The Shreveport Mudbugs (23-9-2) would rally late in the 3rd period, but it wasn’t enough as they fell short against the Odessa Jackalopes, 4-3 in George’s Pond in Hirsch Coliseum Friday night.
Odessa grabbed the early lead at 2:25 of the opening period as Charlie Smith got in the slot and shot in his second goal of the year to make it 1-0. The Jacks would add another in the opening frame at 17:55 when John Wojciechowski would slip in a tally to increase the lead to 2-0 in favor of the visiting team. SHV would respond on the PP at 19:17 as Ryan Burke would take a brilliant feed from Brayden Cook and backhand home his 13th goal of the season in the slot to make it a 2-1 contest. Cook and Lucas Deeb picked up the assists on the Bugs first goal of the game.
ODA extended their lead in the second period with goals from Hunter Whisenand and Hayden DeMars at 7:20 and 14:14 respectively to push the score up to 4-1. The Jacks led in SOG, 22-20 after two.
SHV would stage a late night comeback attempt and it started with Kyan Haldenby deflecting in his team-leading 15th goal of the season along the far post to make it a 4-2 contest at 15:32. Then the Bugs would dramatically get within one goal as Nick Marino tipped in his 12th tally of the year from the slot to make it a 4-3 ballgame at 18:55. That would be the closest Shreveport would get as the Jacks held off the Bugs in the final minute to come away with the victory.
Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau had his own personal nine-game win streak between the pipes come to an end.
The Bugs and Jacks will conclude their series tomorrow night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:11 p.m. from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum.