ODESSA, Texas – Olli Kalkaja (Oulu, Finland) denied all 18 shots he faced Saturday to lead the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees to a 2-0 shutout victory over the Odessa Jackalopes at the Ector County Coliseum.

The win was Rio Grande Valley’s fifth straight, and it extended their winning streak to five straight games. In addition, with the Topeka RoadRunners idle Saturday, the Bees moved within one point of second place in the NAHL’s South Division.

R.J. Burns (Pearl River, N.Y.) gave the Bees the lead Saturday less than five minutes after the opening whistle when he knocked in a rebound from the slot a few seconds after their first power play of the game expired.

The game went scoreless for the next 43 minutes and four seconds before the Killer Bees added a little insure early in the third period on a goal by Dan Kucerovy (Bethel Park, Pa.).

After a faceoff win in the Odessa zone, Ben Greiner (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Kucerovy worked a slick give-and-go chance from the left wing. Greiner’s shot was denied however, and Kucerovy cleaned up the rebound after skating out from behind the cage.

Kucerovy’s goal was his second of the weekend and his fifth since joining the Killer Bees. Greiner’s assist was his 49th point of the season as he inched closer to the 50-point plateau with four games remaining in the regular season.

Kalkaja made 18 saves on as many shots Saturday to earn his 18th win and third shutout of the season. Yoshihiro Kuroiwa suffered the loss in spite of making 40 saves on 42 shots. Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play Saturday.

The Killer Bees (33-16-7) will play their final home series of the regular season next Saturday and Sunday (March 22-23) at the State Farm Arena. Saturday’s game is set for a 7:05 p.m. start while Sunday’s game will begin at 4:05 p.m. To purchase tickets, visitwww.ticketmaster.com or the State Farm Arena Box Office. For more information, contact the Killer Bees at (956) 843-5651 or emailinfo@killerbeeshockey.com.