The Odessa Jackalopes (4-6-2) are back in El Paso this weekend as they take on the El Paso Rhinos once again, before returning home for the long awaited home opening weekend.
The Jacks are coming off of a three-point weekend against the Amarillo Wranglers where they won game one in a thrilling OT period and lost game two in OT. That 2nd game however, saw a 5-1 comeback for the Jacks beginning in the 2nd period and completing it in the 3rd to force OT. The 4th line of Teddy Manlove, Hayden DeMars, and Christian Tavare scored all five goals for the Jacks in that game. Both Manlove and Demars ended the night with four points and Tavare ended with two. The Jacks still find themselves in last place with the same record as the Corpus Christi IceRays of 4-6-2. However, the Jacks only find themselves 5 points out of a playoff spot as of right now and with plenty of hockey left to play, this team has the potential to begin the climb in the standings this weekend.
As for El Paso, the last time they faced this Jacks squad was two weeks ago where El Paso took both games. Former Jacks goaltender Kael DePape got his first victory of the season Saturday Night, shutting the Jacks out. On the bright side for the Jacks, both games played against El Paso were one-goal games. This Jacks team stayed in the game until the very end each time, almost mounting a 3rd period comeback in Friday’s contest. As for this past weekend, the Rhinos split the weekend series with the Oklahoma Warriors on the road, and played a rare Tuesday game against the New Mexico Ice Wolves, where they were victorious 5-2. It’ll be on the Jacks to stop the Rhinos momentum and get the all important four points out of this weekend series.
This weekend’s games are Friday and Saturday, October 20th and 21st at 8:00 P.M. CDT. These games will be available on NAHLTV.
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! Opening weekend is October 27th and 28th as the Odessa Jackalopes take on the El Paso Rhinos.