Cotton Kings Game Night Preview (vs Odessa)

December 23, 2005 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Lubbock Cotton Kings News Release


12/23/05 - ODESSA JACKALOPES (14-8-3) @ LUBBOCK COTTON KINGS (12-12-1) - 7:05 PM LUBBOCK MUNICIPAL COLISEUM

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

The Lubbock Cotton Kings wrap up a three-game set with the Odessa Jackalopes tonight at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum before hitting the Christmas break. The Kings are trying to avoid an Odessa sweep of the set tonight and cut into Odessa's Southwest Division lead. The Jackalopes lead the division by six standing points and could extend it to eight tonight with a regulation win over the Kings. Lubbock seeks a win in regulation to cut the deficit to four standing points and to end a four-game winless streak to the Jacks. Three of the four losses have come by one goal.

THE SERIES

The two clubs meet for the eighth time this season and for the 66th meeting all-time. It's just the third (of seven games played in the series this season) game of the season series in Lubbock, where the Kings are 1-1-0 in the series this season and 14-12-3 all-time. The overall season series is led by Odessa 5-2-0 this season. Nolan Graham (3g,3a) and Mike Brolsma (4g,2a) each have six points to lead the season series offensively for the Kings, while Odessa's Sebastien Thinel (4g,5a) has nine points for Odessa against Lubbock. Lubbock is 23-37-5 all-time against the Jacks', while Odessa is 42-20-3 against the Kings in the all-time series. Odessa's Scott Hillman is the all-time series scoring leader with 8 goals and 42 assists for 50 points. Jan Melichercik is the Cotton Kings all-time leader in scoring against Odessa with 36 points (15g,21a).

THE LAST TIME

12/21/05 - Sebastien Thinel registered a pair of second period goals and it was enough to hold off a Lubbock Cotton Kings comeback attempt in the third period, as the Odessa Jackalopes extended their Southwest Division lead to six standing-points with a 2-1 win Wednesday night at the Ector County Coliseum. The win extended the Jackalopes home winning streak to eight games and dropped the Cotton Kings record to 12-12-1.

The Cotton Kings received key defensive plays in the first period, but couldn't get anything going offensively in the frame. Odessa, who out-shot the Kings 14-8 in the period, could not take advantage of any of their four power play opportunities, including a five-on-three advantage for 1:32. Lubbock had two power play opportunities of their own in the opening period, but the league's top ranked penalty kill unit held the Kings without a shot on goal while on the advantage.

Lubbock increased their chances in the second period, out-shooting the Jackalopes 20-9, but Jackalopes goaltender Mike Gorman kept the Kings off the board. Odessa leads the CHL in second period goals and they increased on that statistic with a pair of goals in the period by Sebastien Thinel. His first was scored as the Kings had just killed off a Jacks' power play opportunity, 45-seconds into the period. Thinel's second came 2:51 later on a redirection of Scott Hillman's shot from the point. The assist by Hillman was his 280th point as a Jackalope to mark a Jackalopes all-time high.

Trailing 2-0 entering the third period, Kings defenseman Stacey Bauman held up a face-off draw by returning to the bench for a new stick and the stick exchange paid off. Mike Brolsma won the face-off draw to Bauman and he blasted a shot over Gorman's shoulder to cut the Kings deficit to 2-1 with 14:57 remaining. Lubbock later received a five-on-three power play advantage for 1:33, but the closest they would get to scoring would be a shot by Emery Olauson from the left side of the crease that he ended up sending out of play while trying to place in the top shelf as Gorman was down.

Each goaltender was impressive, but it was a milestone night for Mike Gorman. Gorman stopped 37 of 38 shots to earn the win and it was his 100th as a member of the Jacks. Cotton Kings goaltender Brett Koscielny took the hard-luck loss, keeping the Kings in the contest by stopping 35 of 37 shots. Each team's penalty kill was also highlighted, as Lubbock was 9 for 9 on the penalty kill and Odessa was 7 for 7.

ROSTER CHANGES

Lubbock does not list any players on the IR, but Bobby Brown has missed the past two games due to injury. Odessa has activated Jeff Ewasko off of the 14-Day IR.

STANDINGS

Kings - 25 points, 2nd place, 6 points back, Southwest Division. Jackalopes - 31 points, 1st place, Southwest Division.

TEAM LEADERS

Kings - Nolan Graham 23 points; Nolan Graham 12 goals; Jan Melichercik 15 assists; Matt Macdonald 61 penalty minutes. Jackalopes - Sebastien Thinel 34 points; Sebastien Thinel 16 goals; Dominic Leveille 24 assists; Jeff Ewasko 116 penalty minutes.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kings - Power play: 14.5% 9th, Penalty killing: 85.5% 4th. Jackalopes - 11.4% 14th, Penalty killing: 89.2% 2nd.

GOALTENDERS

Kings - Lance Leslie (8-7-1, 1 SO, 3.03), Brett Koscielny (4-5-0, 1 SO, 2.12). Jackalopes - Mike Gorman (12-6-1, 2 SO, 2.25), Derek Dolson (2-1-0, 0 SO, 2.36)

WHAT'S NEXT

Lubbock - Wednesday, December 28th 7:30 PM @ Austin Ice Bats Travis County Expo Center

Odessa - Thursday, December 29th 7:00 PM vs. Amarillo Gorillas Ector County Coliseum



Central Hockey League Stories from December 23, 2005


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