RGV Capsules: Clouthier, Franck make different impacts in win
HIDALGO – Upstaging Brett Clouthier’s Killer Bees debut was probably impossible. Goalie Andy Franck, however, gave it a pretty good try.
Franck made 47 saves, including 25 in the second period, as the Bees beat Bossier-Shreveport 5-3. But it was what happened with 1:58 left in that period that will be remembered.
Cloutier, whose day started with a 9-hour flight from Albany, N.Y. to the Valley and also included some lost luggage that he beat to the area, with 1:58 left engaged in a memorable fight with the Mudbugs’ Kirk Medernach. After falling behind early because his gloves weren’t off yet, Cloutier took control, even having time to gesture to the Bees fans to keep cheering until the end of the fight.
The Cloutier-Medernach incident came seconds after the Bees’ Daymen Rycroft and Bossier-Shreveport’s Scott Kalinchuk got fighting majors. Because Cloutier’s fight came directly after another, he and Medernach got game misconducts.
But even in less than two periods of play, Cloutier’s impact was noticeable.
For the first time all season, the Bees knew they had a renowned enforcer who could send a message when needed. The crowd also sounded louder than it had been all season, despite the Bees’ three-game winning streak.
“He hit me with one and then I just got kind of mad, threw (the gloves) down and ended up getting into a good one,” Clouthier said. “It was kind of gutless what he did but I taught him a lesson.”
Bees fans certainly noticed. The reaction from a fanbase that has embraced players such as Ryan Shmyr and Dennis Maxwell was predictable and appreciative.
Cloutier and the Bees certainly noticed.
“I think he’s going to do a lot of damage for us,” Franck said. “That’s why we have him here.”
Franck also showed why the Bees signed him this summer.
During a game in which coach Chris Brooks thought the Mudbugs outworked the Bees, Franck was the difference. He even said the Mudbugs “wanted it more” than the Bees, but couldn’t do enough against Franck.
“He played well. He won us the game,” Brooks said. “The way we played tonight, I told the guys, goes against everything I talk about on a daily basis.
“It was great goaltending that won us the hockey game.”
Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4446 or via e-mail at bsandalow@themonitor.com.
Notebook: Franck peppered but stands tall
HIDALGO – For just a second or two, it almost sounded like Killer Bees goalie Andy Franck was actually being serious.
When asked about what it was like facing 50 shots, including 26 in the second period of the Bees’ 5-3 win over Bossier-Shreveport, Franck had a perplexing answer.
“I like it. It makes it fun for me,” Franck said. “I’d be bored back there if I wasn’t seeing shots so, the more the better for me.”
Really? You like 26 shots in a period and 50 over three?
“I can handle that every night, hopefully,” Franck said. “Nah, I’m just kidding. If they can get 30, 35 is around where I’d like to see every night. It keeps me in the game. If they can keep it around there, that would be great.”
HOW HE GOT HERE
Before Wednesday’s game, the Bees signed Brett Clouthier to a five-game contract despite already having signed him this summer.
The CHL decreed that, even though the AHL’s Providence Bruins released him, Cloutier was re-assigned by them to the Bees, allowing them to sign him for the short-term contract. The league’s decision saved coach Chris Brooks from having to make another roster move, at least for the time being.
Forward Andrew Schembri did not play Wednesday night because of an injured knee. If not for Cloutier’s five-game contract, Brooks would have had to put Schembri on the injured reserve, something he won’t have to do for another week.
“It gives me a week,” Brooks said. “At that point, I have to make some decisions.”
TURKEY DAY
The Bees’ holiday plans were altered Wednesday because of the cancellation of the Soulja Boy concert Thursday. Originally, they had planned to spend Thanksgiving in Amarillo and leave the Valley after Wednesday’s game.
Instead, the Bees will skate Thursday morning at Dodge Arena and then have a team dinner at Brooks’ house before leaving for Amarillo at about 9 p.m.
“We’ll be able to sleep tonight and get our day of rest tomorrow then travel all night,” Brooks said. “I wanted to sort of mirror what we’re going to do for Christmas.”
UP NEXT
The Bees face another challenging three-games-in-three-days weekend. After traveling on Friday to Amarillo, the Bees face games on Saturday at Odessa then Sunday at Allen. Odessa leads the Southern Conference while the expansion Americans are second.
Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4446 or via e-mail at bsandalow@themonitor.com.
Basketball
Notebook: Vipers make final cuts
PHARR — The Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ opening day roster features a good mix of veterans and rookies after the team made its final two cuts on Wednesday. The Vipers open the season with back-to-back games at Austin beginning Friday.
The Vipers trimmed its roster to 11 by releasing former Baylor guard Henry Dugat and former Kent State forward Haminn Quaintance. Dugat was invited to camp after participating in a local tryout. He scored eight points and played 10 minutes in an exhibition against Austin on Saturday. Quaintance was acquired by the Vipers via a trade with Reno earlier this month. He had two points and two rebounds in 12 minutes on Saturday.
That leaves the roster with Houston Rockets’ assignee Joey Dorsey, a forward/center and four others former Vipers. Guard/forward Stanley Asumnu, a Viper since the first game, forwards Julian Sensley and Ernest Scott and center Kurt Looby made the team. In addition, the Vipers have other veterans like former Rocket Mike Harris, a forward and former LSU standout guard Garrett Temple.
Four of the team’s draft picks, including highly-touted guard Antonio Anderson made the squad. Anderson, who was teammate of Dorsey’s at Memphis, was the Vipers’ first pick (12th overall). Others include second-round pick Jonathan Wallace of Georgetown, fourth-round pick Mickell Gladness of Alabama A&M and fifth-round pick Kenny Dawkins of Lamar. Wallace and Dawkins are guards and Gladness is a center.
"We feel everyone who is with us right now can contribute to our squad," Vipers head coach Chris Finch said. "It’s really about trying to find the right balance and then there are the intangibles: Who can accept their roles? Who can play two positions? Everyone’s attitude’s been great. Everyone’s understanding has been pretty high so those things have been consistent."
DEFENSIVE-MINDED
The Vipers have placed an emphasis on defense in practice this week following their 101-98 loss to Austin in Saturday’s exhibition at South Padre Island.
"I thought our effort was way too up and down," Finch said. "We played well in the beginning, and then our bench let us down. Then our starters let us down and the bench was better. I understand it was preseason, and we were throwing out all kinds of combinations. We weren’t worried about the score or the clock, but the effort should be consistent."
Finch thought that lack of effort at times caused the defense to suffer. Harris agreed and said the team is still coming together.
"We had some first-game jitters," Harris said. "In the first half, we did a good job offensively moving the ball and with spacing. Defensively, we were scrambling a little. We’re still getting a feel for each other. We had good momentum and had some bad momentum."
SLIMMING DOWN
Dorsey said he about 10 pounds away from being fully in shape. Dorsey ballooned to 305 pounds after missing most of last season recovering from plantar faciitis. He played seven games for the Vipers last season before being shutdown for the season last January because of the injury.
He’s lost 30 points since returning to basketball last summer when he played for the Rockets’ summer league team in Las Vegas. Dorsey averaged 14.2 rebounds, a league-best, and 9.8 points during the summer. Dorsey realized after Saturday’s exhibition that his conditioning is still not there.
"I got tired out there because I’m still out of shape," Dorsey said. "First half, I was real good at rebounding and blocking shots. In the second half, I got tired about couldn’t push through it."
David Hinojosa covers the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can also reach him at (956) 683-4442 or via e-mail at dhinojosa@themonitor.com.
College
Notebook: Six to join Lady Broncs next season
EDINBURG — University of Texas-Pan American women’s basketball coach Denny Downing was hired too late in the summer for any substantial recruiting, which may have hurt the Lady Broncs this season.
But he is determined to make up for it. This past week the Lady Broncs signed six new players for the 2010-11 team. All players are expected to contribute right away. Downing says UTPA can sometimes draw the players that want playing time early.
"Our staff did a tremendous job," Downing said. "I was really pleased with how good of a job we did in getting the type of players we got."
Two of the six are seniors in high school — Laquita Garner (Chicago) and Sydney Lewis (Tucson, Ariz.). Garner’s team, Whitney Young, won an Illinois state championship in 2008. Lewis’ team, Canyon Del Oro High School, was 26-1 in 2008-09.
The rest are junior college transfers.
>> Erin Lewis averaged 6.0 points and 4.0 assists last season for Collin Community College.
>> Donna Jackson was an all-conference player for Collin County last year.
>> Adanna Opara had a solid freshman campaign at San Jacinto College, averaging 13.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in 2008-09.
>> Ashley Watson is also from San Jacinto and led the team last year with 34 blocks.
Downing said the team still has two more scholarships to fill and is projecting to have next year’s team set by mid-January.
SIGNING DAY
UTPA baseball coach Manny Mantrana continues to build what he hopes will be a competitive team in the future.
Last week, the Broncs signed Michael Denis, Jonathan Delgado and Michael Zouzalik to join the team for the 2011 season. Zouzalik, a junior college transfer from Cisco Junior College in Abilene and Delgado, a transfer from Blinn College, are pitchers. Denis will arrive from Archbishop Carroll High School in Miami as a shortstop.
HONORABLE
UTPA volleyball setter Rita Gonzalez was named to the Great West Conference All-Newcomer team. She was one of seven selected by the conference’s coaches.
She led the Lady Broncs with 404 assists and was second on the team with 178 digs.
WRONG HISTORY
The UTPA’s men’s basketball team allowed 100 points Sunday for the first time since it lost 103-50 to Texas Tech in 2005. Missouri beat UTPA 100-44 on Sunday in Columbia, Mo.
Peter Rasmussen covers UTPA athletics for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.
