Central Hockey League playoffs: Jacks eliminate Ice Bats, head to Laredo

When the scenario is play or go home, the pressure intensifies with each passing moment. Every shift takes on added importance and each mistake gets magnified.

An error Thursday by Austin's Jamie Thompson resulted in the shattered stick of Odessa Jackalopes center Olivier Proulx and resulted with a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Jackalopes then shattered the Ice Bats playoff aspirations on the ensuing power play.

Dominic Leveille, stationed just below the left hash marks, took a cross-ice pass from Alex Dunn and redirected it behind Austin goaltender Miguel Beaudry to lift the Jackalopes to a 1-0 victory in front of 2,099 at Ector County Coliseum.

The victory clinched the Central Hockey league Southern Conference opening-round playoff series, two games to one, for the Jackalopes, who earned the right to face conference champion Laredo.

The Jackalopes open the series at Laredo at 7 p.m. Saturday, followed by Game 2 at 7 p.m. Monday.

The series shifts to Odessa for Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on April 4. Game 5, if necessary, will be played April 5.

The Jackalopes were 3-0-1 against the Bucks this season.

Dunn and Sebastien Thinel earned the assists on the goal, which started with Thinel racing into the right corner and sliding the puck back to Dunn in the right circle.

Goaltender Alexandre Vincent stopped all 26 shots he faced to record his first playoff shutout.

"The series was hard fought," Jackalopes coach Paul Gillis said. "Let's face it, they (Austin) had a great second half and they gave us everything they had and we gave everything we did.

"Part of our plan was to be physical and when you are physical, it's going to piss off the other team at certain points and they are going to try and get back at you."

The animosity that had been brewing between the clubs for the past seven-plus periods finally spilled over with 7:40 left to play in the second period.

That's when a seemingly innocuous scrum in front of the Austin net resulted in penalties on both teams. However, before referee Steve Cruickshank could get the guilty parties to their respective penalty boxes, all 10 skaters decided that it was time to get involved.

There was Leveille and Dunn breaking free from linesmen to jump into the fray. Proulx and Kevin Wilson each squared off with Ice Bats and then Thinel and Austin's Kurtis Kisio decided to increase the intensity with a fight along the right wing boards.

Thinel, however, seemed to be the only ones throwing punches, bringing the crowd and his teammates to their feet in appreciation.

When the donnybrook ended, all 10 players earned time in the sin bin, leaving just 12 skaters on each bench for the next two minutes.

"He started by slashing me," Thinel said. "And then everyone was going."

"I jumped in because he (Kisio) went after Sebby," Dunn added. "That's not going to be happening and if it wasn't me it would have been someone else on the team."