MacDonald Collects Three Assists in Sundogs Home Debut as Arizona Holds off Odessa, 5-4
February 16, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Arizona Sundogs News Release
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - Craig Macdonald collected three assists in his Arizona Sundogs home debut and Morgan MacLean picked up his first goal of the season against his former club as the recently-acquired duo helped Arizona improve to 3-0-1 against the Odessa Jackalopes at Tim's Toyota Center this season with a 5-4 victory Tuesday night.
Macdonald has tallied four points (1g/3a) in three games with Arizona after picking up 11 points (3g/8a) in 30 games with the Bloomington PrairieThunder to start the season while MacLean has already matched his three points (0g/3a) in 16 games with Odessa in just six games with Arizona (1g/2a).
Tied at four with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, rookie forward Patrick Schafer sealed the win with his sixth goal of the year, lifting a shot between his legs and past David McKee with 1:53 to play.
Levente Szuper turned aside 37 shots to earn his 13th win on the year, making some of his biggest saves in scrambles and through traffic.
Odessa struck first for the 1-0 lead after finding the far post a few seconds earlier. Stopped at the near post, Dunn jammed a Philippe Plante rebound through the leg pads of Szuper for his 10th of the year with 2:56 to play in the opening frame.
Cam Keith netted his 13th of the season less than a minute and a half later, lifting a backhand over the left leg pad of McKee to even the score at one. Luke Erickson and Schafer assisted on the late equalizer.
Defenseman John Wessbecker kept the Jackalopes off the scoreboard earlier in the period, diving to knock the puck off the stick of an Odessa player in the low slot on the second of two first-period power plays.
Kenny Corupe recaptured a one-goal lead for his club midway through the second period, slapping at a loose puck at the top of the goal crease, finally slapping a third-chance effort past Szuper.
MacLean, claimed off waivers by Arizona on February 1, picked up his first goal of the season at 13:29 of the second period, collecting a pass from Jason Visser along the top of the circles and snapping a shot low past the glove of McKee to tie the game at two.
Jamie VanderVeeken broke up a Sebastien Thinel breakaway chance late in the middle frame, knocking the forward to the ice and sending play the opposite direction.
Arizona claimed its first lead of the contest with 5.7 seconds remaining in the second period as Tyler Butler released a shot from just inside the blue line through traffic and past a screened McKee
Darryl Bootland knotted the score at three 3:53 into the third period, one-timing a Mark Ehl centering feed past Szuper from between the circles.
Nearly recording his fifth goal of the year on a 2-on-1 break, Macdonald instead was credited with his third assist of the game at the 9:32 mark, trickling a shot past McKee that came to rest in the crease before Corey Laurysen tapped the loose puck across the goal line.
But Odessa pulled even for the second time in a 10-minute span as Patrick Mbaraga registered his second goal of the year with 6:34 to play in the period.
Rookie defenseman Jim Driscoll, activated by Head Coach and General Manager Marco Pietroniro prior to the game, finished plus-2 on the night.
With the win Arizona (19-25-5) opens a four-point cushion over the Laredo Bucks for the Berry Conference's eighth and final playoff spot and sits just two points back of seventh place and the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and three points back of sixth-place Odessa.
The Sundogs begin a five-game road trip this Friday at 7:05pm (Arizona time) against the Colorado Eagles. Listen to the game live online at www.cattlecountryradio.com and on KDDL 'Cattle Country' 94.3FM, the Official Radio Home of Arizona Sundogs Hockey.
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