FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 5, 2012
MINX SEALS VICTORY WITH LAST-SECOND TALLY
Odessa captain delivers Jackalopes their first-ever win over Topeka, 3-2.
TOPEKA, KS– In the first of a three-game weekend series in Topeka, Kansas, Tyler Minx scored his first goal of the season with mere moments remaining in regulation to propel the Jacks to a 3-2 win over the Topeka RoadRunners Friday at Landon Arena inside the Kansas ExpoCentre. With the win, the Jackalopes improved to 3-3-1 on the season and with seven points, moved into a tie for fourth place in the NAHL’s South Division standings, alongside the Corpus Christi IceRays and Wichita Falls Wildcats. Friday’s win was the first ever for the Jacks versus the ‘Runners and the team’s first win at Landon Arena in franchise history.
Topeka got the scoring started at 12:52 of the first when leading RoadRunners scorer and NAHL Combat Hockey South Division Star of the Month Kyle Sharkey tipped his seventh goal of the year past Odessa netminder Jacob Theut on the power-play to make it 1-0 ‘Runners. Lawrence Cornellier continued his torrid start to the season at 16:01 when he wrapped a sneaky rebound wrister around the left post on Topeka’s Spencer Veile, Cornellier’s sixth goal and eighth point of the season, to even the score at one.
After the second period slid by scoreless, the Jacks took their first lead of the game at 2-1 early in the third period when Tyler Caymeberg notched his first goal of the season on a wheeling, turn-around offering, assisted by Ryan Doucet and Taylor Portner. That lead held up for the majority of the period, but as time wound down in regulation, Topeka’s Drew Kariofiles tallied a deflating equalizer with just over one minute remaining in regulation to seemingly force overtime.
But an extra session proved unneccesary, as with just seconds remaining in the game, Doucet, entrenched in the neutral zone behind Topeka defensive pair, gloved down a clearing flip from Austin Ho, was denied twice on a breakaway chance and then, with just two seconds left on the clock, zipped a centering pass to a hard-charging Minx low in the Topeka slot, and the Oklahoma City native did the rest, one-touching Doucet’s pass to paydirt for his first goal of the season and in the process, delivering Odessa a dramatic victory.
In his fourth start of the season, Theut turned in an impressive performance in net for Odessa, stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced en route to his first-ever Jackalopes win.
Next up for the Jacks, it’s a Saturday showdown, again versus the RoadRunners, with the opening faceoff set for 7:05 pm at Landon Arena.
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 —
