Bullfrog Defense Dominates

Bullfrog Coach Brad McCaughey, preferring his team remain the predator, didn’t make any special adjustments for Saturday’s game against the highest scoring team in Roller Hockey International.

The game plan? Maintain the status quo, and play the same tough defense McCaughey has preached.

The Bullfrogs beat Buffalo, 13-3, but in the process surpassed the Wings as the league’s most prolific scoring team and moved into first place in the Western Conference.

The Bullfrogs (14-2-2) have 30 points, one more than Las Vegas (14-3-1), which plays tonight at San Jose. The Bullfrogs play at Las Vegas on Friday.

“The championship is going to be won by defense,” said McCaughey, whose team had given up 37 fewer goals than Buffalo going into the game. “We just have to play solid defense and we’ll let the other teams worry about us.”

By the time the Bullfrogs opened a 7-1 lead with 6 minutes 15 seconds left in the first half, they had outshot Buffalo, 23-8. The Bullfrogs finished with a 58-22 advantage, including 20 shots in the fourth quarter.

Buffalo (135 goals going into the game ) and the Bullfrogs (134) ranked 1-2 in the league in goal scoring. Four of the league’s top six scorers played. Another, Bullfrog Hugo Belanger (55 points), missed the game because he is playing with Team Canada in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg. Belanger dropped to second in scoring behind Buffalo’s Ken Blum (goal, two assists). Blum has 58 points.

The victory was the Bullfrogs’ 10th in 11 games, and their eighth consecutive home victory. Buffalo (9-9) remained second in the Eastern Conference.

Playing their third game in three nights, the Bullfrogs started Cory Cadden (19 saves) in place of the league’s winningest goalkeeper Rob Laurie (12 victories, 4.96 goals-against average).

The defense in front of Cadden made it easy, and the offense provided a large margin for error--not that he needed it.

“We’ve got to build our game around defense,” defenseman Tom Menicci said. “The offense will come with the better defense we play. That’s what happened tonight.”

Bob Rapoza had three goals and two assists, Menicci had two goals and two assists, and both Dan Shermerhorn and Darren Perkins had two goals and an assist. Kevin St. Jacques had a goal and three assists.

Since losing Thursday to St. Louis on Thursday, the Bullfrogs have outscored opponents 25-8.