Odessa Skates Into Town; Playoff Picture Hanging In Balance
March 31, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
In their inaugural season, the Odessa Jackalopes make their first visit to Topeka for the final two games of the regular season for both teams. For the RoadRunners, they come into Saturday night trailing Texas by two points for the number 2 seed (and home ice advantage in the Division Semi-Finals) but remain in control of their own destiny. Win both games, and the 'Runners finish in second place. And for Odessa, their ticket to the postseason was punched last night by the combination of a Jackalopes 3-1 win at Wichita Falls and an Ice Rays 2-1 loss at Texas. As a result, this weekend's games in Landon Arena have no meaning for Odessa, but plenty of meaning for the RoadRunners, who haven't finished lower than second since the 2005-06 season in Santa Fe when they missed the playoffs entirely for the only time in the clubs history.
The teams played a pair of games in October at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, TX with the RoadRunners claiming victory in both games. The first, a Thursday evening 4-2 win in the first start of the year in net for Brandon Reagan. Ben Bahe and Sean Gaffney each had 2 point nights. After a night off on Friday, Topeka came back with a 3-0 win behind a 23 save effort from Josh Hillegas and a two point night from Dan Dupell.
Topeka will face the Texas Tornado in the NAHL South Division Semi-Finals with the higher seed based on this weekend's results hosting 3 of the 5 games. The other South Division series will pit Odessa against the division winning Amarillo Bulls. The two series winners face each other in a best-of-five for the right to participate in the Robertson Cup Tournament in Frisco, TX in May.
Game time Saturday night is 7:05 pm, and Sunday's regular season finale faces off at 6:05. A Topeka win coupled with a Texas regulation loss on Saturday would clinch the #2 seed. If Texas wins Saturday, Topeka would need to win both games against Odessa to lock up second place. The first tie breaker is total wins, a category Topeka holds the advantage in.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 31, 2012
- IceRays Lose to Texas in Season Finale 6-1 - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Tornado close out regular season with 6-1 win - Texas Tornado
- Chill pick up victory - Austin Bruins
- Kalamazoo Drops Regular Season Finale - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Odessa Skates Into Town; Playoff Picture Hanging In Balance - Topeka Pilots
- One in a Million: Nichols Breaks NAHL Single-Season Record - Wenatchee Wild
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