Monday Match-Ups: Austin, Texas start the week with big wins

Austin 6 @ Coulee Region 3 - Brandon Wahlin scored two goals and had an assist and the Austin Bruins blasted 47 shots as they beat the Coulee Region Chill to snap a two-game losing streak on the road Monday.  The Bruins took a 4-3 lead with 15:22 left in the game when John Simonson scored a powerplay goal and AJ Reid pushed the lead to 5-3 eight minutes later when he netted a goal.  After Garrett Hendrickson and Andy Faust put the Chill up 2-1 in the early 2nd period, Scott Nelson and CJ Smith each scored second period goals to put the Bruins up 3-2, but Travis Underwood scored for the Chill to tie up at 3-3 with 8:12 left in the third.  Austin goalie Jason Pawloski stayed unbeaten on the season as he picked up his fifth win, while stopping 32 shots. With his effort on Monday, Whalin, a native of White Bear Lake, Minn., now has a team-leading 24 points in 17 games. He had 40 points in 57 games last season. Wahlin is tied for sixth place in the NAHL with his 24 points and he is tied for the most points in the Central Division. Boxscore

Texas 9 @ Odessa 1 - In the third of 12 scheduled regular season meetings between Texas and Odessa, the Odessa Jackalopes fell to the Texas Tornado Monday at Ector County Coliseum by a final score of 9-1. With the win, the Tornado moved into sole possession of 1st place in the South Division.  After an even start to the game, the Jacks faltered late in the first period, surrendering three goals in the span of less than three minutes, two to Andrew Mayer and another to Scott Conway, to enter the second period down 3-0. Texas kept up the pressure in the middle frame, notching a Jackson Leef marker at 1:55 and after a Matt Volonnino goal for Odessa at 3:13 that briefly made it 4-1, sprayed three more tallies past Jacks goaltender Andrew Pikul in the period to take a 7-1 lead after two.  In the third period a pair of CJ Reuschlein goals leaked through to stake the defending Robertson Cup champion Tornado to their final 9-1 margin of victory. Leef (1G, 2A), Conway (2G, 1A), Brandon Hawkins (1G, 2A), Jason Eddy (2A), Mayer (2G), Mitchell McPherson (1G, 2A) and Reuschlein (2G) all claimed multiple points in the game.  After Pikul surrendered seven goals on 24 shots through the majority of the first two periods, Blake Wojtala made 16 saves on 18 shots faced in relief for the Jackalopes. Texas goaltender Hunter Leisner made 23 saves for his league-leading 13th win of the season.  It was the 15th win for the Tornado this season, which ties them with Jamestown for the league lead. Boxscore