Oklahoma Warriors (15-2-0-1, 31pts) vs. Odessa Jackalopes (7-10-0-1, 15pts)
at Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, TX
Time: Friday 7:15 p.m. CDT | Saturday 7:15 p.m. CDT
Broadcast: (Home) HockeyTV | Listen Live Here
What You Need to Know:
All-Time Record: 0-2
Season Series: 0-2
Leading Scorers:
OKW: 20pts, Jones (7G, 13A)
ODA: 14pts, Goode (11G, 3A)
Homestand:
This weekend marks the start of the longest homestand of the season for Odessa. They will play nine games and four different opponents throughout the homestand. The first two games and last two games of the nine-straight are against Oklahoma. Odessa just got done seeing the Warriors last week for the first time this season. They lost both games and were outscored, 12-2. The only team the Jacks have yet to face this season is the Corpus Christi IceRays. They will play them on Dec. 9-10 which will also be the final games of a 3-in-3 series with game one taking place against Lone Star. The Jacks are 3-1 on home ice this season but all four games were against the El Paso Rhinos.
Last Line of Defense:
Both Warriors goalies are ranked in the top 10 for goals-against-average in the NAHL. Daniel Duris is third overall with a 1.50GAA. He is also one of two remaining undefeated goalies (8-0). The Slovakian net-minder is fourth in save percentage at 0.937%. He is also tied for second in the league in shutouts with two. Cameron Korpi is the other Warriors goaltender and is committed to Western Michigan University. He is 7-2-0-1 this season and has a 2.02GAA and a save percentage of 0.923%. As for Odessa, their goaltenders are Greg Orosz and Quentin Sigurdson. Orosz is committed to the University of Alaska-Anchorage and has a 5-4 record with Odessa this season. The Hungarian goalie has a 2.890GAA and a save percentage of 0.923%, tied for the 12th-best in the NAHL. Sigurdson is in his rookie season and has a 2-3-0-1 record. He has a 2.96GAA and a save percentage of 0.892%. Oklahoma leads the league in goals-per-game (4.33) and is tied with Lone Star for first in goals-against per game (1.83). They lead the South in goals with 78 and goal differential at 45.
The Sin Bin:
The Jacks have not had more than one powerplay in each of their last three games. They have 356 penalty minutes which is the third most in the South Division. Oklahoma has 310 penalty minutes which is the fifth most in the division. Their penalty kill ranks number one in the NAHL with a success rate of 89.7%. The Jackalopes are 28th in the league in penalty kill percentage (71.4%). Odessa has the lowest powerplay percentage (7.1%) and the fewest power-play goals (4). The Warriors have 19 power-play goals which are tied for the third most. Their powerplay also is ranked seventh with a success rate of 22.6%. Odessa is the only team in the NAHL without a short-handed goal this season. Whereas Oklahoma has three which is tied for the fourth most.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Warriors (D: #26 – Owen Baumgartner)
The 20-year-old is in his final season of junior eligibility. The Owatonna, MN native started his NAHL career in 2019-20 with the Minot Minotauros. He played 27 games for them and recorded 18 points (4G, 14A). Baumgartner also played one game that season in the USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. In 2020-21, the 5’10”/180lb. left-handed defenseman started the season playing six games (2A) for Minot before being sent to Wichita Falls. He finished that season playing 26 games for the Warriors and tallied 18 points (8G, 10A). Last season, Baumgartner remained with Wichita Falls and produced 42 points (11G, 31A) in 56 games. Finishing fourth in points and assists. The Air Force commit is currently tied for third on the team in points with 18 and is tied for second in assists (12). He is also one of four Oklahoma skaters averaging at least a point per game. Last week against Odessa, Baumgartner scored two goals and helped on another.
Jackalopes (F: #22 – Emerson Goode)
The Anaheim, CA native is also in his final year of junior eligibility. The 20-year-old started his NAHL career last season playing 50 games for Odessa and registering 28 points (12G, 16A). The Ferris State commit set a Jackalopes franchise record after scoring a goal in six-straight games. The 6’1”/175lb. left-handed forward currently leads the team in points (14) and goals (11). Goode scored a goal in the opening game against Oklahoma last week. He is second on the team in shooting percentage at 19%. Before reaching the NAHL, Goode played for Mejier AAA Hockey 18U (46GP, 21G, 26A) and for them in the NAPHL (16GP, 7G, 10A).
Photo credit: Danne Braden
