Mudbugs Score Sixth Straight Win
New Mexico 5 @ Odessa 4: A back-and-forth game went the way of the New Mexico Ice Wolves as they knocked off the Odessa Jackalopes 5-4 on Thursday night. Hunter Whisenand had a goal early in the contest to give the Jackalopes the lead. Yusaku Ando scored his 13th of the season to tie things up at one. In the final minutes Bryce Johnson and Kowin Belsterling traded goals to give us a 2-2 game after 20 minutes of action. Ryan Johnson put New Mexico back in front with his 25th goal of the year but Charlie Smith responded for Odessa to make it a 3-3 score. Michael Schermerhorn netted a goal in the final minute of the 2nd and Ryan Johnson scored again in the third to make it a 5-3 game. Teddy Manlove scored late to make things close but Odessa would not catch New Mexico as the Ice Wolves were able to skate away with the 5-4 victory. Jackson Fuller got the win in goal as he stopped 33 shots. Ivan Zhigalov finished the evening with 30 saves.
Shreveport 2 @ Corpus Christi 1: Brayden Cook’s goal in the third period was the difference as the Mudbugs got by the IceRays 2-1 on Thursday. After a scoreless opening period, Hayden Nichol broke the deadlock with his 16th goal of the year. However that lead wouldn’t last as Derek Pietrzyk’s first of the year came just 91 seconds later. The game would remain tied until the 11:40 mark of the third, that’s when Bren Litchard and Seth Murch setup Cook for his ninth tally of the season and that would be the goal that kept the winning streak going for the Mudbugs as they have now won six in a row. Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau was the winner in the blue paint with 16 saves. Bryant Marks was excellent in a loss, he made 25 saves.
