FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jan. 4, 2013
JACKS STUNG BY RAYS, 6-4
Olguin scores twice, Heinle stops 27 in loss.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – In the first clash of a two-game weekend series at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, the Odessa Jackalopes fell to the Corpus Christi IceRays Friday by a final score of 6-4. With the loss, the Jacks fell to 5-26-2 overall this season, 0-3-0 head-to-head vs. the ‘Rays and with 12 points, remain alone in sixth place in the NAHL’s South Division standings.
The IceRays started the scoring at 6:11 of the opening frame when Corpus Christi winger Eric Purcell took advantage of a Lawrence Cornellier turnover and buried his eighth goal of the season, an even-strength, unassisted, breakaway tally. Perry D’Arrisso doubled the IceRays lead less than one minute later as the Corpus winger deflected a John Roisum shot from the right point past Odessa goaltender Nick Deery on the power-play with Emil Romig providing the secondary assist at 7:30.
D’Arrisso picked up right where he left off in the middle frame, netting his second goal of the game at 1:31 to push the IceRays’ lead to 3-1 before Anthony Olguin broke through for Odessa on the power-play at 12:29, courtesy of a Taylor Portner feed. Any Jacks momentum was short-lived however, as Corpus Christi captain Joe Ginley wired his third goal of the season through Deery at 13:25, chasing the Jacks starter from the Odessa cage and bumping the Rays’ lead to 4-1.
In the third, Odessa struck quickly, as Mike Mezzano buried his first goal of the season just 51 seconds in thanks to an Austin Ho assist, but back-to-back goals from Rudy Sulmonte and John Roisum pushed the IceRays’ lead to its highest point at 6-2. A pair of late Jackalopes goals, from Matt Volonnino at 9:49 and Olguin’s second with less than a minute to play drew the ‘Lopes within two, but weren’t enough to lift the Jacks to victory.
Before being pulled midway through the second, Deery made 16 saves on 20 shots faced, but Phil Heinle stole the show in relief, stopping 27 pucks en route to his ninth loss of the season. Steve Haydon once again pulled into the lead in fighting majors among all NAHL skaters with a second period beat-down of Corpus forward AJ Jarosz, his seventh fight of the season.
Next up for the Jacks, it’s another tilt at the American Bank Center vs. the IceRays on Saturday with the opening faceoff set for 7:05 pm.
In 2012-13, the Odessa Jackalopes drop the puck on their second season as a member of the North American Hockey League. Season ticket packages for the Jacks’ sophomore campaign are available now starting at just $179. 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 season long and don’t forget to ‘Like’ the official “Odessa Jackalopes” fan page on Facebook.
— ODESSA JACKALOPES —
