Young stars turn Odessa into Hockeytown

The Junior Jackalopes were too young.
They didn't have enough practice time, and the Permian Basin doesn't have a deep talent pool.

But the Junior Jackalopes, an 11- and 12-year-old Pee Wee hockey team based in Odessa, kept winning anyway. Well, except for that one time.

Led by coach Jason Bowling, the Junior Jackalopes won 35 times this season. Playing against teams from Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Lafayette, La., the Junior Jackalopes won the North Texas Hockey League title.

They only lost once.
"Most of these kids have played together since they were 5 and 6 years old," Bowling said. "When they get together, they can be pretty fun to watch."

Considering the disadvantages Odessa faced, the team's success seems a little unlikely.

Travel hockey is a commitment.
Parents have to pay a $700 fee for their kids to play, plus the travel expenses - and the Junior Jackalopes don't play a single game within a five-hour drive of Odessa.

Teams in Dallas and San Antonio can practice all week long. Because the Junior Jackalopes have players from Amarillo, San Angelo and Sweetwater, Bowling held most of his practices on weekends.

And those teams from Dallas, San Antonio and Houston sometimes draw their talent from tryouts that have more than 200 players.

Bowling didn't cut anybody from a team that had 16 players. Several Junior Jackalopes were 10-year-olds playing at a higher level for the year.

"Those kids worked hard all year," said assistant coach Donnie Margettie, a former Odessa Jackalopes player. "We worked on some key plays, and for them to understand and execute, that's the key."

At the 11- and 12-year-old level, being able to play within the system can set a team apart.

Individual talent normally dominates Pee Wee teams.
"Some kids are only out there to skate," Margettie said.

The Junior Jackalopes had the top three scorers in the league in Jas Bowling, Hayden Reeves and Jason Moore.

Zach Castillo and Robert Rhoudes finished second and fourth, respectively, in the league's goalie standings.

Nothing felt better than winning the title.
"It was a faceoff with a couple of seconds left," Jas Bowling said. "I sat in my zone for a little while ... the horn went off, and we had a big dogpile at center ice."

The Junior Jackalopes earned it.

2008-09 JUNIOR JACKALOPES ROSTER

NO. NAME POSITION
3 Chris Parten  Forward
7 Coleman Houston Defenseman
8 Anthony Chavez Forward
10 Cameron Fields Defenseman
11 Dillon Chandler Defenseman
12 Brenden Ast Defenseman
14 Jason Moore Forward
15 Hunter Miller Forward
16 C.J. Shannon Forward
17 Niklas McCallum Defenseman
18 Jas Bowling Forward
19 Hayden Reeves Forward
24 Jeremiah Bernal Forward
30 Zach Castillo Goalie
32 Chandler Arnold Forward
40 Robert Rhoudes Goalie
Head coach: Jason Bowling.
Assistant coaches: Donnie Margettie, Jason Reeves, Tommy Miller.