The Shreveport Mudbugs defeated the Maine Nordiques 4-1 in Game 1 of their best-of-3 Robertson Cup semifinal series Friday night at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minn.
Game 2 is 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A victory will put No. 2 seed Shreveport into the NAHL championship game.
In the other semifinal series, the No. 1 seed Aberdeen Wings defeated the No. 4 Minnesota Magicians 5-1 in Game 1.
Third-seeded Maine took a 1-0 lead against Shreveport just 34 seconds into the game. It took the Mudbugs just over a minute to tie it on Garrett Steele’s rebound shot.
Shreveport took control with two goals in the second period. Adam Kolcon scored at the 1:13 mark. About four minutes later Gio Procopio scored with an assist from Chris Hedden.
Shreveport’s defense kept Maine off the board on two power-play opportunities in the second.
Procopio added another goal in the third for the final margin.
Mudbugs goalie Cole Hudson made 25 saves.
