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NORTH AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE: Cornellier buys in after late arrival
Forward's defense improves for Jacks
While teammates were understandably worried about the future of the hockey club, Cornellier was fortunate to have more than one option heading into the 2011-12 season.
A draft pick of the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League, Cornellier was looking forward to moving to a new league. The Permian Basin wasn’t on his radar.
Now, it’s in the rearview mirror each time the Odessa Jackalopes head out on another road trip — luckily for both the Jackalopes and Cornellier.
“It just didn’t work out in Dubuque like I hoped it would,” Cornellier said after practice Thursday as the team prepared to play host to Fresno tonight and Saturday at Ector County Coliseum.
“I played a little early and then they decided that they were going to go in another direction after losing a few games, so I was fortunate enough to have a chance to come back here and play. And it’s been great.”
Since joining the Jackalopes near the end of November, the Rockford, Ill., native has scored 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 21 games. He scored 41 points (16-25) last year for Owatonna, so his teammates knew he was capable of finding the back of the net or helping others do so on a regular basis.
Jackalopes head coach Paul Gillis and assistant coach Matt Cressman knew Cornellier’s offensive skills were fine, as well, but they worry about all 200 feet of ice. When Cornellier was signed by the Jackalopes, his work in the defensive end of the ice left a little to be desired.
“I’ve always been more geared toward the offensive side,” said Cornellier, who played with the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 16U team before playing last season at Owatonna. “But as you continue to go to bigger and better leagues, you have to take care of your defensive responsibilities, too, and that’s something that I’ve been working on since getting here.
“Doing that will help us generate more offense because we aren’t in our own zone and that’s what coach wants.”
Cornellier is dead on when talking about Gillis’ desire to have a strong defensive-zone presence create offensive zone chances.
The Jackalopes coaching staff is quick to credit Cornellier and the work he has put in to become a better defensively in the Odessa zone.
“We do want him to play in his own end first, before jumping up,” Gillis said. “You don’t get any offense when you are stuck in your own end and he’s doing a much better job with that.
“We would have been a better team with him early, for sure, because he can do some things with the puck. He’s got some speed, and when he’s physical on the puck and wins those puck battles, that’s when he’s at his best.”
The Jackalopes are going to need Cornellier and his teammates to be at their best for the next 19 games as they try to chase down Corpus Christi for the final playoff spot in the NAHL’s South Division.
With the teams scheduled to meet four more times, the IceRays lead the Jackalopes by eight points (43-35).
Cornellier feels the Jackalopes can make the run necessary to reach the postseason.
“That’s everyone’s goal at the beginning of the year and it still is our goal,” Cornellier said. “We have some work to do but the team is getting better, so I think we have a good chance to catch Corpus and take that spot.”
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
