NORTH AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE: Jackalopes beat Monsters in shootout, gain ground in playoff race

Odessa Jackalopes defenseman Mikko Virtanen had yet to find the back of the net in 18 games since joining team in December from Sioux Falls, S.D., of the United States Hockey League.

The drought is over, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Odessa.

The sixth skater in shootout, Virtanen skated through the slot and then snapped a wrist shot off the inside of the left post to lift the Jackalopes to a 1-0 victory over the Monsters in front of 4,404 at the Ector County Coliseum.

Jackalopes goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 29 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season, and his first at home — all this on the night the organization honored former goaltender Mike Gorman by putting his name on the team’s Wall of Fame.

“The guys played great in front of me tonight, and when I made a mistake they were there to help me out,” Hellebuyck said. “And I was able to help them out a couple of times, too.

“This is a big win for us and we are in a push for the playoffs and I think we are going to get there.”

Odessa (16-22-5) pulled within six points (43-37) of fourth-place Corpus Christi in the NAHL’s South Division standings. The top four teams in each division make the playoffs and the Jackalopes and IceRays meet four more times this year.

Fresno, which defeated Odessa 4-3 in Friday’s first meeting of the weekend, dropped to 19-17-8.

Both teams had chances and each team hit two posts on the night, the last coming when Jackalopes forward Lawrence Cornellier ripped a shot that beat Fresno goaltender Tomas Sholl but rang off the crossbar before caroming harmlessly into the corner.

Odessa coach Paul Gillis was happy with his team’s effort, especially on the defensive side.

“It was probably a fun game to watch,” he said. “I thought Bucky (Hellebuyck) did a great job for us and so did their guy in net.

“We played good defense. My issue is our execution when we had the puck. I thought our first period we came out hard and then not so much in the second and in the third, we played better.”

After a scoreless first period, the Jackalopes found themselves on their heels to being the second 20 minutes of play as Fresno worked hard on the forecheck. Passing the puck around the outside of the zone as if on the power play, the Monsters kept Odessa in its own zone for the first 2:27 of the period before Hellebuyck was able to corral a loose puck for a whistle to stop play.

The Jackalopes then responded with a rush of their own down the ice, with Jalen Krogman and Taylor Portner trying to team up, but Porter’s redirect in front of the right post sailed wide and both teams again began skating up and down the ice.

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>> Jackalopes 1, Monsters 0 (SO)

Fresno             0-0-0-0-0—0

Odessa            0-0-0-0-1—1

First Period—None. Penalties—Jeffrey Pauluk, Fresno (checking from behind), 9:49; Alex Ostrowski, Jackalopes (slashing), 13:57.

Second Period—None. Penalties—David Dalbec, Fresno (hooking), 9:33; Taylor Portner, Jackalopes (cross checking), 13:16; Riley Borer, Fresno (checking from behind), 17:07.

Third Period—None.  Penalties—Michael Harris, Fresno (slashing), 9:50; Chris Hellebuyck, Jackalopes (kneeing), 9:50; Alex Ostrowski, Jackalopes (slashing), 10:16; Jesse Durfee, Fresno (tripping), 12:19.

Overtime—None. Penalties—Zach Mertes, Jackalopes (hooking), :44; Jordan Haskell, Fresno (tripping), 3:20.

Shootout—1, Odessa, Mikko Virtanen.

Shots on Goal—Fresno, 10-11-6-2-0—29; Odessa, 11-7-10-0-1—29. Power-play opportunities—Fresno 0 of 4; Odessa 0 of 5. Goaltenders—Fresno, Tomas Sholl; Odessa, Connor Hellebuyck; A—4,404. T—2:39. Referee—Sean MacFarlane. Linesmen—Richard Lembo, Chase McGee.