The Shreveport Mudbugs (32-19-5) got a big goal from Lukas Sedlacek early in the 3rd period and held on to beat the Odessa Jackalopes, 2-1 at Ector County Coliseum to clinch a berth into the 2022 Robertson Cup Playoffs.
The Bugs and Jacks had a fast-paced opening period which saw no scoring, but a few good scoring chances from both teams. Odessa led in SOG, 8-6 after one.
The Jacks broke the ice at 3:14 when they won the faceoff in the RW circle and it was Chris Duclair who fired home his 21st goal of the season in front to give Odessa the 1-0 edge. The Bugs responded as Captain Garrett Steele took a perfect feed from Drake Morse behind the net and drilled home his 11th tally of the year to even the score, 1-1 at 15:51. Shreveport led in SOG, 12-11 after two.
The Bugs would break the tie at 5:45 of the third period as Davis Goukler ripped a shot from the point which Lukas Sedlacek redirected in for his 13th goal of the season and second tally in this series to give Shreveport a 2-1 edge. The reigning champs would make that slim lead stand as Devon Bobak made 26 stops including a few late in the game to help the Bugs skate away with a 2-1 victory and clinch a playoff berth into the 2022 Robertson Cup Playoffs.
Bobak picked up his 27th win in net as Shreveport has now won 13 of their past 15 games overall.
The Bugs will return home to George’s Pond in Hirsch Coliseum to host the Corpus Christi IceRays for a two-game series next weekend. Game one will be next Friday night with puck drop scheduled for Margaritaville start time, 7:11 p.m.