Odessa Sweeps Three-Game Set With 4-3 Win Over Lubbock
Published on December 24, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Lubbock Cotton Kings News Release
Lubbock, Tx - Nolan Graham's pair of goals was not enough to lead the Lubbock Cotton Kings past Odessa, as the Jackalopes swept the three-game set against the Cotton Kings with 4-3 win over Lubbock Friday night at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum.
Power plays were in full force during the first period and each team pitched in a power play goal. Jan Melichercik collected his 300th career point on an assist by dumping the puck into the zone, and as it rimmed around the boards, it took a wild bounce into the right slot, where Nolan Graham tapped it in past a confused Mike Gorman. Graham's goal was his team-leading 13th of the season and it was recorded 6:41 into the contest. Odessa, despite being out-shot 16-7 in the period, was able to keep the contest tied heading into the locker room with a goal by Scott Hillman as 8:13 remained in the frame.
Teams exchanged Christmas presents in the second period and the first was delivered by the Jackalopes. Shorthanded, Lubbock's Stacey Bauman fired the puck up ice from his own blueline and the puck caromed off the end-boards past Gorman and Kyle Nosan fired the loose puck into the empty cage for his seventh goal of the season and his CHL rookie co-leading second shorthanded goal of the season. Nosan's goal was tallied with 9:06 remaining in the period to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. Odessa stormed back late in the period with a pair of goals 1:14 apart. The offensive surge started with 1:52 remaining in the period with a goal by Matt Cressman after a defensive collapse led to a two-man breakaway for the Jackalopes. Pascal Bedard shoveled a backhanded shot past goaltender Brett Koscielny with 37.4-seconds remaining in the period to give the Jackalopes their first lead of the contest 3-2. The final 15 seconds was messy, with teams combining for a total of 11 penalties with seven minors and four fighting majors handed out. Cressman garnered the Gordie Howe Hat trick for the Jacks in one of the scraps, as he was fed some blows by Melichercik.
Lubbock tied the contest with a power play goal by Graham on a blast from the low-point on a one-time feed from Melichercik 6:55 into the final period of play. With 4:02 remaining in regulation, Odessa's John Kozoriz was able to dig a loose puck out of the left slot and drive it past Koscielny for the game winning goal and the 4-3 lead. Lubbock pulled Koscielny for the extra attacker in the final 1:46 and they produced scoring opportunities, but Gorman sealed the door shut for the game's remainder.
The loss was the fifth straight to the Jackalopes and the fourth (of the last five) to end with a one-goal deficit for the Cotton Kings. Lubbock out-shot the Jackalopes 40-33 in the contest and went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Odessa was 1-for-8. The Kings drop eight standing points behind Odessa with the loss, as their record drops to 12-13-1. It was the first time this season the Kings have lost two consecutive home games.
The Kings now hit the short Christmas break and will return to the ice Wednesday on the road in Austin with a tilt against the Austin Ice Bats.
DATE Fri, Dec 23, 2005 Odessa (4) Lubbock (3)
SCORE BY PERIODS Odessa 1 2 1 -- 4 Lubbock 1 1 1 -- 3
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: LUB-Graham (powerplay) (Moren, Melichercik) 6:41. ODE-Hillman (powerplay) (Margettie, Cressman) 11:47. Penalties: Olauson, LUB (Interference, Minor, 2 min) 0:56. Loncan, ODE (Slashing, Minor, 2 min) 5:23. Rutter, ODE (Holding, Minor, 2 min) 6:58. Bauman, LUB (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 8:48. Carter, ODE (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 8:48. Fioroni, LUB (Interference, Minor, 2 min) 11:04. Brolsma, LUB (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 14:42. Kozoriz, ODE (Tripping, Minor, 2 min) 14:42. Kozoriz, ODE (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 14:42. Brown, LUB (Hooking, Minor, 2 min) 16:53. Leveille, ODE (Diving, Minor, 2 min) 16:53. Cressman, ODE (Hooking, Minor, 2 min) 18:28. Fioroni, LUB (Interference, Minor, 2 min) 19:36.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: LUB-Nosan (shorthanded) (Bauman) 10:54. ODE-Cressman (Leveille) 18:08. ODE-Bedard (Davis, Rutter) 19:22. Penalties: Beatty, LUB (Elbowing, Minor, 2 min) 8:23. Brown, LUB (Slashing, Minor, 2 min) 9:10. McNeely, LUB (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 10:47. Margettie, ODE (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 10:47. Macdonald, LUB (Cross Checking, Minor, 2 min) 13:38. Pereira, LUB (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 19:45. Brannen, ODE (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 19:45. Melichercik, LUB (Fisticuffs, Major, 5 min) 19:45. Cressman, ODE (Fisticuffs, Major, 5 min) 19:45. Brown, LUB (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 20:00. Fioroni, LUB (Elbowing, Minor, 2 min) 20:00. Kozoriz, ODE (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 20:00. Bedard, ODE (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 20:00. Fioroni, LUB (Roughing, Minor, 2 min) 20:00. Beatty, LUB (Fisticuffs, Major, 5 min) 20:00. Davis, ODE (Fisticuffs, Major, 5 min) 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: LUB-Graham (powerplay) (Melichercik, Fioroni) 6:55. ODE-Kozoriz (Margettie, Loncan) 15:58. Penalties: Pereira, LUB (Fisticuffs, Major, 5 min) 6:07. Legge, ODE (Fisticuffs, Major, 5 min) 6:07. Macdonald, LUB (Tripping, Minor, 2 min) 7:26. Kozoriz, ODE (Tripping, Minor, 2 min) 9:58.
SHOTS ON GOAL Odessa 7 16 10 -- 33 Lubbock 16 9 15 -- 40
POWER PLAY STATS PPG ADV SHG Odessa 1 8 0 Lubbock 2 5 1
GOALIES AWAY TEAM D MIN S SV Mike Gorman WIN 60:00 40 37 HOME TEAM D MIN S SV Brett Koscielny LOSS 58:14 33 29
GAMENOTES Referee: Tudor Floru Linesman: T.J. Nua, Rich Walters Game Length: 3:28 1st Star: Nolan Graham (LUB) 2nd Star: Matt Cressman (ODE) 3rd Star: Don Margettie
Central Hockey League Stories from December 24, 2005
- Thunder top Brahmas, 4-2 - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Jacks Sweep Three-Game Set with 4-3 Win over Lubbock - Lubbock Cotton Kings
- Bees take sixth straight - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- Odessa Sweeps Three-Game Set With 4-3 Win Over Lubbock - Lubbock Cotton Kings
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