Odessa, Texas (DEC 29)- The Odessa Jackalopes led twice Tuesday night and even scored three unanswered goals, but the Corpus Christi IceRays proved too much earning a 5-4 overtime victory at AmericanBank Center in Corpus. Not very often can you say your goaltender had a stellar night while allowing five goals, but Dean Shatzer's performance Tuesday was his most dominant of the season. The Dartmouth commit Shatzer (4-7-3) was tremendous in the hard-luck overtime loss; making 35 saves on 40 shots including 4 or 5 that look to be sure goals.
In the first, Shatzer weathered an early IceRays flurry, making tremendous save after tremendous save. Odessa took advantage and broke through first when Zach Zech (9) Jammed home a loose puck past an out of position Graham Hunt. After Odessa struck first, Corpus countered with goals by Regan Cavanagh and Matthew Acciaioli less than a minute apart at 13:34 and 14:21 to make it 2-1 after one.
In the second, Corpus looked to put the game out of reach when Carter Johnson broke through on the power play at 4:23 to make it 3-1. Down by pair the Jacks cut the lead to one when Jon Russell (2) broke through on a spinning wrister at 5:39. Gray Marr (7) then tied the game at 12:30 on a quick snap shot from the far hash. The Jacks capped off the three-goal period and regained the lead on a nifty 3-on-0 move by Oliver Celec (8) at 16:38.
Holding onto a one-goal lead in the third Tobias Kircher collected on a one-timer to tied the game and force overtime at 9:35. After Tucker Bender had failed to score on a penalty shot in OT, Brad LeLievre (6) earned the Rays two points on a one-timer at 2:35 of the extra time.
Graham Hunt (6-8-2) earned the win, making 27 saves on 31 shots.
In 2015-16, the Odessa Jackalopes will embark upon their fifth season in the North American Hockey League and 19th 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.
