Andrew Penner made the difference with 36 saves in goal to lead the Colorado Eagles to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday night at the CenturyTel Center. The Mudbugs finished with a 37-19 shot advantage in the game, but could only beat Penner once and fell to 0-3 against Colorado this year. Before the game, the 'Bugs honored former player and current Assistant Coach Trevor Buchanan by retiring his number 27 jersey to the CenturyTel Center rafters, making him only the second player in franchise history to receive such an honor.
The Mudbugs shut down the Eagles' high-flying offense for most of the game, but two first-period goals were all Penner would need to lead his team to victory on this night. Mark Johnson's first period goal was the only tally Bossier-Shreveport would get on the night, dropping them to 33-15-4 this season.
The 'Bugs set a great tempo to start the game, controlling much of the play in the opening period and scoring the first goal. As Neil Clark skated into the offensive zone along the boards, Johnson hustled into the play and got a pass from Clark in front before beating Penner with a backhand shot to give Bossier-Shreveport the 1-0 edge. A short time later though, Colorado's Konrad Reeder got a steal just outside the Mudbugs blueline and was awarded a penalty shot when he was hooked from behind on the play. Reeder beat John Horrell with a great move on the penalty shot to tie the game at one. Later in the period, the Eagles jumped on a defensive zone turnover by the Mudbugs when Horrell stopped Ed McGrane's initial shot only to see Greg Pankewicz put in the rebound to make it a 2-1 Colorado lead after one period.
The Mudbugs again dictated much of the second period, outshooting the Eagles 15-6 and getting a number of quality scoring chances. It appeared the 'Bugs would tie the game late in the second when a scramble in front gave them consecutive rebound opportunities. Just as Dale Lupul's shot from the circle slid under Penner and was about to cross the goal line, a Colorado defenseman stepped in to keep it out of the net.
Bossier-Shreveport had another large shot advantage in the third, this time outshooting the Eagles 13-3, but still couldn't solve Penner. The first-year Eagles goaltender stopped a point-blank try by Simon Mangos late in the period to finish off a 2-1 Colorado victory.
Jon Horrell made 17 saves in the game while suffering just his third regulation defeat of the season to fall to 10-3-2. Penner improved to 26-5-2 this year. Each team was called for just two minor penalties in the game, and both clubs finished 0 for 2 on the powerplay.
The Mudbugs will be right back at home tomorrow night to take on the rival Texas Brahmas at 7:05 pm at the CenturyTel Center. Texas kept pace with Colorado by beating Amarillo 5-3 on Friday to stay in a tie with the Eagles for the best record in the CHL. Bossier-Shreveport earned a 4-1 win the last time Texas came to town, and Saturday will be the Brahmas' final regular season visit to Bossier City this year. Individual seats are on sale through Ticketmaster at
www.ticketmaster.com or 318-741-9700. Group and flex ticket packages are available through the Mudbugs office at 318-752-BUGS.
Penner Steals Win for Eagles on "Buck Night"
Penner Steals Win for Eagles on "Buck Night"
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