Saturday, February 18, 2012

Wylie Rogers had a strong game, but one goal allowed was all it took to earn a loss

Guggenberger, Brahmas win fifth straight

Third consecutive shutout places rookie goalie within 7:25 of league record

The only thing that would have made the Brahmas' 1-0 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees sweeter would be a little bit more excitement (OK, I say that tongue-in-cheek). But seriously folks, there were times I felt this one was a yawner. The Killer Bees were far more competitive in their last six meetings with the Brahmas. If not for the play of Wylie Rogers, this outing could have been a lot worse.

The real story of the game is and continues to be the remarkable play of Mark Guggenberger who recorded his third consecutive shutout and needs to keep the net clear for 7:26 to set a new league record. At the very least, Guggenberger is the first goalie in Brahmas' history to record three consecutive shutouts. And to think, just over four months ago, we were saying Guggen-who?

The Brahmas needed and tallied just the one goal in the game. Defenseman Jacques Perrault combines with Chad Woollard and T.J. Fox to net the eventual game-winner 6:13 into the second period. It was his fifth goal of the season and first game-winner.

As I said before, the Killer Bees are a much better team that what we saw on the ice tonight and I think that will be evident tomorrow. At least they held the Brahmas to just one score.

Mark Guggenberger stopped all 25 shots faced and earned the win. His record goes to 14-4-3 with a 1.92 GAA and a .928 Save Percentage, placing him first in the league in both categories.

The Brahmas were assessed 21 minutes on nine infractions and went 0 for 6 on the power play. The penalty-killers stymied all seven of the Killer Bees' advantages.

Referee: Boone Bruggman
Linesman 1: Bill McGoldrick
Linesman 2: Cory Piche

1st Star: Mark Guggenberger
2nd Star: Jacques Perreault (1 G)
3rd Star: Wylie Rogers (RGV)

You can view the Pointstreak's box score here and their GameLive broadcast here.

You can view my photos from the game (once they are edited) here.

The Brahmas will host the Killer Bees again tonight at the NYTEX Sports Centre with the opening puck drop set for 7:30 pm. If you don't have tickets, get some - and as always - Be there, Be loud, Believe!

Photo Credit: Robert Keith

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