The Odessa Jackalopes took the ice once again on Saturday night, in front of 2,141 Jackalopes fans at the JackShack.
Throughout the first period, the Jackalopes seemed to keep the pace with the Mudbugs, with both teams having a couple of good scoring chances. The Jacks would get two power plays in the 1st period, one in the first minute, the second, midway through the opening frame. Unfortunately for the Jacks, they were unsuccessful in both attempts. It would be the Mudbugs striking first in the last minute and change of the 1st period, while both teams were playing 4 on 4. The puck squeaked past Jacks goaltender Max Bely to give the visiting side a 1-0 lead. The Mudbugs would take that lead heading into the 2nd period. Shots on goal after 20 minutes were 14-8 in favor of Shreveport.
The 2nd period was where tempers really flared, as each team committed four penalties in the middle period. It would be the Bugs, however, extending their lead midway through the 2nd period. Shreveport would not be done there as they would be awarded a power play in the late stages of the 2nd period. A net front scramble resulted in a pass out to the far faceoff circle, and with no chance for Bely to recover, the puck was fired into the back of the net, making it 3-0 Mudbugs. That would be the 1st goal allowed while the Jacks were short-handed in 5 games. Shreveport would take that lead into the 3rd period. Shots on goal were 15-12 for that period in favor of the visitors, 29-20 overall.
The 3rd period was much of the same as the Jacks just couldn’t get going against the Mudbugs throughout the evening. Two penalties would be called on the Jackalopes in the span of five seconds, resulting in an extensive 5 on 3 power play for the Bugs. Shreveport would get their 4th goal of the contest and ride that momentum until the end of the contest. With the 4-0 loss, the Jackalopes have now lost four straight.
The Jacks fall to 21-28-7 on the season, with their next game being Friday, March 29th, against the Lone Star Brahmas.
All games can be streamed on NAHLTV, the league’s streaming service with the voice of the Jacks, Brandon Luisi. A free audio only version will be available on the Odessa Jackalopes YouTube page.