The Odessa Jackalopes, following a solid weekend in Shreveport, took on the very same MudBugs this time on home ice.
The 1st period was a solid period for both teams who got their fair share of high danger scoring chances. The Jacks would be the recipient of the first power play of the game, however, they would unfortunately come up unsuccessful. The Jacks thought they were going to their 2nd power play of the period around the midway point of the 1st, but along with the tripping call assessed to Shreveport, Cam Dunn would also be called for embellishment, resulting in 4 on 4 play. Neither side would score in the 1st while shots on goal were in favor of the MudBugs 16-10.
The 2nd period was the best period that Odessa played all night. Despite going on the penalty kill for the first and only time that game in the 2nd, the Jacks outshot the MudBugs 11-6. Their best opportunity came in the last minute of the 2nd frame, where James Richman was the recipient of a back door feed, he had MudBugs goaltender Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau scrambling in his crease, and he rang it off the post near side. The period would end scoreless after 40 minutes of hockey.
The 3rd period was all Shreveport. For minutes on end, the Jacks were pinned in their own zone, especially in the later stages of the final regulation period. However, it was stellar goaltending from Quentin Sigurdson that robbed the MudBugs and didn’t allow anything by him. The MudBugs outshot the Jacks 12-6 in the 3rd period, but the game would go to OT for back to back contests.
Overtime was back and forth, but the best opportunity definitely came for Shreveport. They had a mini 2 on 1 developing in the offensive zone, Kyan Haldenby, the player who scored the OT GWG last saturday for the Bugs, got the puck and one-timed it toward the net, Sigurdson sprawled over and made the blocker save to keep the game tied. The buzzer would sound, sending the game to a shootout.
First up for the Bugs would be Hayden Nichol, the Air Force commit. Nichol came in with speed, stopped on a dime in front of the blue paint, and went backhand, forehand into the back of the net to give the Bugs the 1-0 lead. First up for the Jacks was the captain John Christen, he came in and wristed one toward the net from the hash marks, which was stopped by Seguin-Lescarbeau. Both teams would fail to convert in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, meaning Shreveport received the extra point in the standings.
Following the game head coach Scott Deur said there are still positive takeaways from this recent 2-0-2 stretch, “I think our D zone has gotten better. We haven’t taken as many penalties, playing more 5 on 5 hockey which is more suitable to the way we want to play the game. The guys have a never-die attitude every game. It’s fun being behind the bench with them”
The Jacks fall to 8-9-4 on the season, while the MudBugs improve to 13-7-1 in their campaign. The next Jacks game is tomorrow, Saturday, November 25th vs. the Shreveport MudBugs at 7:15 P.M. CDT. Catch all the action on NAHLTV with Brandon Luisi, the voice of the Odessa Jackalopes.
Reminder Jacks fans single game tickets are on sale and season ticket packages are still available. You can find them online or call 432-552-7825 and Tania can help you out. Come be a part of the Jacks family as we celebrate 27 continuous years of hockey in Odessa!