FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, December 20, 2014
CREEL STEALS SHOW IN JACKALOPES 4-3 TRIUMPH OVER BEES
Jacks goaltender makes 43 saves; Hoffman electrifies crowd with Teddy Bear Toss goal
ODESSA, TX – Following a 3-2 loss on Friday night to the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, the Odessa Jackalopes were left scratching their head, wondering how the left another lead slip away. With a 24-save performance in goal, Head Coach Greg Gatto went back to Tanner Creel in the Jacks goal. The Rio returned netminder Ben Johansson to the crease, after his first win in his last three starts on Friday night. Saturday night marked Teddy Bear Toss night at the JackShack, when the Jacks scored their first goal of the contest, fans were asked to throw Teddy Bears on the ice that would be donated to the Odessa Regional Medical Center and Rays of Hope in Midland.
Midway through the first period, Jacks fans got their wish. Chris Javens took a shot from the left point that was tipped on goal by Corey Hoffman past the glove hand of Ben Johansson. Over 600 Teddy Bears were thrown on the ice by the Jackalope faithful in the audience. The Jacks enjoyed a 1-0 lead. At 12:22, Andrew McLean was given a 5:00 penalty for checking from behind, and the Bees cashed in at 13:55. Wayland Williams scored his third goal of the season beating Creel, who was battling to see through a screen. Creel was uber busy in period one, stopping 22 of 23 Bees bids, keeping the score 1-1 at the end of the first.
In the second, the Jacks regained the lead when Hampus Sjodahl tapped in a rebound off a point shot by Lane Valimont that appeared to hit the goal post. Sjodahl’s tenth goal of the season gave the Jacks a 2-1 advantage. After more Bees pressure, Adem Arifi scored his first goal since joining the Bees off another screen shot from the right circle. Back-to-Back Bees penalties put the Jacks ahead two men at 8:11 of the period. Derek Brown deflected a Razmuz Waxin-Engback shot from the left circle to give the Jacks the lead on a power play marker. Christian Hausinger would put the Jacks up by two on a slap shot that seemed to fool the Bees goaltender Ben Johansson. He was pulled in favor of Nick Schmit, and that seemed to spark the Killer Bees. Chris Deprez converted on a two-on-one by smacking in a rebound off of the right pad of Tanner Creel, to make it 4-3 Jackalopes at the intermission.
In the third, Tanner Creel took over. The Jacks spent the better part of the period chasing the puck in their zone and letting Creel make save after save. For the Bees, relief goaltender Nick Schmit shut the door, but Creel was one better. In a late effort to tie, the Bees pulled Schmit for an extra skate, but Creel loomed large in the Jackalopes goal, stopping 43 of 46 Killer Bees shots. The Jacks ended a six-game losing skid with a 4-3 victory on home ice at the Ector County Coliseum.
In 2014-15, the Odessa Jackalopes will embark upon their fourth season in the North American Hockey League and 18th in the Permian Basin. Season tickets are on sale now! To reserve your seats, contact the Jackalopes’ ticket office today at 432-552-7825 or log on to www.jackalopes.org for more information.
Be sure to follow the Jackalopes on Twitter @LetsGoJacks all year long and don’t forget to ‘Like’ the official “Odessa Jackalopes” fan page on Facebook.
— ODESSA JACKALOPES —
