South Texas uses strong Team Game to win All Star Game 9-4

After a slow start for the South Texas Team comeback with 7 answered goals to just crush the CHL All Stars to win it on home soil in front of a energetic crowd down at the Laredo Entrainment Center in front of nearly 4,000 fans in attendance.

From the Central Hockey League Website: www.centralhockeyleague.com

The South Texas Squad was led by the Sherwood/TPS most Valuable player, rookie forward Sean Muncy from RGV who finished the game with 2 goals and 2 assists leading all players with 4 points. The CHL All Star player that earned the their MVP was Odessa Jackalopes goaltender Joel Martin who stopped 27 of 28 shots in the first period and helped the CHL Team go into the 1st intermission with a 2-1 lead.

The game featured a team of South Texas Players (From the Laredo Bucks, RGV Killer Bees and the Corpus Christi Icerayz) against a team from the rest of the league.

The star of the early going was Martin who leads the CHL with a 2.26 GAA and it showed why last night. He made three huge saves in the games first 4 minutes and then at the 14:50 mark, robbed hometown hero's Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith on back to back straight shots. The South Texas Team registered 11 of the game's first 12 shots.

It was the 13th shot of the however that struck gold as the Colorado Eagles Connection gave the CHL a 1-0 lead. Defensemen Aaron Schneekloth scored the goal, as he drove to the net and teammate Riley Nelson fed him for his first All Star Goal and fifth All Star Point in his 4th career CHL All Star Game. Nelson and Kevin Ulanski drew the assists at the 6:09 mark of the 1st period.

The CHL made it 2-0 on a laser shot from Arizona Sundogs defensemen Jon Landry, playing in his first career All Star Game, that RGV Goalie Andy Franck high on the glove side. For Franck, it was his third straight All Star Game (a league record). Allen's two all stars, Bruce Graham and Justin Bowers earned the assists at the 8:05 mark of the game.

Martin seemed invincible until there was a minute and a half in the 1st period left in the period where he turned away 25 shots until Darryl Smith (Laredo) beat him just under the crossbar and made it 2-1 CHL heading into the 1st intermission. Assisting on the goal was Corpus Christi teammates Justin Quenneville and Kyle Peto on the goal.

The score ended 2-1 after 1 with Martin Stealing the show early on in the game, some of which were great acrobatic saves getting fans out of the seats. The 27 saves were a CHL Record by South Texas set a CHL/WPHL Record since the merger.

South Texas tied the game early on in the 2nd period when Corpus Christi's Jereme Tendler found a tiny opening top shelf beating Bossier-Shreveport's Ken Carroll making the score 2-2. Ryan Garbutt drew the lone assist on the goal at 2 minutes into the 2nd period.

Shortly thereafter, the South Texas Team took the lead thanks to a nifty play by Evan Schwabe tuck a shot under and over Ken Carroll that eventually went off an opponent stick and across the goal line. Peto earned the assist for his 2nd point of the night.

Franck left the game at the midway point of the game after stopping 14 of 16 shots and sitting in line for the win midway through the game.

Before the end of the 2nd period, RGV's Sean Muncy scored his first of two on the night, assisted by Peto and Quenneville for their 2nd assists of the night, at the 18:33 mark of the 2nd, South Texas took a 4-2 lead going into the 2nd intermission.

BOS's Ken Carroll stopped 13 of 16 shots in the 2nd period.

Then in the 3rd period, the flood gates opened for South Texas in the final frame where a total 7 goals were scored in the game. Muncy got the scoring going and the eventually game winner just 1:21 into the 3rd period with Grant Gockner-Zoller made it 5-2. That assists was the first of 3 points in the period for the Killer Bees Forward.

South Texas started stretching the lead midway through the 3rd period as a one timer from Jesse Bennefield made the score 6-2 with Gockner-Zoller scoring his 2nd assists.

Garbutt got into the goal scoring with a goal at 11:10 mark as the blowout was on. Quenneville and Muncy drew the assists on the goal that made it 7-2 South Texas. The interesting thing about Garbutt's goal that it came on the games only power play from T.J. Craig who had the only penalty of the game.

The teams exchanged goals as the game wound down with Craig and Jeff Christian of the Missouri Mavericks scoring goals for the CHL and Laredo's Jeff Bes and Grant Gockner-Zoller scoring for South Texas.

Kevin Nastiuk of the Corpus Christi Icerayz finished his half game with 19 saves on 21 shots and Rapid City's Danny Battochio finished his period of play turning aside 14 of 19 shots.

Peto (0G 3A), Quenneville (0G 3A) and Gockner-Zoller (1G 2A) all finished the game with 3 points.

Just like the final score, the SOG reflected the game as South Texas out shot the CHL 63-37.

Boxscore: CHL All Stars 4 South Texas All Stars 9 (2-1, 0-3, 2-5)
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