Central Hockey League: Jackalopes rally, win in overtime, force Game 7
Playoff hockey brings out the best in most players.
Overtime playoff hockey makes heroes.
Right now, there are no bigger heroes for the Jackalopes then Garrett Gruenke and Philippe Plante.
Plante’s goal with 2:56 remaining to play tied the game and then Gruenke, taking a feed from Sebastien Thinel from behind the left post, ended the contest with an overtime marker at 6:53 of the extra period to lift Odessa to a 4-3 victory in Game 6 of the Southern Conference Finals on Monday night at the Ector County Coliseum.
The victory means that the Jackalopes, who trailed 3-1 in the series, have forced a Game 7 at 7:05 Wednesday night at the Coliseum.
“It’s unbelievable,” Gruenke said of the game winner, which came on a 4-on-2 rush by the Jackalopes. “I saw the whole left side was open and I skated down and called for the puck.
“(Thinel) did a double take and then passed me the puck and I just shot it along the ice and it went five hole. It’s a great feeling.”
Dominic Leveille and Thinel also scored for the Jackalopes, who now are 5-1 in Game 6s in franchise history.
Matt Radoslovich, Bruce Graham and Nino Mustitelli scored for the Americans.
“I thought our guys played a good game,” Odessa coach Paul Gillis said. “I wasn’t too happy with our play in the neutral zone and they turned that into a couple goals and we’ll work on correcting that.
“But we got the victory and we have a Game 7 at home and that’s all you can ask for.”
After a scoreless first period, the Jackalopes took advantage of their second power play of the night to get on the scoreboard first.
Ramsay started the scoring effort by taking the puck away from Radoslovich in the right corner of the Odessa zone and feeding up the left-wing boards to Pierce.
Pierce continued into the neutral zone and then into the top of the Americans’ zone, where he found Leveille in the right circle. When no Allen defender challenged him, Leveille skated deeper into the circle and then, just outside the hash marks, snapped a wrist shot that beat Allen goaltender Chris Whitley just 3:41 into the second period.
The Americans got the equalizer at the 6:31 mark, with Liam Huculak taking advantage of a turnover at the Odessa blue line to skate in along on Martin. Martin, though, was up to the challenge and blocked the shot to the corner, only to have Huculak throw it back in front, where several players battled for it before Radoslovich was able to push it over the goal line.
Less than three minutes later, the Americans took the lead when Justin Bowers and Mike Salekin, cycling in the left corner, were able to cycle the puck to Graham at the top of the left circle and Allen forward didn’t miss, blasting a slapshot that beat Martin inside the right post with 9:21 remaining in the second period.
Odessa then used some solid work along the boards to tie the game at 15:20 of the period.
With Collin Circelli and Van Drunen battling a pair of Allen players at the left point of the Odessa zone, the puck squirted free and Thinel was able to deflect it forward into neutral ice.
He then won the race to the loose puck, skated through the right circle and lifted the puck between Whitley's pads to knot the contest.
Allen then shockingly regained the lead with 4:50 remaining in the game when Allen’s Christian Gaudet took a loose puck at the Odessa blue line in on Martin, but the Jackalopes’ netminder made the save at the left post on the breakaway. The puck, though, stayed in the crease and Musitelli was able to tip it in.
At that point, the Jackalopes turned up the pressure and Bernard used his speed to create a scoring chance through the right circle that was blocked high into the air by Whitley. The puck settled behind the net and Leveille was first to it and quickly fed Plante in the left circle and his shot was true, again through the legs of Whitley, with 2:56 remaining in regulation.
>> Central Hockey League
RAY MIRON PRESIDENTS CUP PLAYOFFS
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)
— Northern Conference —
Saturday, April 10: Rapid City 5, Bossier-Shreveport 4 (OT)
Sunday, April 11: Bossier-Shreveport 4, Rapid City 3.
Wednesday, April 14: Rapid City 3, Bossier-Shreveport 2 (OT).
Friday, April 16: Bossier-Shreveport 6, Rapid City 1
Saturday, April 17: Rapid City 4, Bossier-Shreveport 1, Rapid City leads 3-2
Tuesday, April 20: Bossier-Shreveport at Rapid City, 7:35 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 21: Bossier-Shreveport at Rapid City, 7:35 p.m.
— Southern Conference —
Friday, April 9: Allen 4, Odessa 3
Saturday, April 10: Odessa 3, Allen 2 (OT), series tied 1-1
Wednesday, April 14: Allen 5, Odessa 2.
Friday, April 16: Allen 6, Odessa 4
Saturday, April 17: Odessa 6, Allen 3, Allen leads series 3-1
Monday, April 19: Odessa 4, Allen 3 (OT)
Wednesday, April 21: Allen at Odessa, 7:05 p.m.
>> Jackalopes 4, Americans 3 (OT)
Allen 0 2 1 0 — 3
Odessa 0 2 1 1 — 4
First Period—None. Penalties—Ryan Fairbarn, Allen (holding), 18:45.
Second Period—1, Odessa, Dominic Leveille (Jeff Pierce, Mike Ramsay) 3:41 (pp). 2, Allen (Matt Radoslovich (Liam Huculak, Jarret Lukin) 6:31. 3, Allen, Bruce Graham (Justin Bowers, Mike Salekin) 9:21. 4, Odessa, Sebastien Thinel (Dave Van Drunen) 15:20. Penalties—Ryan Fairbarn, Allen (slashing), 1:59; Mike Salekin, Allen (slashing), 7:02; Brandon Straub, Allen (high sticking), 9:29; Kenny Bernard, Jackalopes (roughing), 12:20.
Third Period—5, Allen, Nino Musitelli (Christian Gaudet, Mike Salekin) 15:02. 6, Odessa, Phililppe Plante (Dominic Leveille, Kenny Bernard) 17:04. Penalties—Alex Dunn, Jacklopes (hooking), 7:01; Mike Salekin, Allen (unsportsmanlike 10-minute misconduct), 18:58.
Overtime—7, Odessa, Garrett Gruenke (Sebastien Thinel, Collin Circelli) 6:53. Penalties—Bruce Graham, Allen (Abuse of Officials Game Misconduct), 6:53.
Shots on Goal—Allen,11-10-9-3—34. Odessa 12-14-7-1—33.
Power-play opportunities—Allen 0 of 2. Odessa 1 of 4.
Goalies—Allen, Chris Whitley. Odessa, Joel Martin.
A—2,939 (5,100). T—3:01.
Referee—Ryan Hersey. Linesmen—Chris Petrin, Jordan Crowell.
