Rycroft, special teams give Bees fourth straight win

HIDALGO – Daymen Rycroft’s power play goal 2:24 into overtime gave the Killer Bees a 4-3 win over Missouri to extend their winning streak to four games. It was their penalty kill, however, that gave Rycroft and the Bees the chance for the victory before a four-game trip that includes stops at Laredo, Texas and Odessa.

The Bees (5-3-0) stopped all 12 of the Mavericks’ power plays, the last coming in overtime when Rycroft left the penalty box for a slashing call he took with 24 seconds left in regulation. Less than two minutes after his penalty ended, Rycroft beat Missouri’s Mike Gorman over the goalie’s right shoulder to give the Bees the victory.

“We responded well,” captain Stacey Bauman said. “Our forwards are carrying that. The way we’re killing, they’re doing a great job.”

Only five games ago, the Bees’ special teams were struggling mightily. They allowed goals on eight of the first 13 penalties they took, while also having problems when they were on the power play.

Both of those problems looked to have been solved by Saturday. One night after an easy 6-2 win over Missouri (2-6-1), the Bees needed their special teams to keep them close to a Mavericks team vastly improved from the night before.

Rycroft, who took two penalties in the third, appreciated the performances by penalty killing forwards Zak McClellan, Aaron Lee and Sean Muncy.

“You definitely don’t want to take a penalty late in the game like that,” Rycroft said. “Putting them on the power play with minutes left in the game, I was just fortunate the penalty killers played really well.”

The power play also contributed. Along with Rycroft’s game winner, the Bees scored twice more with an advantage. Jesse Bennefield’s score 28 seconds into the second tied the game at 1, and Rycroft’s first of the night at the 9:35 mark of the middle period gave the Bees a 2-1 lead.

Overall, the Bees went 3-for-9 with an advantage, as only Andrew Schembri’s breakaway goal in the second came at even strength. Defenseman Nathan Ansell assisted on all four of the Bees goals.

The special teams almost weren’t enough, though, as the Mavericks tied the game at the 5:14 mark of the third on Bill Vandermeer’s third goal of the year. Despite taking four penalties in the third, that was the only goal the Bees and goalie Wylie Rogers (32 saves) would give up.

“It’s coming,” Bees coach Chris Brooks said of the penalty kill while bemoaning the 12 times shorthanded. “They’ve bought into a little bit of an off-the-wall system, but it’s successful when we anticipate and when we battle and compete.”

ICING: Defenseman Jay Hardwick played one night after sitting out Friday night’s game with flu-like symptoms. He had one shot and had a minus-1 rating. … The Bees played their second game without forward Topher Scott, who was placed on the 14-day injured reserve Friday retroactive to Nov. 1. Scott took a slap shot in the ankle last Sunday at Laredo and hasn’t played since.

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

Saturday’s Game

KILLER BEES 4, MAVERICKS 3, OT

MIZ                           1        1       1     0   --  3

RGV                           0        3       0     1   --  4

First period — 1, MIZ, Hammond 2 (Sirota) 13:12 (sh). Penalties — Ansell, RGV (holding) 7:44; Lee, RGV (tripping) 9:52; Lewis, MIZ (elbowing) 11:40; Fleck, MIZ (tripping) 13:54; Sawatske, RGV (holding) 17:31; Christian, MIZ (boarding) 19:59.

Second period — 2, RGV, Bennefield 2 (Ansell) 0:28 (pp); 3, RGV, Rycroft 4 (Ansell, Bennefield) 9:35 (pp); 4, MIZ, Hinz 4 (Christian) 15:48; 5, RGV, Schembri 3 (Muncy, Ansell) 16:12. Penalties — Perrin, RGV (interference) 1:08; Lewis, MIZ (hooking) 1:46; Perrin, RGV (tripping) 4:23; Davis, MIZ (slashing) 7:54; Rogers, RGV (delay of game- seved by Kanigan) 10:13; Harr, RGV(roughing) 14:31; Sellan, MIZ (roughing) 14:31; Sellan, MIZ (slashing) 14:31; Rycroft, RGV (interference) 14:35; Irving, RGV (hooking) 18:09; Sellan, MIZ (unsportsmanlike conduct) 20:00.

Third period —  6, MIZ, Vandermeer 3 (Hinz, Christian) 5:14 Penalties — Bennefield, RGV (holding the stick) 1:38; Landolt, RGV (hooking) 6:36; Lewis, MIZ (hooking) 9:03; Rycroft, RGV (slashing) 12:24; Rycroft, RGV (slashing) 19:36.

Overtine — 7, RGV, Rycroft 5 (Bennefield, Ansell)  2:24 (pp).  Penalties — Fleck, MIZ (hooking-one minute) 1:29.

Power-play opportunities: Missouri; 0 of 12; RGV: 3 of 9   

Shots — Missouri: 12-10-13-0--35 ;  RGV: 8-8-12-5--33  

Goalies — Missouri: Mike Gorman 0-3-1 (33 shots, 29 saves);  RGV: Wylie Rogers 2-1 (35 shots, 32 saves)

A — 4,398  T — 2:40

Referee — Kevin Graber

Linesmen —  Ben Dupuis, John Grandt