Amarillo, TX – The Odessa Jackalopes defeated the Amarillo Wranglers 4-0 on Saturday night at the Budweiser Bull Pen. This was the eighth and final meeting of the season between the two clubs, with Odessa winning the season series 5-3.
The Wranglers and Jackalopes met for the second straight night, with Odessa winning 4-3 in overtime on Friday. Both starting goaltenders from Friday’s game got the start again, with the Wranglers’ Connor McDonough making his 10th straight start, and Odessa’s Ivan Zhigalov making his 7th straight start.
Odessa came out with energy to begin the game and was disruptive on the forecheck, creating a turnover near the Wranglers’ net to help them cash in for the game’s first goal on a 4-on-4. Charlie Smith scored his 5th goal of the season 4:59 into the first period and put Odessa up 1-0. Connor McDonough made some big saves to hold Odessa off the board for the remainder of the first period. The Jackalopes were ahead in the shot count 9-3 after 20 minutes of play.
The Wranglers came out with more energy in the second period and were able to get some scoring chances because of it, but couldn’t solve Zhigalov. Odessa didn’t have a shot on goal for the first four minutes of the period but in a flurry added to their lead with a goal from Hayden DeMars to go up 2-0 five minutes into the second period. Amarillo had a power play late in the second period, but a costly turnover led to Michael Kadlecik scoring a shorthanded goal for Odessa with 1:07 to go in the period to put the Jacks up 3-0. Despite outshooting the Jackalopes 10-7 in the second period, the Wranglers trailed in the shot count 16-13 after two periods.
In the third period, Odessa sealed the Wranglers’ fate with their fourth and final goal 11:57 into the period. A turnover out in front of the Wranglers’ net ended up on the stick of James Richman and into the back of the net to make it a 4-0 hockey game. Richman’s goal came on the power play and was the final goal of the game. The Wranglers wouldn’t leave quietly though, as Magnus Gadowsky fought Riley Rosenthal to set the tone heading into the Wranglers’ next game against Oklahoma on Sunday. Ivan Zhigalov recorded 18 saves in his first NAHL shutout.
It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Wranglers, as they hit the road to face the Oklahoma Warriors on Sunday night at Blazers Ice Centre. This will be the season series finale between the two clubs and will kick off the Wranglers’ longest road stretch of the year with the next six games all on the road. Puck drop is at 7:00. You can watch the game on NAHLTV or listen on YouTube.