The Shreveport Mudbugs (36-10-6) scored early and topped the Lone Star Brahmas, 5-3 Saturday night at the Nytex Sports Centre.
Shreveport got on the board at 6:28 of the 1st period on the PP when Joe Mack drilled home his 19th goal of the season off a perfect cross-ice feed from Braiden Dorfman to give the Bugs an early 1-0 edge. Dorfman and Gio Procopio earned the assists on the game’s first tally. The Bugs added another goal at 11:09 of the opening period when Connor Gatto slammed home a rebound for his 13th tally of the season to push the Shreveport lead to 2-0. Joe Mack and David Breazeale picked up the assists. Lone Star would get on the board at 14:09 when Frederick Paine would flip in his second goal of the season to make it a 2-1 contest. The Brahmas led in SOG, 11-9 after one.
The Bugs Captain David Breazeale netted his fifth goal of the season with an innocent wrister from the left point which found its way into the net to make it a 3-1 score in favor of Shreveport. Trenten Heyde and Matt Vermaeten picked up the assists on Breazeale’s goal at 5:59 of the 2nd period. Lone Star would answer yet again on the PP with a pretty pass from Zach Purcell across the slot which was finished from Nicholas Niemo who shoveled home his 17th goal of the season to make it a 3-2 contest. The Brahmas led in SOG, 21-19 after two.
Shreveport extended the lead in the 3rd period at 2;51 when Joe Mack scored his second goal of the night knocking it in out of mid air to make it a 4-2 contest. Adam Kolcon and Aidan Metcalfe earned the assists. The Bugs would add on at 7:21 when Griffen Sanom scraped in his seventh goal of the season to make it a 5-2 contest. Lone Star would tally a late goal, but the Bugs held off any comeback attempt to come away with a 5-3 victory.
Arsenii Sergeev earned his 13th win in net with 32 saves on the night.
The Bugs will return home to finish off the regular season beginning with a two-game series against the Amarillo Bulls. Game one of the series will be next Friday night at George’s Pond in Hirsch Coliseum. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:11 p.m.