Four unanswered goals lead Tornado to 5-2 win over Odessa
November 2, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Texas Tornado News Release
The Texas Tornado snapped a four-game losing streak by toppling the Odessa Jackalopes on Friday night, 5-2, at Dr Pepper Arena. Odessa scored two goals in the first 4:35 of the game, but did not light the lamp after taking a 2-1 lead early in the first. Texas got goals from five different players in the win, including Louie Rowe, Anthony Mousseau, Brett Heikkila, Brandon Platt, and C.J. Reuschlein. Meanwhile, Hunter Leisner made 18 saves en route to his tenth victory of the season.
Odessa jumped out to an early lead after Ryan Doucet took the puck to the corner and fed Lawrence Cornellier out front for the goal at 3:04 of the first. Right off the faceoff, Texas took the puck into the Odessa zone as Rowe fired a shot off the post. The Tornado recovered the puck and after Justin Greenberg's shot was stopped, Rowe deposited the rebound for his first goal of the season and NAHL career. Just over a minute later, however, Tyler Cayemberg made an identical play to the Jackalopes first goal, centering a pass to Anthony Olguin to give Odessa a 2-1 lead. Odessa held their 2-1 lead through the rest of the first period.
In the second period, Texas tied the score on Mousseau's power-play goal, his second marker of the year. Jackson Leef picked the puck up behind the net, skated coast-to-coast and walked in right on goal. Odessa goaltender Andrew Pikul stoned Leef, but fell to the ice as he made the save. The puck kicked out to the high slot, where Mousseau sent a wrister top-shelf to tie the score at two.
Later in the second, the Tornado took the lead on Heikkila's first goal of the season. He passed it out front to Leef, who was absolutely robbed on a diving save by Pikul. Heikkila, who made the initial pass to Leef, scrambled to the front to punch home the rebound and give the Tornado a 3-2 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish. The goal was not only Heikkila's first of the season, but the first of his junior hockey career, as well.
Texas took their lead into the third period, where they would add two more goals to their ledger. First, it was the newcomer Platt, who came to the Tornado after playing three games for Johnstown this season. He took the first shot, which was stopped by Pikul. The rebound came behind the net, and Platt recovered the puck and scored on a wraparound to make it a 4-2 game. Later in the period, after a Jackalopes defenseman fell down behind the net, Scott Conway took the puck and found Reuschlein out front. Reuschlein took a one-timer from the slot and beat Pikul for the fifth and final Tornado goal.
Texas moves to 12-3-1 on the season, but is still one point behind Topeka for first in the South Division. Texas and Odessa will play again on Saturday night, with a 7:30 faceoff scheduled from Dr Pepper Arena.
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