Jan. 14, 2011
TORNADO POWERS PAST JACKS 5-2
Regular-season series ends in 3-3-1 tie.
FRISCO, TX– In their final trip to Dr. Pepper Arena in the 2011-12 regular season, the Odessa Jackalopes dropped a back-and-forth affair 5-2 to the Texas Tornado Saturday in Frisco. With the loss, the Jacks fell to 12-18-5 on the season and with 29 points, remain alone in fifth place in the NAHL’s South Division standings, seven points shy of the Corpus Christi IceRays for the South Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.
The Odessa offense set the tone early, as Alex Ostrowski staked the Jacks to a 1-0 lead with an unassisted, even-strength marker, his third of the season, at 8:33 of the first period. Quick to answer back, the Tornado evened the game at 15:31 of the opening frame, when Jordan Lovick potted the first of his two goals on the night. Then, just under two minutes later, a Mychal Monteith point shot made it 2-1 Texas.
The second period saw more of the same from the Texas attack, as a Taylor Herndon tally made it 3-1 Tornado just under two minutes into the middle frame. Down by a pair of goals, the Jackalopes fought back at 8:52 of the second, when Odessa captain Willie Fuast fed Lawrence Cornellier for a power-play marker, Cornellier’s third of the season, to pull the Jacks within a goal.
Relentless as ever, the Tornado weren’t about to fold, as Jack Prince and Lovick added late second period goals that stood up down the stretch, cementing a 5-2 Texas victory after a scoreless third period. In their first three-game weekend since the NAHL Showcase in September, the Jackalopes captured just one of a possible six points, but remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the South Division.
In his first start since October 27th, Odessa netminder Justin Davis stopped 33 of the 38 shots he faced. Thanks to Cornellier’s second-period goal, the Jackalopes connected on the power-play for the first time in five games.
The Odessa Jackalopes celebrate their 15th Anniversary in 2011-12 and drop the puck on their inaugural campaign as a member of the North American Hockey League. Season tickets, mini-plans, and single game tickets are available by calling (432) 552-7825 or by visiting the Jacks online at www.jackalopes.org.
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 —
