Odessa Jackalopes (24-20-1-2, 51pts) vs. El Paso Rhinos (13-30-3-1, 30pts)
Location: El Paso County Events Center in El Paso, TX
Time: Friday 8:00 p.m. CDT | Saturday 8:00 p.m. CDT
Broadcast: (Away) HockeyTV | Listen Live Here
What You Need to Know:
All-Time Record: 9-4-0-1
Season Series: 4-1-0-1
Leading Scorers:
ODA: 44pts, Mansfield (16G, 28A)
ELP: 19pts, Tolan (11G, 8A)
Last Line of Defense:
Both teams have one goalie that will be aging out at the end of the season. For El Paso, it is Nolan Suggs, who has a record of 8-22-3-1 this season. Suggs has played in 37 games which is the fourth most among all NAHL goalies. His 22 regulation losses are the most in the league. He has also allowed the second-most goals at 116. As for Odessa, their senior goalie is Greg Orosz. Orosz is 19-12-1 so far this season. His 19 wins are T-6th highest in the NAHL. He has played in 33 games this season which is T-9th most in the league. Orosz is currently T-5th in save percentage (0.922%). Both goalies rank inside the top five in shots against.
Elimination:
Each team has 13 games remaining this season, however, only the Jacks still have a chance at a playoff spot. El Paso is sitting in seventh place with 30 points and can only get a max of 56. Odessa on the other hand is eight points out of a playoff spot and can get a max of 77 points. They still have two games in hand on New Mexico, who are currently holding onto the final playoff spot at 59 points. The Jacks still have two games remaining against the Ice Wolves which will take place on Apr. 7-8 in New Mexico. Odessa has not been in a top-four spot all season and is seeking their first playoff berth for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The next four-straight games for Odessa are against the bottom two teams in the division.
Homestand:
This weekend will conclude an 11-game homestand for El Paso (2-5-0-1). They have been shut out twice during their current homestand and outscored, 13-26. The Rhinos end their 11-game stretch with a 3-in-3 series with the first two games being against Odessa and the final one on Sunday against New Mexico. The Rhinos are 5-14-1-1 as the home team this season. As for Odessa, this is their only road trip of the month. After this weekend they will return home for a seven-game homestand and five of those games will be against a playoff team. They will wrap up the homestand with a 3-in-3 series against Lone Star. The Jacks are 13-12-0-1 as the road team this season but are 11-8-1-1 as the home team.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Jackalopes (F: #22 – Emerson Goode)
The 20-year-old is in his final season of junior hockey. The Anaheim, CA native started his NAHL career last season by playing 50 games (12G, 16A) for the Jacks. Finishing eighth in scoring that year. The 6’1”/175lb. left-handed forward is currently second on the team in points (42), first in goals (26), and second in shooting percentage (17.1%). The Ferris State University (CCHA, D1) commit has tallied seven points (2G, 5A) in his previous five games. Goode is ten goals away from setting a Jackalopes franchise record for goals in a single season. He has played in all six games against El Paso this season and has registered six points (5G, 1A).
Rhinos (F: #14 – Camden Bajzer)
The Cleveland, OH native is in his first season in the NAHL. The 18-year-old started this season playing 15 games (2A) for the Langley Rivermen (BCHL) before joining the Rhinos. The 5’10”/180lb. right-handed forward has played in 20 games for El Paso and has produced nine points (5G, 4A). Last season, Camden played for Gilmour Academy (USHS-Prep) and finished first in goals (38) and points (89). Bajzer has only played Odessa twice this season but has recorded five points (4G, 1A). His five-point weekend against the Jacks earned him South Division Star of the Week. The rookie still has two more years of junior eligibility.
Photo credit: Danne Braden
