Bullfrogs Jump to an Early Lead, Then Hold On

ANAHEIM — Four of five Western Conference teams will advance to the eight-team Roller Hockey International playoffs come August and already it is becoming clear which club is going to struggle to get there.

The Bullfrogs jumped on the Sacramento River Rats for seven first-half goals Sunday night at the Pond and cruised to a 12-7 victory in front of an announced crowd of 6,997.

Defenseman Doug McCarthy got another hat trick, his second in three games, and forward Glenn Stewart came out of his early-season slump with a club-record eight points, on two goals and six assists.

“I had a slow start because I got married and got here late in training camp,” Stewart said. “I hadn’t been contributing lately, but tonight it felt good.”

Goaltender Rob Laurie recorded his second win of the season.

The final score did not reflect how this one went, because Sacramento got four goals in the final quarter when the Bullfrogs tired.

And the bottom line is, despite a new coach and a half a dozen new players, the River Rats (0-4) seem no closer to solving their scoring problems than they were a year ago. A year ago, there were 18 teams in the league and the River Rats ranked 15th in scoring, second-to-last in defense and missed the playoffs with a 10-17-1 mark. Sacramento has surrendered 40 goals this season.

Part of the problem has been the lack of output from forward Gerry St. Cyr, who led the River Rats in scoring last season with 48 goals and 41 assists. St. Cyr had another non-productive evening before being ejected for fighting with 4 minutes 42 seconds left. He has only two goals and four assists this season.

On Sunday, former Bullfrog goaltender Eric Raymond, acquired from Montreal after being traded by Anaheim earlier this year, lasted only two quarters. He was peppered repeatedly by former teammates, who outshot the River Rats, 27-11, in the first half en route to a 7-1 lead.

The Bullfrogs, who held a 44-28 shot advantage overall, seem headed in another direction. They’re 3-1 and begin Thursday’s game at Sacramento’s new outdoor arena with renewed optimism.

“Tonight I told the guys they had to work on defense, that each time they went out on the floor they had to think about keeping the other team from scoring,” Bullfrog Coach Brad McCaughey said. “It’s amazing how much good defense will open up offensive opportunities for you.”

This one was not entirely pretty. Sacramento was assessed 50 penalty minutes. The teams were playing their third games in as many days and Sacramento, skating carelessly, looked like a punch-drunk fighter. The Rats surrendered six goals on power plays and they threw some punches too. Three Rats and a Bullfrog were ejected.

Raymond couldn’t stop a penalty shot by Todd Wetzel with 6 minutes 37 seconds left in the second quarter after River Rat forward Stu Kulak was ejected for knocking Bullfrog forward Marty Yewchuck with an elbow to the forehead away from the puck.

Yewchuck went down hard, hitting the back of his head on the floor. He remained motionless for about three minutes before being removed on a stretcher. He was taken to UCI Medical Center for X-rays and was being held overnight for observation.

Later, River Rat forward Jason Krueckl fought Bullfrog defender B.J. MacPherson. Krueckl was escorted from the court holding a tooth in his hand. Midway through the third quarter, Sacramento Captain Chris Robertson was given a double-minor penalty after knocking out rookie Bullfrog defender Chris Newans with a cross-check in the Sacramento zone.

Anaheim did a better job of stopping its opponent’s goal-scoring opportunities in transition, giving up three.