Bucks Clinch Playoff Berth, Tie Texas For Third

HIDALGO, TX- The Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League beat the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 3-2 in a shootout Friday night at State Farm Arena. With the win and the Texas’ loss the Bucks clinched a playoff spot and moved back into a third place tie in the Southern Conference with the Brahmas. Laredo improves to 29-20-10 (68 points).
 
Todd Griffith scored the game-winner in the shootout while Pier Pelleteir stopped 37 shots he faced as well as all three of the Bees shootout attempts.
 
Laredo finished the regular season 11-0-3 against the Bees including 7-0 at State Farm Arena.
 
The Bucks trailed 2-1 entering the third period but tied the game at 2-2 with 5:59 left in regulation when Darryl Smith took a laser pass from Jeff Bes in the slot and scored his team-leading 33rd goal of the season. Bes passed Luc Beauisoleil for 11th place in CHL history with 579 career points.
 
The Killer Bees (25-20-10) took an early 1-0 lead on the Bucks when they scored with 13:08 left in the first period. Grant Goecker-Zoellar scored from the bottom of the right circle on a two-on-two break to pick up his team-leading 25th of the season.
 
Each team put up nine shots in the first period.
 
Rio would go up 2-0 just 1:47 into the second period when Daymen Rycroft scored on a rebound from the bottom of the right circle. The tally was Rycroft’s 24th of the season.
 
The Bucks would get on the board and cut the Bees lead to 2-1 at the 4:52 mark of the period when Sylvain Deschatelets hammered in a rebound from the left circle. The goal was Deschatelets fourth in eight games with the Bucks.
 
Laredo had two chances to tie the game at 2-2 with under one minute to play in the second but both times the Bucks hit the crossbar to keep them trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes.
 
The Bucks were outshot 15-9 in the second and 39-32 in the game.
 
Andy Franck stopped 30 shots in net for the Bees.
 
Mike Looby was scratched for the third straight game Friday (upper-body injury).