WOW!!! WHAT A COMEBACK: BUCKS WIN 5-4 IN OT
 
LAREDO, TX- The Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League came from behind to beat the Mississippi Riverkings 5-4 in overtime Friday night, in front of 3,517 fans at the Laredo Entertainment Center.  The Bucks trailed 4-0 in first period, and came all the way back to win, scoring once in the first period, once in the second period, twice in the third period, and the overtime game-winner.

Adam Rivet scored a power-play goal with 1:51 left in overtime to complete the Bucks comeback. It was Rivet’s 13th goal of the season, with Serge Dube picking up the assist.  Rivet started with the puck from the top of the left circle, then skated down to the bottom, and sent a shot short-side past Riverkings goaltender Ian Keserich.  Rivet became the fourth Bucks player to score an overtime game winner this season (Bes, Dube, Korchinski, Rivet).

With the win the Bucks are now victorious in their last two games, and improve to 29-13-2 (60 points) to gain an eight point lead in the Southern Conference over Arizona who lost to Amarillo.

Trailing 4-2 entering the third period Laredo (18-5 at home) scored 4:08 in, when Chris Korchinski sent a slap shot from the right circle past Keserich, cutting the Riverkings lead to 4-3.  Dube tied the game up at 4-4 at the 11:36 mark of the third period, as he sent a shot in from the top of the right circle. It was Dube’s ninth goal of the season.

John Ceci, forced into action when Bucks starting goaltender Dustin Traylen gave up the 4-0 first period lead, stopped all 26 Mississippi shots he faced in net, earning him his second win in net for Laredo.  

The Riverkings (25-14-2, 52pts) jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period, scoring the first four goals of the game.  Mississippi took a 1-0 lead 3:23 into the first period, when a Bucks defender played the puck from the back of the net, and sent it off of goaltender Dustin Traylen’s skate. Traylen never saw the puck come towards him. The goal was credited to Louis Dumont.  The Riverkings made it 2-0 just 1:13 later on a two-on-one break,  when Chad Woolard sent a slap shot from the bottom of the right circle past Traylen. Dumont gave the Riverkings a 3-0 lead just 59 seconds later as he sent the puck from the slot past Traylen. Mississippi made it 4-0 when Ryan Campbell sent a slap shot by Traylen from the left circle at the 9:45 mark. That goal chased Traylen out of the game as he was replaced by John Ceci. Traylen faced four shots and made no saves.

The Bucks scored late in the first period to make it 4-1 as James Hiebert scored from the right side of the slot past Riverkings goaltender Ian Keserich. It was Hiebert’s 22nd goal of the season with Jeff Bes picking up the assist (40).  There were some fireworks in the first period as the Bucks Gabe Yueng and Riverkings Jason McCrimmon fought three times, to earn game misconducts for each of them.

Laredo cut the Mississippi lead to 4-2 just 3:12 into the second period, when Bes sent a rocket shot from the left hash mark of the slot past Keserich. Hiebert picked up the assist on Bes’ goal.  The Bucks were outshot in the second period by the Riverkings 11-8.

In overtime the Bucks killed off a four-on-three penalty with Ceci making several key stops to keep the game tied at 4-4.