NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX – Friday night was a weird one but the Brahmas left NYTEX with a 5-3 victory over the Odessa Jackalopes.
The Jacks only mustered four shots on goal in the first period but they beat Conor O’Brien on two of them. The turning point came with just under seven minutes remaining when the game was scoreless and Odessa defensemen Andrew McLean broke a panel of glass behind the Brahmas net. After a 17 minute delay, McLean then scored the Jacks first with a similar hammer from the point.
Before the teams split to the locker room, University of Alaska-Fairbanks commit Daniel Kiraly recorded his fifth of the season, thus resulting in a Brahmas goaltender change.
The second continued to play in the Jacks favor with Dakoda Menslage scoring the only goal of the period. After exiting the penalty box, the bulky defenseman snapped a wrister past Corbin Kaczperski, advancing the score to 3-0.
In the third is when things got crazy. After jostling all of last weekend, Brahmas forward Kyle Patava dropped the gloves with the goal-scoring Menslage. It was a brief tilt behind the opposing net but the reaction by the Brahmas made it all worth while.
Just 15 seconds later Samu Suominen threw a shot on net that beat both a screen and Rivers for his first as a Brahma, and the first of what would be a monumental comeback.
Minutes later Pierce Pluemer of the Jacks, an Air Force commit, boarded Carson Kelley from behind and received a double minor and a game ejection. With the man advantage, Johan Lundgren was lingering around the front of the net and jammed home a rebound off of a Martin Mellberg shot.
Because Pluemer’s seating was a double minor it allowed the Brahmas to strike just 1:18 later when Alex Berardinelli went coast-to-coast, got Rivers to bite on the fake and slipped one to the front of the net for Tyler Drevitch to notch his first goal on NYTEX ice.
The game remained tied for roughly four minutes before the home team struck again. Dalton Skelly, who had struggled in the first 40 minutes, got a wrister from the point to deflect off of a Jackalope in front and redirect past Rivers
With a plethora of penalties during the maddening third period it allowed the Brahmas to get yet another on the power play, this time Alex Berardinelli putting the cherry on top. After a scrum from the corner the puck squirted to the front where #7 was completely unmarked.
Corbin Kaczperski picks up the win despite coming in in relief, his sixth consecutive.
The Brahmas and Jackalopes are back at it again tomorrow for what is sure to be an entertaining second tilt. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow and it’s 70’s Night!
Tickets are still available by calling 817-336-4ICE before 4 P.M. tomorrow, atop your screen under the TICKETS tab, or by coming to the NYTEX Sports Centre box office!