SHREVEPORT, La (KMSS/KTAL) – In late November, sitting in last place. The Shreveport Mudbugs coaching staff told their team during a road loss against the Odessa Jackalopes,
“We’re here with you and we’re in this with you. That was the basis for that turnaround.”
That turnaround? A 27-8-1 run, culminating in clinching their fifth consecutive playoff spot with a sweep of Odessa, in the same location that season-changing speech took place.
“It was just so fitting, sitting in the exact same room and the exact same place,” said Mudbugs Associate Head Coach Gavin Morgan.
The same turnaround happened for Goalie Devon Bobak, who has tallied a South-Division leading 27 wins in net for the ‘Bugs this season. The Ohio native credits that same conversation for the best year of his career.
“We came back and I had two shutouts that next weekend against Amarillo and I think that was a big turning point for us.”
Bobak has ridden that momentum, earning South Division Star of the Week four times, including last week, for a Mudbugs squad which isn’t overlooking their opponents this weekend in the already-eliminated Corpus Christi Ice Rays.
You want to be in stride going into the playoffs and I don’t know any hockey players that get to this level who don’t play with pride or play for pride so I don’t expect Corpus Christi or El Paso to be any less in the next two series,” Morgan said. “At the same time, we need to be prepared to play playoff hockey come puck drop on Friday.”
Puck drop in Friday and Saturday’s games is set for 7:11. Shreveport is 5-1 against Corpus Christi this season. Shreveport could still mathematically move to as high as the two-seed in the South Division. The ‘Bugs sit three points behind Wichita Falls for the third-place spot, and six points behind New Mexico for second.
Puck drop in Friday and Saturday’s games is set for 7:11.
