Sunday Wrap-up: Odessa Secures Shootout Victory

Caden Ghiossi was the hero with his goal and shootout goal

El Paso 2 @ Odessa 3 (SO) - A matinee matchup ended in thrilling fashion Sunday afternoon as the Odessa Jackalopes came out on the right side of a shootout to take down the El Paso Rhinos by a final score of 3-2. Caden Ghiossi posted the shootout-winning goal in the fourth round of the one-on-one to propel his team to the win. Both goaltenders put on a show in Sunday’s contest. Odessa goaltender Kevin Jones racked up 49 saves on 51 shots while his El Paso counterpart Michael Modelski chalked up 51 saves on 53 shots. With the win, Odessa moves into a third-place tie in the hyper-competitive South Division with Oklahoma at 18 points. El Paso earned a consolation point in the shootout loss, now sitting in a fifth-place tie with Amarillo at 17 points. Ghiossi got the scoring started with just under eight minutes to play in the opening frame, besting Modelski for his fourth goal of the season to give Odessa a 1-0 lead. His goal stood as the lone lamp-lighter of the period. Both defenses tightened up in the second period, conceding no offense in the frame. El Paso finally had a response just under three minutes into the final frame. Troy Hunka notched his sixth goal of the year to bring the Rhinos back even. The teams battled into the final five minutes, where Odessa’s Alex Thomas restored his squad’s one-goal advantage on his fifth goal of the year with just 4:47 remaining. The Rhinos were not fazed by Thomas’ go-ahead tally. Alexi Gregoire picked the right time to pot his first goal of the season, tying the game back up with only 2:18 left on the clock and eventually sending the game to overtime. Odessa controlled the overtime frame, outshooting El Paso 7-1. Despite the edge in play, the ‘Jacks could not solve Modelski, sending the game to a shootout. After back-to-back-to-back stops from Jones and Modelski, Ghiossi finally came through in the shootout – coupled with another save from Jones – to secure the 3-2 shootout win for Odessa. The Rhinos head home to take on the Corpus Christi IceRays at 7 p.m. Friday at the El Paso County Event Center in El Paso, Texas. Odessa hopped on the bus to Albuquerque for a heavyweight battle with the second-place New Mexico Ice Wolves at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Maryland 3 @ Danbury 6 - The Danbury Hat Tricks hosted the Maryland Black Bears for their second matchup against each other this season. Maryland won Saturday’s game 5-4. In the first period, Danbury forward William Kerr opened up the scoring with a goal at 18:33. The Hat Tricks continued to build on the momentum of the first goal with forward Luke Melnik scoring the second for the team less than two minutes later. Danbury forward Ben Dempster proceeded to score the third for the team at 11:23. Danbury forward Matt Shpungin scored the fourth goal for Danbury with 29 seconds remaining in the first, giving the Hat Tricks a 4-0 lead over the Black Bears at the end of the first. Maryland attempted to rally back in the second period with the first goal by forward Tanner Duncan on the power play at 18:26. Black Bears forward Brady Anes scored the second for the team a minute later, narrowing the difference to two goals by the end of the period. In the third period, Hat Tricks forward Matt Dabrowski scored at 17:03, extending Danbury’s lead to 5-2. Danbury forward Tanner Terranova scored on the power play at 1:17 to extend the team’s lead to four goals. Maryland forward Lachlan Bommer scored a goal with four seconds remaining in the game. The Hat Tricks won the game 6-3. Parker Stockseth started in net for Danbury and made 33 saves en route to the win. Dom Gatto started in net for the Black Bears and made three saves on six shots. Ryan Denes finished the rest of the game in net for Maryland and made 25 saves on 27 shots.