Central Hockey League: Jackalopes beat Brahmas, take series lead

April 03, 2010 11:09 PM

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BY LEE SCHEIDE

This was playoff hockey at its best.

Defensive battles in the corner, a pair of goaltenders making saves they shouldn’t and finally, a back-breaking goal that moved one team one game closer to moving on in the Central Hockey League playoffs.

That team is the Odessa Jackalopes.

Sebastien Thinel and Philippe Plante scored third-period goals, with Plante’s coming on the power play with just 5:46 remaining to play, to lift the Jackalopes to a 2-1 victory Saturday night over the Texas Brahmas in Game 5 of the Southern Conference semifinals at the Ector County Coliseum.

The Jackalopes now lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can close out the Brahmas at 7:05 p.m. Monday night at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills.

Thinel, Kenny Bernard, Collin Circelli and Jeff Pierce all had one assist in the victory, the third straight for Odessa.

“The puck was just a little bit in front of me,” said Plante, who ended up on his stomach as he redirected a pass from Thinel inside the left post and behind Texas goaltender Joe Palmer. “I just had to dive a little bit and got my stick on it.

“It was a great pass from (Thinel), as usual. This was a big win, but we still have work to do on Monday.”

Tyler Skworchinski scored for Texas, redirecting a shot by Ross Rouleau with 13 seconds to play in the game and the Brahmas playing with an extra attacker after pulling Palmer from the net with 25 seconds remaining.

Toivonen, who stopped 34 of 35 shots on the night, now is 10-1 in his career in the playoffs and has been in the net for all three victories in the series.

“I didn’t see it go in,” Toivonen said of the Texas goal. “Someone said it hit a skate, so there wasn’t much I could do about that.

“It was a good win for the team.”

Before the third-period heroics of Thinel and Plante, the teams had battled through 40 minutes of scoreless hockey, with several quality chances from both teams turned away by Toivonen and Palmer.

Most pucks, however, didn’t even reach the net as both teams packed the area between the circles and didn’t allow many shots through untouched.

Thinel, however, solved that problem when, after Circelli won a faceoff in the left circle of the Texas zone, he took a quick pass from Pierce, moved above the left hash marks and then snapped a wrist shot between Palmer’s pads at the 5:32 mark of the final period.

“That was playoff hockey, but I don’t think either team played great,” Jackalopes coach Paul Gillis said, citing the travel back to the Permian Basin after an emotional Game 4 on Friday in North Richland Hills.

“Zero-0 going into the third and it was almost like overtime started then because you knew the next goal was going to be important and we were fortunate to get that one and then we got the power play and final got the power-play goal and it ended up being the difference.”

>> Jackalopes 2, Brahmas 1

Texas 0 0 1 — 1

Odessa 0 0 2 — 2

First Period—None. Penalties—Ross Rouleau, Texas (slashing), 3:50; Brian Swiniarski, Jackalopes (roughing), 11:37; Brian Swiniarski, Jackalopes (roughing), 18:07; Jason Deitsch, Texas (high sticking), 18:07.

Second Period—None. Penalties—Lee Jubinville, Texas (high sticking), 1:18; Tyrell Mason, Texas (tripping), 3:25; Kenny Bernard, Jackalopes (fighting), 8:45; Jason Deitsch, Texas (fighting), 8:45; Sebastien Thinel, Jackalopes (kneeing), 15:12; Kory Karlander, Jackalopes (tripping), 15:34; James Hiebert, Texas (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:44.

Third Period—1, Odessa, Sebastien Thinel (Jeff Pierce, Collin Circelli) 5:32. 2, Odessa, Philippe Plante (Sebastien Thinel, Dominic Leveille) 14:14 (pp). 3, Texas, Tyler Skworchinski (Ross Rouleau) 19:47 (ea). Penalties—Matt Pierce, Texas (high sticking double minor), 10:22; Scott Thauwald, Texas (hooking), 13:58; Tyrell Mason, Texas (tripping), 17:02.

Shots on Goal—Texas, 9-16-10—35. Odessa 9-12-16—37.

Power-play opportunities— Texas 0 of 3. Odessa 1 of 8.

Goalies—Texas, Joe Palmer. Odessa, Juha Toivonen. A—3,278 (5,100). T—2:46.

Referee—Jon McIssac. Linesmen—John Grandt, Fraser McIntyre.

>> Central Hockey League

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(Best-of-7)

— Northern Conference —

>> Rapid City 4, Missouri 0

Saturday, March 27: Rapid City 5, Missouri 1

Sunday, March 28: Rapid City 2, Missouri 1

Wednesday, March 31: Rapid City 4, Missouri 1