Kings Lose Heartbreaker to Arizona

LUBBOCK, Texas - Arizona Sundogs forward Jordan Mowbray collected the game-winning goal in the ninth round of the shootout for a 2-1 victory over the Lubbock Cotton Kings Sunday night at City Bank Coliseum. The Hub City team has a record of 21-27-7 with 49 points in the standings. They are two standing points behind the three-way tie of Austin, Rio Grande Valley and Odessa for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Central Hockey Leagues Southern Conference. Following a delayed penalty, Arizonas Adam Campbell got his team on the board first with a 6-on-5 even strength goal 6:46 into the first period. Bobby Brown tied the game at 1-1 with his second shorthanded tally of the year with 4:46 left in the opening period. It is the tenth shorty of his career and 19th goal of the season. The game was scoreless in the second and third period, and the lamp was not lit in overtime. It would be Mowbrays ninth round marker that gave Arizona the win. The loss in the shootout marked the fourth consecutive overtime loss by the Kings at home and it was their fifth consecutive overtime loss on home ice. Just getting to overtime was a tough task for the Kings. During a stretch of six minutes and ten seconds (6:10) late in regulation (from the 11:39 to the 17:49 mark), the Cotton Kings were shorthanded all but ten seconds and were even shorthanded a full two minutes of 5-on-3 play after Cotton Kings Head Coach Craig Janney was issued an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Cotton Kings were able to survive and the leagues second best penalty kill unit was able to shutdown the leagues second best power play unit. Lubbock was able to go 12 for 12 killing off Sundog power play chances, but the Sundogs penalty kill unit was on the ball as well and kept the Kings penalty kill unit 0 for 7 in the contest. Arizona out-shot the Cotton Kings 38-30 for the evening. Lubbocks J.F. Perras (15-14-3) made 36 saves off of 37 shots on goal. Sundogs Mike Wall (0-2-0) had 29 stops off of 30 shots on net. The Cotton Kings will host New Mexico on Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. face-off. (cotton kings release)