BOSSIER CITY, La. – Down 1-0 in the best-of-five Berry Conference semifinal to the Tulsa Oilers, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs answered back Saturday night, posting five goals in the second period en route to a 6-1 shellacking before 2,236 fans at CenturyTel Center. 
The two teams combined for 105 PIM in a penalty-filled game that saw the ejections of three Tulsa players. Evan Kotsopolous received a game misconduct along with a five-minute major for cross checking near the midway mark of the second. Marty Standish was given a game misconduct and kneeing major along with a fighting major at the 15:38 mark of the second following a knee-to-knee collision that knocked Bossier-Shreveport’s Shawn Limpright out of the game. Brennan Barker was tossed from the action at 14:28 of the third following a collision with Mudbugs goalie John DeCaro as DeCaro came out of the crease to play the puck. Bossier-Shreveport connected on three out of seven power play chances as they out-shot Tulsa 41-18 on the night. Simon Mangos picked up four assists (three on the power play) while Travis Clayton added three helpers as the Mudbugs evened the series at one game apiece. Limpright got the Mudbugs on the board first, scoring just 21-seconds into a man-advantage at 4:31 of the opening period. With Tulsa’s Jack Combs in the box serving a minor for cross checking, Limpright collected a rebound off the end boards and sent the puck in past Oilers goalie Trevor Cann for a 1-0 lead. Assists on the play were given to Mangos and Clayton. A pair of even-strength goals opened the middle frame for the Mudbugs as they took a 3-0 lead. Clay Plume scored his first goal of the playoffs at 2:11 on a shot from the left circle before Jeff Kyrzakos struck at 9:10 on his second goal in as many games. Jamie Milam then rebounded from Kotsopolous’s cross check to score on the man-advantage at the 13:59 mark, giving the Mudbugs a 4-0 lead and chasing Cann from the game. Standish answered right back for Tulsa, putting the Oilers on the board just one minute later on a short-handed unassisted goal. 39-seconds later Standish was tossed for the kneeing major which ultimately led to a power play goal by Steven Crampton at 17:55. Justin Aikins added to the final tally with 3.8 seconds remaining in the period, as he beat Tulsa’s Ian Keserich to put the Mudbugs up 6-1. Even though there was no scoring in the third period, there was still plenty of action. With DeCaro coming out of the net to play the puck, Barker slammed into him resulting in a pile up behind the Mudbugs net. 29-minutes of penalties (22 for Tulsa and seven for Bossier-Shreveport) were assessed following the play. Head coaches Bruce Ramsay (Tulsa) and Scott Muscutt (Bossier-Shreveport) then shared a heated exchange at the benches, with the glass taking the brunt of the incident. DeCaro would leave the game following the Incident, but picked up the win, stopping 17 of 18 shots to remain a perfect 3-0 in the postseason. Cann (4-2) took the loss for Tulsa. The series now shifts back to Tulsa for game three on Tuesday night at the BOK Center. The two teams split the only two regular season meetings in Tulsa. Opening face-off is set for 7:05 p.m. Contact the writer at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
