Weekend Preview vs. New Mexico Ice Wolves

September 22, 2022 – North American Hockey League (NAHL) – Odessa Jackalopes News Release

Odessa Jackalopes (1-2-0-1, 3pts) vs. New Mexico Ice Wolves (3-1-0-0, 6pts)

at Outpost Ice Arenas in Albuquerque, NM

Time: Friday 7:30 p.m. CDT | Saturday 7:30 p.m. CDT

Broadcast: (Away) HockeyTV | Listen Live Here

What You Need to Know:

All-Time Record: 11-12-0-1

Season Series: 0-0

Leading Scorers:

ODA: 3pts, Goode (2G, 1A)

NMO: 5pts, Howard (3G, 2A)

South Division:

The South started off the NAHL Showcase by going 7-1 in day one. At the end of the Showcase only two teams remained undefeated (Amarillo and Oklahoma). The Jacks currently find themselves in sixth place. The Ice Wolves are tied with El Paso and Lone Star for third place. This weekend marks the first time the Jacks are facing an opponent in their division. Last season, New Mexico beat Lone Star in the Division Finals to win their first ever South Division title. The season series between Odessa and New Mexico was split last year, 4-4.

Penalties:

Odessa finished last season with 1,071 penalty minutes which was the third fewest in the South. They enter this weekend leading the South with 52. New Mexico ended last season with 857 penalty minutes which was the fewest in the division. They currently have the fourth-most penalty minutes at 40. The Jacks have never had a season under 1,000 penalty minutes.

Special Teams:

Odessa ended last season with a powerplay success rate of 14% which was the lowest in their division. Their penalty kill finished at 79% which was the third lowest in the South. New Mexico had a powerplay percentage of 19.9% which ranked them fourth in the South and their penalty kill was the best in the division at 84.4%. Odessa finds themselves with a current powerplay percentage of 10.5% (6th) after scoring two goals on 19 chances at the Showcase. New Mexico went 6/28 while on the powerplay resulting in a success rate of 21.4% (3rd). The Jacks have given up six power-play goals while being shorthanded 14 times, resulting in a 57.1% penalty kill percentage (8th). The Ice Wolves have allowed three power-play goals through 14 times shorthanded giving them a penalty kill percentage of 78.6% (5th).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jackalopes (F: #22 – Emerson Goode)

The 6’1″/175lb. left-handed forward is in his second season in the NAHL. The Anaheim, CA native ended his rookie season last year with 12 goals and 16 assists. His 28 points put him eighth on the team in scoring. For the second-consecutive year at the NAHL Showcase, Goode recorded two goals in one game. One of which came while on the powerplay. The 19-year-old had five power-play assists last season which was tied for the third highest on the team. The Ferris State University commit had four points (1G, 3A) in seven games against New Mexico last year. Before reaching the NAHL, Goode played for Meijer AAA Hockey 18U where he recorded 47 points (21G, 26A) in 46 games. Finishing third on the team in points.

Ice Wolves (F: #13 – William Howard)

The native of Grand Forks, ND is in his third year in the NAHL. The 6’2″/187lb. left-handed forward only registered four points (2G, 2A) through 31 games in his rookie season (’20-’21). Last season Howard had a breakout year after recording 18 goals and 24 assists in 56 games. His 42 points were the second most on the Ice Wolves roster. The 20-year-old is already averaging over a point-per-game after putting up five points (3G, 2A) in four games at the NAHL Showcase. He also leads the team in power-play goals with two. Howard had four points in five games against Odessa last season. Before reaching the NAHL, Howard spent three years playing for Grand Forks Central High (USHS-ND) totaling 76 points (33G, 43A) in 79 games.

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