Mudbugs tighten grip on Huskies

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This article was published 07/03/2019 (1876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Adam Zalluski had three goals and two assists to lead the defending champion Red River Mudbugs to a 6-1 triumph over the Steinbach Huskies in Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League playoff action Thursday night at St. Jean.

With the win, the Mudbugs have taken a 3-1 semi-final series lead on the Huskies and now are within one victory of their third straight trip to the HTJHL finals.

The Mudbugs opened up the game taking an early 2-0 lead on goals by Zalluski and Skylar Klassen at the 4:30 and 9:34 marks.

But just 25 seconds later Brennan Roch countered for the Huskies to make it a 2-1 game and for the balance of the first period the Huskies had the pressure on as they nearly scored two more, ringing one off the crossbar and another saw the puck just resting on the goal line during a scramble before Red River goaltender Tyler Sagness got a handle on it.

It was a pivotal moment of the game and in the series. After the Mudbugs won the first two games of the series the Huskies came back to win game three by a 5-3 margin, which is a feat in itself as the the powerhouse Mudbugs lost only twice during the regular season.

But after a close first period, the Mudbugs took over, scoring three unanswered goals in the second enroute to the 6-1 victory. Skylar Klassen had two goals and two assists for the Mudbugs while Jayden Bergen added a single and Tristen Dueck picked up three helpers on the night.

Sagness stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced in the Red River net while Bailey Funk made 41 saves in a losing cause for the Huskies.

Game five in the series goes Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at St. Jean. Should the Huskies extend the Huskies, game six will played Mar. 13 in Steinbach.

Meanwhile, the other semi-final series continues tonight at Oakbank as the Springfield Xtreme host the Lorette Comes at 8:00 p.m. Springfield leads the series 2-1. Game five will be played Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at Ile des Chenes.