By ROY LANG III, Journal Sports
Shreveport Mudbugs head coach Jason Campbell doesn’t typically lose his top. Normally level-headed, Campbell has a different style than many high-strung coaches. However, just moments after a shootout loss to Amarillo on Saturday, the barn doors guarding Shreveport’s locker room on George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum were closed and Campbell’s voice reverberated through the concourse.
“I’m just pissed off,” Campbell told the Journal after his team fell 4-1 and 2-1 to the Wranglers over the weekend. “Our guys played hard, they played physical, they did a lot of things right, but the freaking details cost us again. It’s really frustrating to me as a coach, and I’m sure it’s frustrating to the players, but they have to figure it out. Like, now.”
Campbell was furious with the difficulty the Mudbugs had simply gaining and sustaining play on Amarillo’s half of the ice.
“You can’t be toe-dragging at center ice, you can’t be just throwing muffins out there,” Campbell said. “You have to make sure everything is firm and you’re getting the red line, you’re getting (the puck) deep. We got away from our game and we’re lucky they didn’t capitalize in the third period on us.
“If you keep turning pucks over at their D-zone blue line, their (defensemen) aren’t turning, their forwards aren’t having to come back — they are getting in transition right away and playing with speed – and then you’re just chasing the game and that’s a big issue right now.”
Shreveport (1-4-1) is tied for last in the South Division, now nine points behind the Wranglers.
With “details” being a major issue, what will practice look like at The George this week?
“Maybe we just have to get to the red line and deposit 1,000 pucks,” Campbell said.
Amarillo is now 6-0 and thoroughly enjoyed their trip to Shreveport.
“There is a lot of cockiness on the other side, but they beat us twice in our building,” Campbell said. “We will let them be cocky and hopefully we will figure out our game and get the last laugh.”
Last week’s 3 Stars
- Tommy Aitken, one of the bright spots was solid between the pipes once again.
- Jake Mack, took the team lead with his third goal of the season.
- Local cheer/dance squads, on a weekend that made it tough to find stars, the youngsters from the area put on impressive intermission performances on both nights.
NAHL South Division standings
Amarillo (6-0-0), 12 points
El Paso (5-1-0), 10
New Mexico (5-1-0), 10
Oklahoma (4-1-0), 8
Lone Star (4-1-0), 8
Shreveport (1-4-1), 3
Odessa (1-4-1), 3
Corpus Christi (1-4-1), 4
*top four make the playoffs
Team leaders
Goals: Jake Mack, 3
Assists: Jaden Goldie, Logan Heroux, 3
Points: Mack, Niklas Miller, Goldie, Heroux, 3
Penalty Minutes: Garrett Steele, Logan Gotinsky, 17
Game-winning goals: Miller, 1
Goals-against average: Tommy Aitken, 1.78
Save percentage: Aitken, .922
Up next
The Mudbugs play the middle two games of a six-game homestand when Oklahoma Warriors visit on Friday and Saturday (7:11 p.m.).
Contact Roy at roylangiii@yahoo.com
Photo by CHRISTI LANG, Journal Sports
