The Shreveport Mudbugs (11-9-3) couldn’t overcome a late major penalty and fell to the Topeka Pilots, 4-3 Saturday night at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, KS.
Trailing 1-0 late in a 1st period dominated by the Mudbugs, it was Ethan Harrison who was able to pop in his team-leading 10th goal of the year in front at 17:37 tying the game up, 1-1. Gueorgui Feduolov and Davis Goukler earned the assists on the goal. Shreveport led in SOG, 18-5 after one period of play.
However, Shreveport struggled out of the gates in the 2nd period and just mustered three shots on net. The Mudbugs failed to convert on a five-minute major powerplay and Topeka scored a shorthanded tally at 10:55 giving the Pilots a 2-1 edge. Pilots out-shot the Bugs, 9-3 in the middle frame.
The Mudbugs came right back in the third period as Jay Feiwell was able to slip one into the net from the right wing for his sixth goal of the season and 2nd in as many games at 4:39 tying the game up at 2. Shreveport then committed a 5-minute major penalty and couldn’t get out of it without Topeka’s Connor Zilisch zipping one in to put the Pilots up ahead, 3-2 at 17:53. The Bugs would pull their goalie for the extra attacker and Topeka would throw in an empty net tally at 19:04 making it a 4-2 Topeka lead. Shreveport never said die as C.J. McGee flipped in his sixth goal of the year at 19:52, but Topeka was able to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
The Mudbugs split their two-game set against the Pilots and win two of three in this Thanksgiving week of hockey.
The Mudbugs will return home to Georges Pond in Hirsch Coliseum to host the South Division leading Amarillo Bulls for a two-game set starting next Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:11 p.m.