Bees, Rage almost repeated odd incident

HIDALGO — Whether they knew it or not, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees fans almost saw a repeat of a famous hockey incident Saturday night.

When Rocky Mountain forward Daymen Rycroft’s shorthanded goal at 3:59 of the second bounced out of the net and back into play, it almost set off a chain of events that happened in Game 6 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.

In that game, Vancouver Canucks forward Geoff Courtnall beat New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter, apparently giving Vancouver a 4-1 lead. However, like at Dodge Arena Saturday night, the puck bounced out of the net and back into play. The Rangers, who trailed the game 3-1, thought they had pulled to within 3-2 when Mark Messier appeared to beat Vancouver goalie Kirk McLean on the ensuing trip down the ice.

After a video review showed Courtnall’s goal was good, the referees took Messier’s goal away, which couldn’t have happened if Courtnall’s goal was originally allowed.

That is what would have happened Saturday night if the Bees (10-25-7) had scored after Rycroft’s shot. But Rage goalie Terry Dunbar saved referee Zac Wiebe the trouble of explaining why a Bees goal wouldn’t have counted, covering the puck after a scramble in front of the Rocky Mountain net.

The stoppage of play allowed Wiebe and his linesmen to confer, and eventually award Rycroft his 35th goal of the season.

After the game, Rycroft sounded somewhat understanding toward the referees.

“I was like, ‘What was the ref watching?’” Rycroft said. “I knew that it went in right away, because if it hits the post it makes a certain sound, or if it hits the back wire it makes a certain sound. I knew it went in, I was just wondering what he was doing. I guess they just wanted to get on the same page, all three refs.”

Bees coach Paul Fixter agreed that Wiebe eventually got the call right.

“From my vantage point, I couldn’t really tell,” Fixter said. “After reviewing it on the video, it was a goal.”

Booooo!!!!

The Bees have had their share of poor performances at home this season, but have rarely caught much heat from the fans in attendance.

That changed after the second period Saturday night.

When RGV left the ice for the second intermission, many of the 5,005 at Dodge Arena booed. The fans had just seen the Bees get outshot 18-8 in the second and allow three goals, including two to Rycroft.

Breaking it down

The Bees’ 27 points are the third-lowest total in the CHL. In fact, three teams (Rocky Mountain, Bossier-Shreveport and Laredo) have more wins than the Bees have points.

Of those 27 points, 21 have come against teams currently in position to make the CHL postseason. The only non-playoff teams the Bees have taken points from are Tulsa, Amarillo and Austin.

Up next

The Bees visit the Tulsa Oilers Friday night and the Wichita Thunder on Saturday. Like the Bees, the Oilers and Thunder have struggled. Tulsa, which beat the Bees 3-2 Friday night, has only 33 points. Meanwhile the Thunder’s total of 25 is the worst in the league, two fewer than the Bees’ 27.

Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.