the Brahmas to just five shots in the second frame, but the boys made them count, scoring on three of them.

Greg Hogeboom tallied the first goal during a 2-on-1 break with Jason Deitsch at the 3:19 mark to put the Brahmas up 1-0. Chad Woollard was also credited with a helper on the play.

Matt Pierce buried a rebound to notch his fifth goal of the season at the 10:51 mark, with a little help from Tyler Allen and Sean Hurley.

Chad Woollard ripped a perfect shot into the top corner off a Mudbugs turnover at the 15:37 mark, putting the Brahmas ahead 3-0 heading into the third period. Jason Krischuk was credited with the assist.

Yes, three unanswered goals with Hogie's tally as the eventual game winner. Those of us watching on Pointstreak (boycotting CHL-TV's high prices) were thrilled, to say the least.

The ‘Bugs made a good effort in the final frame, pelting Savage with 16 shots (to the Brahmas four), but never beat the rookie goaltender as their season high five-game home winning streak came to an end.

Tyler Allen capped off the Brahmas win on an empty net with a short-handed goal, assisted by Steven Later with 30 seconds remaining. Speaking of Later, he threw down the gloves and battled Jeff Martens in the final second of the contest, providing a final bit of excitement for 'Bugs fans, who otherwise had a less than pleasurable evening at the CTC.

With the win, the Brahmas record goes to 11-7-3 (.595, 25 points) remaining in third place in the Berry Conference. They retain a two-point lead on both Mississippi and Arizona, who have played two more games than the Brahmas, and Tulsa, who have played three more games. Texas is now 5-4-2 on the road.

Once again, Wayne Savage stopped 33 of 33 to earn the shut out win. His record goes to 4-4-1-1 with a 2.59 GAA (8th in the league) and a .917 save percentage (7th in the league).

John DeCaro turned away 16 of 19 shots faced and takes the loss (ending a six-game win streak). His record goes to 7-2-0.

The Brahmas went 0 for 3 on the power play (no surprise). The Mudbugs, who entered the game with the number one power play unit in the league, went 0-5.

Texas was assessed 20 minutes on seven infractions. Bossier-Shreveport received 16 minutes on five infractions. The Brahmas still have the number one penalty kill in the league this season with just 12 power play goals allowed and a 88.12 percentage.

The 3rd Star of the game went to Jason Deitsch, who had an assist and was a +3 on the night. The 2nd Star was awarded to Chad Woollard, who had a goal and an assist and the 1st Star went to, of course, Wayne Savage.

Referee: Steve Cruikshank
Linesmen: Kevin Mighton, Brad Sotak

You can view the box score here and the Game Live broadcast here

You can view the Brahmas' press release here

The Brahmas will be off tomorrow but will be back on the ice at NYTEX on Monday to prepare for Friday night's game when they travel to Allen for Game One of the 2010 North Texas Vintage Series.

On Saturday night the Brahmas host the Odessa Jackalopes, who earned their first-ever win at the Budweiser Events Center tonight, taking out Stewart's Eagles 3-2 in OT.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith