Game Notes

Published on November 17, 2009 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Odessa Jackalopes News Release


TONIGHT'S MATCHUP:

It's the fourth meeting of the season between Odessa and Amarillo and the second meeting in four days. The Jackalopes are 2-1-0 against Amarillo this season and have outscored the Gorillas 15-8. Dominic Leveille leads all skaters with seven points in the series (three goals, four assists) and Jeff Pierce has four goals. The Gorillas special teams has been nonexistent against Odessa going just 2-for-17 on the power play and giving up seven power play goals.

GAME PREVIEW:

Last Game - Odessa Jackalopes and Amarillo Gorillas: The Jackalopes earned their second win of the season over the Gorillas on Saturday, 5-2. Dominic Leveille had a pair of goals and Juha Toivonen stopped 28 shots. Three of Odessa's five goals came on the power play..

Players to Watch: Odessa's Collin Circelli has scored all seven of his goals this season on home ice. Stuart MacRae scored Amarillo's only two goals against Odessa on Saturday.

Jacks Streaking: The Odessa Jackalopes are currently on a seven-game winning streak outscoring their opponents 35-14 during the span.

Gorillas Slipping: After beginning the season 4-0-0, the Gorillas have gone just 2-7-0 since. A skid that was sparked by Odessa's 9-4 win over Amarillo on October 23rd.

Second Period Adjustments: The Jackalopes are currently doing their most damage in the second period of games - outscoring their opponents 23-6.

Spreading the Wealth: Through the first twelve games of the season there are nine players on the Jackalopes roster averaging a point per game, or more, and 13 different players have scored goals.

Power Play Clicking for Odessa: The Jackalopes have scored a power play goal in ten straight games. They lead the CHL with 30 power play goals and the power play is responsible for 50.8% of their offense this season.

Offensive Behavior: The Odessa Jackalopes have scored 55 goals in their last 10 games (5.50 avg.) after beginning the season with four goals in the first two contests.

Jacks on a Regulation Roll: The Jackalopes have not lost a game in regulation since October 17th at Amarillo, when they lost, 2-1, to the Gorillas. Since that time the team is 9-0-1.

Toivonen Standing Tall At Home: Dating back to last season's playoffs, Juha Toivonen has given up three goals in his last five home games - a 0.60 GAA.

JACKALOPES PLAYER NOTES:

- #1 Juha Toivonen has won all six of his appearances this season, 6-0-0 in six games.

- #2 JR Bria picked up his first Odessa point with an assist on October 20th at Amarillo.

- #6 Garrett Gruenke recorded the first goal of his pro career on October 23rd at Amarillo.

- #7 Alex Dunn has appeared in at least 62 games in each of the last three seasons playing in Odessa and in England.

- #9 Kenny Bernard had an eight game goal-scoring streak from October 23rd to November 13th this year. Last season he scored seven goals in 32 games with Odessa.

- #10 Dominic Leveille's 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in the first ten games of 2009-10 is the best start to a season in his pro career.

- #11 Paul Kelly matched his goal total from last season (seven) in just 11 games this season. Last year Kelly recorded seven goals in 26 CHL games between Odessa and Rapid City.

- #15 Martin Paquet picked up his first point in a Jackalopes uniform on November 13th vs. Rio Grande Valley with an assist in a 5-2 win.

- #16 Collin Circelli has scored all seven of his goals this season on home ice.

- #17 Jeff Pierce recorded the first hat trick of his pro career on October 23rd at Amarillo in a 9-4 Odessa win.

- #19 Mike Ramsay has a point in every game this season except two.

- #20 Jean Bourbeau had 25 points last season, and the Jacks were 19-2-1 in games where Bourbeau registered a point. This year Odessa is 4-0-1 when Bourbeau registers a point.

- #23 Brian Swiniarski was one of six 20-goal scorers on the Jackalopes last season, despite missing 10 games at the end of the year.

- #24 Phil Plante leads all CHL defensemen with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) this season.

- #27 Dave Van Drunen's +21 rating last season is tied for fourth all time in franchise history (Trevor Allman, 2001-2002). Scott Hillman's +27 in 2001-02 is the franchise record.

- #28 Mike Lesperance recorded the first four-point game of his career on October 20th vs. Rio Grande Valley.

- #33 Kory Karlander scored the first shorthanded goal of the season for the Jackalopes on October 27th against Missouri.

- #43 Sebastien Thinel has six points (two goals, four assists) in the last three games.

OTHER STORYLINES:

Goal #100 for Leveille: Dominic Leveille is approaching the 100 goals mark in his career. He currently has 97.

Goal #200, Assist #300, Point #500 for Thinel: Jackalopes forward, Sebastien Thinel, scored the 200th goal of his career on October 30th at Corpus Christi, the 300th assist and 500th points of his pro career with three assists against Bossier-Shreveport on October 24th.

Odessa's Seven-Year Itch: Odessa's 4-1 win over Bossier-Shreveport on November 6th snapped a seven-year losing streak against the Mudbugs. It was Odessa's first win since December 21, 2002 - a 5-3 final.

Hillman Honored by Jackalopes: Prior to Odessa's game against Missouri on October 27th, Mavericks head coach, Scott Hillman, had his name and number entered into the Jackalopes Hall of Fame. Hillman played eight seasons for the Jackalopes. He is the franchise leader in games played (446), second in career assists (260), and second in career points (326).

Hat Tricks This Season: Jeff Pierce scored the first hat trick of the season for the Jackalopes at Amarillo on October 23rd.

Franchise Win #400: Odessa's 7-0 win on October 20th over Rio Grande Valley was the 400th regular season win in franchise history.

Thinel, Pierce, Toivonen named to All-League Teams: Three Jacks' players received "All-League" Honors last season. Sebastien Thinel was named to the "All-CHL Team" along with Kevin Ulanski (COL), Riley Nelson (COL), Dale Lupul (BOS), Aaron Schneekloth (COL), and Kevin Beech (MIS). Jeff Pierce and Juha Toivonen were named to the league's "All-Rookie Team" along with Darryl Smith (LAR), Adam Perry (ARZ), Nicholas Dumoulin (RGV), and Dane Marshall (MIS).

Odessa Jackalopes All Time Record: The Jacks are 408-307-82 through 797 regular season games played as a franchise.

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Central Hockey League Stories from November 17, 2009


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