Friday, February 22nd, 2008
BUCKS CAN CLINCH SE DIVISION TONIGHT VS. RAYZ
The Laredo Bucks (33-16-3) have a chance tonight to clinch the Southeast Division for the fifth consecutive year. Last night could have been the night but Laredo fell to the Odessa Jackalopes 3-2 missing out on the chance. Tonight the Bucks travel to Corpus Christi needing just a point to capture the division crown and earn a playoff spot. Laredo has gone to the President’s Cup Finals in each of the last four seasons winning twice.
The game tonight between the Bucks and the Rayz will face-off at 8:05 PM (CST) as opposed to the original start time of 7:05 PM (CST). The delay is due to Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama who will be holding a rally at the American Bank Center early in the afternoon.
Jeff Bes has been hot lately scoring a goal in five straight games and leading the CHL with 84 points (two more than Arizona’s Alex Leavitt). Bes is two goals away from reaching 40 and is three behind the league’s leading goal scorer, Rocky Mountain’s Daymen Rycroft.
Corpus Christi is coming off a 5-4 loss at Bossier-Shreveport last night (led 3-0 at one point) and are currently sitting two points behind Amarillo for the fifth Southern Conference playoff spot.
OKC COACH LOOKS TO REACH MILESTONE TONIGHT IN THE ROCKIES
The Oklahoma City Blazers will look to win their third straight game tonight and move a game above the .500 mark in their late season charge to earn a playoff spot. Tonight also is the first chance for long-time Blazers Head Coach Doug Sauter to become the first CHL coach to win 500 games. Already this season, Sauter has reached a milestone by winning his 1200th game as a coach and he is just two wins shy of 700 professional wins. Blazer’s goaltender Sean Connors is the reigning Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week and tonight he will look to win his fourth straight start. The Blazers plat at Rocky Mountain tonight and at Tulsa on Saturday night.
HOUNDS RETURN TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
A match-up that built into a rivalry last season was two teams about as far apart geographically as any in the CHL, the Youngstown SteelHounds and the Colorado Eagles. The two teams have yet to face each other this season but will do so five times in the remaining five weeks of the season including three straight in Youngstown to finish the season. Tonight the two clubs meet in the Budweiser Events Center, the same location the Eagles ended the Hounds season last year in Game Six of their first round playoff series. The series was one of the hardest-hitting of the entire President’s Cup playoffs and has built a rivalry that will have a lot to say with the playoff seeding this season with 10 points on the line over the course of the remainder of the season. Ed McGrane led the way for the Eagles with 13 points (4-9=13) in the six playoff games versus Y-Town and Chris Richards had nine points (2-7=9) in five games in the series (he missed game one with a shoulder injury).
CHASE FOR THE FIFTH SPOT IN THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE HEATS UP
It is a three team race for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference. Amarillo leads the way for the moment with 42 points. The Gorillas host Tulsa tonight and head to Odessa tomorrow. The Gorillas led is one point over Austin who plays at Rio Grande Valley tonight and hosts the Corpus Christi Rayz on Saturday. The Rayz are two points behind the Gorillas and one behind the Ice Bats. Corpus is at home to Laredo tonight and then travels up the road for a huge showdown with the Bats tomorrow in Austin. Amarillo has two games in hand on Austin and one on the Rayz and has one more home game remaining than the other two teams.
SCORPIONS HAVE FIRST PLACE IN THE SW DIVISION IN THEIR SIGHTS
The New Mexico Scorpions took the first step towards saying they are the Southwest Division leaders on Wednesday night by winning game one of their three game series in Arizona. The two teams continue their rivalry tonight at Tim’s Toyota Center and meet again tomorrow night. The Sundogs fell 6-4 to the Scorps on Wednesday as Vladimir Hartinger notched his first career hat trick and Konrad Reeder scored a pair of goals. The Sundogs still hold a two point lead on New Mexico in the division but four points are on the line over the next two nights.
