Central Hockey League: Jackalopes drop first game to Americans

This is a pattern that the Odessa Jackalopes need to consider changing.

For the second time this season and the fourth time in the past two years, the Jackalopes lost their home opener in a playoff series, falling 4-3 to the Allen Americans in Game 1 of the Southern Conference Finals at Ector County Coliseum.

Game 2 is scheduled for 7:05 tonight and has become a must-win situation for Odessa, with Games 3, 4 and 5 scheduled for Allen.

Mike Salekin scored a shorthanded goal at 7:22 of the third period Friday, his first of the postseason, and that proved to be the game winner. Jarret Lukin scored a pair of goals for the Americans and Nino Musitelli added the other.

Sebastien Thinel, Philippe Plante and Mike Ramsay all scored for the Jackalopes, with Ramsay’s goal coming 34 seconds after Salekin had put Allen ahead 4-2.

All three Odessa goals came on the power play.

“Let’s face it, we didn’t play hard enough in the second period,” Jackalopes coach Paul Gillis said. “The first period was OK, feeling each other out. The second period, not hard enough and we gave them two goals.

“They were picking our pocket and beat us down the ice, twice, and come playoff time that’s enough to cost you the game. In the third period, we had the desperation we needed and had chances and didn’t get it done.”

The Jackalopes came back from a 0-2 deficit against Texas in the conference semifinals, but Allen poses a much bigger problem the entire length of the ice.

Time and again Friday night, the Americans raced into the Odessa zone with man-advantage situations, forcing goaltender Joel Martin to make a save or the Jackalopes to sweep the puck into the corner.

“You can’t play 40 or 50 minutes,” Jackalopes co-captain, defenseman Dave Van Drunen said. “We have to come out with the energy we had in the first period and play that way for 60 minutes (tonight).

“Allen’s a good team, but we had a lot of chances. We just have to do a better job with the puck.”

Odessa found the back of the net first just 2:40 into the game.

Thinel started the play from the right circle, drawing a defender toward him and then feeding the puck in to Jeff Pierce at the left hash mark. Pierce’s one-timer raced just wide of the left post and off the end boards, where Collin Circelli was waiting.

Circelli, who scored the overtime goal that won the series against Texas, skated out from behind the net and fed Thinel at the right post and the Jackalopes’ leading scorer didn’t miss, snapping the puck inside the right post past Allen goaltender Chris Whitley.

Allen tied the score on Lukin’s first goal of the night when a shot by Colton Yellow Horn from the right circle was stopped by Martin, with Lukin battling through a defender to pick up the loose puck and push it behind Martin with 4:16 left before the first intermission.

The Jackalopes regained the lead just eight seconds before the end of the period when Plante, standing at the left post, was able to bat in a rebound of Dominic Leveille’s shot from the right circle.

That’s how the score stood until the 12:31 mark of the second period when Musitelli got a fortunate bounce of the puck. Taking a shot from the left circle that was blocked by Plante, Musitelli had the puck bounce right back to him and he didn’t miss the second time, snapping a wrist shot through Martin’s pad to tie the game.

Later in the period, after turning the puck over in his own zone, Lukin was able to regain control and raced up the ice, 2-on-1, with Musitelli driving the center of the Jackalopes’ zone. Lukin raced through the right circle and Martin made the initial save, but the puck bounced straight up and down in the crease.

Lukin was able to react quickest and pushed it in the net for a 3-2 lead with 4:15 before the second break. 

>> Americans 4, Jackalopes 3 

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Game 1

Allen................................ 1..... 2       1      —   4

Odessa........................... 2..... 0       1      —   3

First Period—1, Odessa, Sebastien Thinel  (Collin Circelli, Jeff Pierce) 2:40 (pp). 2, Allen, Jarret Lukin (Colton  Yellow Horn, Erik Adams) 15:44. 3, Odessa, Philippe Plante (Dominic Leveille, Kory Karlander) 19:52 (pp). Penalties—Colton Yellow Horn, Allen (hooking), 1:53; Jean Bourbeau, Jackalopes (roughing), 7:04; Kenny Bernard, Jackalopes (hooking), 9:12; Tobias Whelan, Allen (elbowing), 10:56; Brandon Straub, Allen (roughing), 18:37.

Second Period—4, Allen, Nino Musitelli (Erik Adams, Jordie Benn) 12:32. 5, Allen, Jarret Lukin (Nino Musitelli) 15:15. Penalties—Bruce Graham, Allen (goalie interference), :54; Kenny Bernard, Jackalopes (high sticking), 9:36; Garrett Gruenke, Jackalopes (roughing), 11:49; Liam Huculak, Allen (roughing), 11:49.

Third Period—6, Allen, Mike Salekin (Jarret Lukin) 7:22 (sh). 7, Odessa, Mike Ramsay (Dominic Leveille, Kory Karlander) 7:56 (pp). Penalties—Kenny Bernard, Jackalopes (tripping), 3:48; Tyler Wooddisse, Allen (cross checking), 6:11; Justin Bowers, Allen (slashing), 9:24; Jarret Lukin, Allen (charging), 15:29; Sebastien Thinel, Jackalopes (tripping), 18:05.

Shots on Goal—Allen, 10-10-8—30. Odessa 15-4-19—38.

Power-play opportunities—Allen 0 of 5. Odessa 3 of 7.

Goalies—Allen, Chris Whitley. Odessa, Joel Martin.

A—3,217 (5,100). T—2:34.

Referee—Kevin Graber. Linesmen—Bill McGoldrick, Pat Smith.