David Dudich – Texas Tornado Booster Club: Texas Tornado Alternate Captain and University of Denver signee, Nick Neville had four points on 2G and 2A to lead the charge against Odessa.

Texas got on the board first thanks to a tremendous individual effort by CJ Reuschlein along the enboards behind the Odessa net. Reuschlein out muscled Dylan Rosen and Taylor Portner to pull the puck out front and sent a backhander off Erick Majerle, but Mitch McPherson shoved the rebound past the left skate. Jason Eddy picked up the secondary assist on the goal that came at 7:30. At 12:10 the Tornado added to their one goal lead when Jackson Leef moved the puck to the near point then saucered a beautiful pass across to Nick Blase sneaking down from his defensive spot at the far point. Blase blasted a shot off Majerle who left the puck in his skates for Brandon Hawkins to power through the Jackalopes’ netminder. Reuschlein drew a holding penalty at 15:16 on another puck battle in the corner putting the best road power play on the job. Just 47 seconds into the man advantage Nick Neville slid the puck along the blueline to Michael Hoy at center. Hoy’s touch pass found Leef in the left wing circle and he stepped around Cody Slocum before ripping a wrister into the back of the net.

Texas kept the pressure on in the second period and at 4:47 Reuschlein drove through a Matthew Montemuro hip check at the far half wall then dropped it for McPherson trailing the play. McPherson’s shot caromed back out to the right wing circle and Neville blistered a one timer over the left pad. Another Tornado power play goal would build the lead to five. Off an offensive zone draw Hoy found Neville at the top of the right wing circle for a slapshot. Justin Greenberg who had gone to the front for the screen redirected it over Majerle, ending the night early for the Jackalopes’ starter.

The Tornado were hit with two quick penalties just past the mid point of the second giving Odessa 1:32 of 5 on 3 power play. Just as the Tornado had killed off the second of the two penalties, Matt Volonnino fed Chris Taff who had time and space to send it past a screened Davis high blocker side at 13:04.

The Tornado responded with a third power play goal. This time Hoy sent the puck down the near boards to Leef who curled out to the top of the circle. Leef threaded the needle with a pass to Neville at the top of the far circle for a onetimer through traffic and behind Nick Deery.

Just 1:45 into the third period Eddy picked up a double minor for roughing and Odessa scored just eight seconds into the first power play. Jimmy Peplinski won the faceoff back to Taff who sent it into the high slot to Josh Racek. Racek stepped around Hoy on his way to the net and sent a backhander against the grain over Davis’ right pad.

Just past the mid point of the period, Cameron Brown took the puck into the zone before losing an edge, but got back to his feet and slid it across to Blase at the near point for a onetimer. Deery made the save but it left him out of position and Louie Rowe deposited it into the open net at 10:52. Hawkins scored his NAHL league leading 32nd goal of the season on a give and go with Alexey Soloviev at the 12:27 mark. Hawkins pulled the puck out of the near corner to the high slot and gave it to Soloviev swooping in from the far point. The Moscow native dropped it back to Hawkins who went top shelf for the goal.

The Texas Tornado special teams played a big part in the outcome going 3-8 with the man advantage while holding Odessa to 1-5 despite an extended 5 on 3 opportunity for the Jackalopes. The Tornado also held the shots on goal advantage 48-30.

David Dudich – Texas Tornado Booster Club: Texas Tornado Assistant Captain and University of Miami signee Justin Greenberg netted two goals against Odessa to help the Tornado to snap the eight game losing streak.

The Texas Tornado entered their NAHL South Division series with the Odessa Jackalopes needing a win and they got it with solid performances up and down the lineup. The Tornado jumped out to an early lead in the first that while challenged was never relinquished.

At the 4:50 mark, Josh Racek tried to ring the puck around behind his own net on the clear. Anthony Mousseau stepped in front and knocked the puck into the corner for CJ Reuschlein. Reuschlein split the defense on his way out front and ripped it past Nick Deery glove side. Just under a minute later, Reuschlein had a chance to notch another as he sprung loose on a breakaway. As he drove the net he delayed trying to force Deery to commit but ran out of room and Deery kicked it aside to keep it a one goal game. Max Shuart chased down a loose puck in the defensive zone to get the next scoring play started. He fired the puck into the neutral zone for Justin Greenberg who punched it past Stephen Inman and was off to the races. Greenberg carried it in on Deery and went five hole to close out the first period scoring.

Odessa got on the board with a fluke goal in the second after Mitch Mueller tried to use the glass to get the puck out on the clear. Matt Volonnino knocked it down and Cody Slocum fired a slapshot wide from the near point. The puck bounced hard off the end boards, over the crossbar and off Hunter Leisner’s back before crossing the goal line. Time of the goal was 6:57.

It took Texas just under three minutes to reestablish their two goal lead as Nick Neville blistered a shot from the far point which Deery knocked down. Deery thought he had the puck covered, but Scott Conway spotted it laying in the paint and dashed in from the right circle to slam it home.

A defensive breakdown at 17:12 opened the door for the Jackalopes once again. Alexey Soloviev pinched trying to keep the play alive but Anthony Olguin knocked the puck past the Tornado defenseman. Michael Hoy came across to bail Soloviev out and as he drove Olguin into the boards, Olguin found Jude Warner streaking down the center and he beat Leisner glove side.

Once again the Texas Tornado built the lead to two off of a draw to Deery’s right. Jackson Leef went forward with the puck and chased it down in the corner before sending a beautiful centering pass to Conway in the slot for a quick wrister. The goal came at 18:14.

Brandon Hawkins took a slashing penalty at 19:54 of the second which gave Odessa a power play on fresh ice. It took them only 19 seconds to cash in. Jimmy Peplinski fired a shot from the far point that Leisner tried to squeeze to his body, but it tricked loose and rolled just off the near post for Brett Wagner to poke across the line.

Greenberg and Shuart would team up again for the final goal of the game at 4:58. Greenberg sent Shuart down the far boards from inside the Tornado zone. Shuart powered his way through a hip check from Mattheiu Audet at the half wall then hit Greenberg in stride down the slot for a shot over the left pad.

The Texas Tornado nearly doubled up Odessa in shots on goal outshooting the Jackalopes 42-24. Texas was 0-3 on the power play while Odessa was 1-6.