Sobering Numbers

Hey folks.  I haven't been blogging at all this season (I've been extremely busy), and trust me, you haven't missed much.  As a fan, this has been the single hardest season to endure, as the Odessa Jackalopes have basically stunk up the ice night in and night out.  Most of the players simply look disinterested, as if they don't even want to be on the ice, and that definitely shows in their play.

 From not being willing to crash the net for scoring chances and rebounds, to not being willing to put the body on opposing players entering the defensive zone, to incredibly sloppy passing and not battling for loose pucks, this team needs drastic change moving forward if it wants to have any chance at being successful at this level.

 I've supported this team for a long time now, and I've seen some bad teams, but this one takes the cake for being the single worst, period.  If certain players don't want to be here, send them packing.  You always heard before the move to the NAHL that in the very least junior players would work harder than their professional counterparts, but that has not been the case so far this season.  What I would give to have the pro teams the last few years they were in the Permian Basin, because at least they entertained the paying fans, and at least they looked like they wanted to be on the ice.

  You look at teams like Amarillo, Topeka, and Texas, and their players are constantly moving their feet, battling hard for every puck, and actually connecting on routine passes.  The exact opposite can be said of many of the Jackalopes players (not all of them), as it is not unusual in the least to see more than one guy simply standing around while the other team is working their ass off.

 If the new ownership expects fans to actually pay for the crap that they are selling this season, then big changes better be made, and they better be made fast.  To put things in perspective, here are some sobering numbers for you to digest:  The Jackalopes have the worst winning percentage in the entire league, winning only 20% of their games thus far; their current losing streak has hit a terrible nine games, and this is not the first time this season we have seen lengthy losing streaks; the Jackalopes have scored the fewest goals of any other team in the NAHL (49); the Jacks have also allowed the most goals, giving up a whopping 112 goals against in only twenty-five games; the Jacks home record is 1-11-1; and lastly, their overall record sits at an embarrassing 4-19-2.

  Simply put, this team will be lucky to win ten games this season, and honestly they are the New Mexico Mustangs of 2012-2013. Change is needed, folks.  What kind of change, I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is that this team is good at one thing... and that's putting the few people in attendance to sleep with their sloppy play and lack of heart.

Clark Leaves Jacks

Less than a month until the 2012-2013 Jackalopes begin their second season in the NAHL, and we had some pretty significant news break a few days ago when it was confirmed that General Manager Joe Clark has resigned to become the new GM for the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, who will be joining the NAHL beginning next season.  This is a pretty big loss for the Jacks as Clark was a key figure in Odessa's success over the last several years, and filling his shoes will be a tough task to fulfill.  I have not a clue why he decided to leave, so I am not even going to speculate, but I would like to say that I (as a Jackalope fan) appreciate everything he has done in his years with the Jacks.  I wish him nothing but the best in South Texas, and hope he comes to regret leaving the Permian Basin once the Jacks start beating up on the Bees next season ;).  Anyway, I know it has been months since I last blogged, and truthfully I don't know how much I will be blogging this upcoming season.  I have been a very busy man as of late, and honestly just have not had much time to blog.  Until next time, GO JACKS GO!!!

Future Hall of Famer?

Hello fellow Jackalope fans!  We are going to leave the NAHL Odessa Jackalopes for this post, and check up on a former, and arguably the greatest Jackalope in franchise history, Sebastien Thinel.  The reason why we are revisiting the past is because Sebby is just two points shy of earning his 700th point in his professional career, with the vast majority of those points being racked up while donning an Odessa Jackalopes jersey.  This is a huge milestone for Thinel, and it is definitely bittersweet for Jackalope fans, as he will have to reach that goal in another team's sweater.

 That said, Jackalope fans have a ton of great memories of Thinel as a Jackalope, we truly do appreciate all that he did for the team as well as the community, and I know I speak for the vast majority of Jackalope fans when I say congratulations to #43.  If this guy is not a Hall of Famer in the CHL when all is said and done, then I think it would not be a stretch to refer to the CHL as the Circus Hockey League.  Before I wrap this post up, here are Thinel's impressive career numbers as a professional hockey player:

REGULAR SEASON:

• Professional Point Total: 698 (with 647 of them as a Jackalope)
• Professional Goal Total: 248 (with 235 of them as a Jackalope)
• Professional Assist Total: 450 (with 412 of them as a Jackalope)
• Games Played as a Professional: 547 (with 502 of them as a Jackalope)

POSTSEASON (All as a Jackalope):

• Point Total: 61
• Goal Total: 20
• Assist Total: 41
• Games Played: 57

Oh yeah, not to mention he is a former Central Hockey League MVP.  And to all the critics out there that claimed he was not effective in the playoffs... I would take a point per game player in the playoffs every single day of the week.  Now that the numbers have spoken, I am going to go ahead and wrap things up here.  Hopefully I will blog again some time next week after the Jacks take on the New Mexico Mustangs for three games in a row this weekend.


Until next time Jackalope fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and congratulations to #43!

Split With Fresno

Hello fellow Jackalope fans!  It is a cool, cloudy day here in the Permian Basin on Super Bowl Sunday, as the Jacks finished their weekend set of games with the Fresno Monsters with a split.  The Jacks lost in what was a pretty entertaining (though sloppy) game on Friday by a final of 4-3, but managed to win a thriller last night by a final of 1-0 in a six round shootout.  What a game last night, and what a night in general as Mike Gorman was placed on the Jacks Wall of Fame; the Jacks had their largest crowd of the season with 4,400+ cheering the boys to victory; and fans also found out that ticket prices for next season have dropped dramatically.  Overall, it truly was a great night to be a Jackalopes fan. 

With the Jacks win last night, they pulled to within six points of Corpus Christi for that fourth and final playoff spot in the Southern Division, and it truly was a shame that the Jacks skated away with no points after Friday's contest, where they allowed Fresno to score the game winning goal late in regulation.  Even one point would have been nice to have on Friday night, but in all honesty the Jacks have to start finding ways to consistently earn points if they want to catch up to the IceRays with only seventeen games left in the regular season.  It can definitely be done, but the Jacks will need to start winning some games (especially the head-to-heads with Corpus) regularly for the remainder of the regular season.  The good news here is that the Jacks have a favorable schedule for the rest of the way, with games against Wichita Falls, Corpus Christi, and New Mexico, which are all teams that we know the Jacks can beat.  The Jacks will finish the season on the road against Topeka, and the hope of their season could very well come down to how they do against a very good Roadrunner team.

On the other hand, Corpus has a tougher remaining schedule with nine of their last seventeen games against Odessa, Texas, and Amarillo.  By the way, three of the four games against the Jacks will be played at the ECC, which is a good thing considering the Jacks have not lost to the IceRays on home ice so far this season.  Also, Corpus has not had much success against Wichita Falls this season, with a record of 4-5-1 against the Wildcats.  To break down things even further, the Jacks are 9-4-3 against their remaining opponents, while Corpus was 18-15-2 collectively against their remaining opponents.  Where the Jacks are at an obvious disadvantage here is that they find themselves still six points behind Corpus with much of the regular season gone.  The Jacks really would have done themselves a favor had they managed to beat Fresno on Friday to pull within four of Corpus, but the past is the past, and the Jacks only need to look forward now. 

Here are a few things for the Jacks to look forward to:  the Jacks have defeated Corpus every time at the ECC this season, and three of the four remaining games between the two teams will be held at the Jack Shack (there are your six points right there); Corpus still has three games left with powerhouse Amarillo as well as Wichita Falls (who they have had limited success against); and finally, the IceRays have four games against third place Texas, although Corpus has had pretty good success against the Tornado thus far this season.

 All in all, the Jacks still have a decent shot at making the playoffs.  It won't be easy, though.  The boys will need to take care of their business, play strong hockey the rest of the way, and hopefully sneak past the IceRays for that final playoff spot.  All of this said, I'm going to go ahead and wrap things up here.  I hope to blog again soon, so be sure to keep up with The Enforcer.


Until next time Jackalope fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and lets take care of the Mustangs this upcoming weekend!

Welcome Back

Hello fellow Jackalope fans!  It has been a long time (a very long time) since I last blogged, but I'm back, and I'm ready to discuss some Jackalopes hockey.  For those that followed the blog the last couple of seasons, I apologize for staying away from The Enforcer for so long, but this last year was a chaotic one for yours truly.  Anyway, I have updated the blog with a new and cleaner look; I've got a new poll up that I hope you vote in; and finally, I hope to blog as much as I can as the Jackalopes desperately fight for that final playoff spot in the Southern Division, as they find themselves eight points behind Corpus Christi with only nineteen games left in the regular season.  It is going to take a huge effort by the Jacks in order to catch up to and ultimately surpass Corpus Christi, and only time will tell if the Jacks will make the postseason in their inaugural season.  That said, I'm going to make this post a brief one, but I plan on blogging again soon.

Until next time Jackalope fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and lets take care of the Monsters this weekend!