Bucks beat Bees in shootout

LAREDO — Jesse Bennefield scored twice and Andy Franck made 38 saves, but it wasn’t enough as the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Laredo Bucks Wednesday night at the Laredo Entertainment Center. Laredo’s Mike Looby scored the game-winner in the fifth round of the shootout to help the Bucks improve to 6-2-2.

RGV (5-3-1) is undefeated in regulation in five games (4-0-1) and visits Odessa this Friday, Texas on Saturday and returns to Laredo on Sunday to wrap up a four-in-five stretch.

Laredo took a 1-0 lead 2:09 into the first period when Maxime Lincourt banked a shot from the left corner off RGV goalie Franck for his fifth goal of the season.

Laredo outshot RGV 11-2 in the middle period, but couldn’t solve Franck again until the 13:30 mark of the third period. Justin Styffe gave Laredo a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal, but Bennefield connected on the same power play just 18 seconds to knot it up.