’Hounds end skid, foil ’Bugs try for 16

Chris Richards’ goal and Andy Franck’s save delivered a 3-2 shootout win.

By JOHN KOVACH

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — Sometimes great things happen in just a short period of time in hockey, especially if they occur right at the end of a shootout session.

Such was the case in the Youngstown SteelHounds’ down-to-the-wire battle against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs Sunday in a Central Hockey League game at the Chevrolet Centre before an announced attendance of 3,013 fans.

A back-to-back goal and save that occurred in a span of just a few seconds enabled the SteelHounds to score their first win in the last seven games, and prevent the Mudbugs, who had won 15 in a row, from setting a CHL record for the most consecutive wins.

With the score tied at 2 after regulation and overtime, Chris Richards managed to push through a goal that trickled into the net followed by goalie’ Andy Franck’s save, to give the SteelHounds a 3-2 win and two points in their final meeting of the season against the Mudbugs (25-7-4), who remained in first place in the Northeast Division.

“It was a lucky goal but I’ll take it,” said Richards, who was shooting last in the fourth of five turns against goalie John DeCaro. “It wasn’t my best shot — not my best move. The puck trickled into the net. I tried to fake [DeCaro] out. I tried to move to the left and then back to the right. The puck rolled up his stick.”

After Richards scored to give Youngstown a 3-2 lead, Chris Brassard of the Mudbugs skated down the ice to start the fifth and final shooting turn with his team’s last shot to tie the game, but he met a determined Franck in the net who hammered away the puck.

“I didn’t change anything,” said Franck regarding his defense against a charging offensive player with the puck. “A righty can make only two moves — a backhand shot or a shot [from the right]. As soon as he wound up, I knew what was coming. He was in close so there was only a couple of things he could do. I had a little bit of an advantage. He hit a slap shot against my stick.”

Coach Ken Kaminski said the SteelHounds (21-13-2) wanted to win very badly, and he hopes the victory will jump-start his team to more success.

“I thought we played with a lot of controlled desperation with everyone back on the same page,” said Kaminski, whose team got two goals from Steve Birnstill and Kevin Jarman in the second period within a span of just 1 minute, 12 seconds to take a 2-0 lead. “We did a lot of good things.”

Jeff Alcombrack and Eric Przepiorka had assists on Birnstill’s power-play goal from about 20 feet out, while Richards and Joel Irving assisted on Jarman’s goal from in close.

Kaminski said the Mudbugs capitalized on the SteelHounds’ mistakes to bounce back and score their two goals in the third period by Daniel Pegoraro (2:33) and Tyrel Lucas (6:46) to tie the score at 2-2. Pegoraro’s goal was unassisted while Lucas was assisted by Pegoraro and Joe Ori on a power play.

“We generated offense for them with our turnovers. Their two goals came on a turnover and [then] a bad penalty and power play,” said Kaminski.

Both goalies were outstanding. Franck had 28 saves in 30 shots in regulation and sudden-death, while DeCaro had 29 saves in 32 shots.

The SteelHounds will open a three-game series at home Friday night at 7:05 against the Rocky Mountain Rage.

kovach@vindy.com