Americans Fall 4-3 in Overtime to Odessa, Series Tied 3-3
April 19, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Allen Americans News Release
ODESSA, Texas - The Allen Americans fell 4-3 to the Odessa Jackalopes in overtime tonight. The Southern Conference Finals best-of-seven series is tied 3-3 with the deciding game Wednesday in Odessa.
The opening frame was relatively quiet with no goals and one penalty at 18:45 against the Americans. Chris Whitley started in net for Allen, while Joel Martin stood in between the pipes for the Jackalopes. Odessa's captain Kory Karlander was out of the lineup serving a one-game suspension for his hit to Justin Bowers Saturday night.
After the Americans killed off the remaining 45 seconds on the first-period penalty in the second, Allen was called for another penalty. The Jackalopes took advantage of the power play, and Dominic Leveille scored the game's first goal at 3:41. The Americans responded with two tallies from forwards Matt Radoslovich and Bruce Graham before the 10-minute mark to take a 2-1 lead. Odessa's Sebastien Thinel knotted the game 2-2 on a breakaway with 4:40 remaining in the middle frame.
The top two teams in the Southern Conference played end-to-end hockey in the third period. Nino Musitelli lit the lamp with 4:58 remaining in the frame to give Allen the go-ahead goal, making the score 3-2. Odessa was not ready for its postseason to end, and Philippe Plante scored two minutes later to force the game into overtime.
Garrett Gruenke gave Odessa a 4-3 win on a one-timer at 6:53 of the first overtime period. Game Six marked the second time that a game was decided in extra periods in the Southern Conference Finals.
Whitley made 29 saves, while Martin stopped 31 shots. The Americans were zero-for-two on the power play, while the Jackalopes were one-for-four with the one-man advantage.
Game Seven will be Wednesday in Odessa at 7:05 p.m. The winner will play the Northern Conference Champions, which will be either the Rapid City Rush or the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. Rapid City has a 3-2 lead.
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Central Hockey League Stories from April 19, 2010
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