The Shreveport Mudbugs (5-11-4) couldn’t get much going as they fell 5-1 to the Odessa Jackalopes at Ector County Coliseum Saturday night.
Odessa got off to another fast start in the opening period when William Marshall found a loose puck in the slot and roofed in his second tally of the season to give the Jacks an early 1-0 lead at 4:21. The home team added another tally when Connor Couet threw one toward the net from the right point which found its way through for his first goal of the year at 10:43 to make it a 2-0 contest. Shreveport got in lots of penalty trouble as they were out-shot 14-5 after one.
Odessa added to their lead at 3:48 of the 2nd period when Emerson Goode grabbed a perfect feed in the slot and drilled home his eighth tally of the season to push the lead to 3-0 over Shreveport. The Jacks would then score two shorthanded goals – 1:03 apart from Christopher Duclair and Mike Manzo to make it a commanding 5-0 Odessa margin.
The Bugs finally got on the board at 7:38 of the third period when Logan Valkama wired home his third goal of the season from the RW circle to make it a 5-1 game. Jake Mack continued a nice weekend as he earned the only assist on the game’s only goal for Shreveport. The fireworks ensued later in the third when multiple fights broke out from both sides which led to a heated verbal exchange from Odessa HC Scott Duer and Bugs Associate HC Gavin Morgan. Both coaches were ejected from the game along with a few players from both benches.
Shreveport drops their eighth straight game and will look to find some success as they return to George’s Pond next weekend.
The Bugs will at last return to George’s Pond in Hirsch Coliseum to host a two-game series against the Amarillo Wranglers. It’ll be Christmas-Themed weekend as puck drop is scheduled for 7:11 p.m. next Friday night.