The Kings of the South?

Hello fellow Jackalope fans! It has been a while hasn't it? I apologize for not blogging in a while but I have been tied up with school for the last couple of weeks and have not had time to do much blogging. Anyways, lets get right to the point. I don't usually start a whole new post for a team other than the Jacks, but I believe there is one team that deserves some recognition after the incredible weekend that they had. That team would be none other than the surprisingly undefeated Amarillo Gorillas. I will be the first to admit that prior to the regular season starting I, like many other CHL fans, had the Gorillas at the bottom of the Southern Conference. From the players that Amarillo signed I was not too impressed. However, the CHL world is probably still in total shock as the Apes ended their opening weekend with a 3-0 record. Is this a sign that the Gorillas are going to be a contender in the South this season? Only time will tell, but I will stick to my guns and say that reality will return to Amarillo in the next couple of weeks and they will no longer be one of the top four teams in the South. I will say, however, that the Gorillas have earned my respect and it would not surprise me if the 'Rillas end up barely clinching a spot in the playoffs come March. I know many of you are thinking "Is this guy crazy? We are only a couple of games into the new season and he is already predicting playoff teams?" I know, I know. The season is still very, very early but the Gorillas are already turning heads with their strong play. With all of this being said, lets go ahead and break down the Gorilla's weekend, shall we? Game one for Amarillo was against the usual cellar dwellers of the Northern Conference, the Wichita Thunder. In many people's eyes it would not matter who won this game because both of these teams are supposed to be the "losers" of their respective conferences. The Gorillas displayed pure domination as they pummeled Wichita by a final score of 5-0. Amarillo held the Thunder to only eighteen shots on goal as Mike Brown picked up the shutout. The Apes also killed off all seven of Wichita's powerplay chances. After getting home from watching the Jacks pull off a thriller against the IceRays and seeing this final score on Pointstreak I didn't think too much about it for the simple fact that the Gorillas beat the Wichita Thunder. Then Saturday rolls around and I am feeling pretty good because I am thinking that the Jacks are going to put an absolute beating on Amarillo when the final score ends up being 2-1 in favor of the Gorillas. I was in shock for several minutes after this game, but then I began to break down this game as well. The Jacks absolutely bombarded Mike Brown with shots on goal, but he ended up stopping an impressive 42 out of 43 shots on goal, while Amarillo managed to get two goals on 26 shots on net. This tells me two things: The Jacks ran into a very hot goaltender in Mike Brown, and the Jacks have nothing to worry about as they technically outplayed the Gorillas in just about every area, except for goaltending. The Jacks were also playing their backup goalie (who actually did very well by the way) while the Gorillas were starting their starter. Another thing to note from this game is that the Jacks went 0-10 on the powerplay, which is definitely something that Gilly and the boys are going to have to fix very quickly. Now lets move on to game three for the Gorillas which was against the usually always tough Mississippi River Kings. I thought the Kings would take this game because Mike Brown would not be in net that game for Amarillo, and I felt it was time for the Gorillas to be brought back to reality. Once again I was wrong as goaltender Lohtander for the Apes played very well in net while the Gorillas once again displayed their offensive power putting up five goals on 31 shots. The final ended up being 5-2 and the Gorillas were able to kill off 4 out of 5 of the King's powerplay chances. Wow! What a weekend for Amarillo! Not only do they end the weekend with a 3-0 record but they also beat one of the South's best teams as well as one of the North's best teams. Like I already stated, only time will tell if the Gorillas truly mean business, but after this weekend I would tell everybody to not be surprised by anything. As of right now the Gorillas (I can't believe I am about to say this) are the Kings of the South.

Until next time Jack fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and the Bumble Bees are going to get crushed come Tuesday night!

Five Jacks Attend AHL Training Camp

Well folks, hockey in West Texas is almost here and it has been a while since my last post. I have been pretty busy with my classes as of late and have had to put my blogging on the backburner for the last couple of weeks. Since I've been away from the computer, the Jacks have made several announcements regarding several key players on the team. The Jacks have announced that five Jackalopes are attending the AHL training camp with the Jack's AAA affiliate, the Bridgeport Soundtigers, two of which have signed two-way contracts with Bridgeport. The two players that have signed the two-way contracts are Jean Bourbeau and Juha Toivonen while the remaining Jacks that are participating in the training camp include Garrett Gruenke, Mike Lesperance, and Jeff Pierce. I am not too savvy with how two-way contracts work, but from what I have heard the contracts mean that Bourbeau and Toivonen will not have to go through waivers if they are to be sent down to their AA affiliate, the Jacks. One fellow Jackalope fan also claims that these are the first two Jackalopes in franchise history to sign two-way contracts, so I would guess that both Bourbeau and Juha have a fairly decent shot at making it to the next level in probably a relatively short amount of time. While I always hope that our players will grow and improve to the point where they are called up, I do have to admit that I hope that these two guys spend the majority of the season with the Jacks. I know I am being selfish, but these two guys are vital players to the Jacks and the Jacks would not be the same without them. With that being said, I would like to wish all of the Jacks participating in the Soundtiger's training camp all the luck in the world, and hopefully we will be seeing them back in Odessa very soon.

Now on to some more Jackalope news. The Jacks will be having their Merchandise Preview Party on the 30th of September (only four days away) which will give season ticket holders the opportunity to see the Jack's new products for the upcoming season. Season ticket holders will also be able to pick up their season ticket packages at this party. The Jacks will then have their annual Season Ticket Holder Taste Testing Event on October 6th. I have to say that as a season ticket holder for the past few seasons I attended this event last year, and it was an absolute blast. You get to meet and greet the players while sampling the new food and drinks from the Jack's concession stands. Also, at this year's event the Jacks will be holding their Black and White scrimmage which will make the night that much more fun for the fans. Then on October 8th, the Jacks will play their first preseason game at the ECC when they host the Tulsa Oilers. They will host the Oilers for another preseason game on October 10th which will be their last preseason game of the offseason, and then the Jacks coaching staff as well as the players will start gearing up for opening night of the regular season, wich is on October 16th.

In other CHL news:

• Another skilled and gritty defenseman has signed with the always tough Mississippi Riverkings in Travis Wright. This is yet another decent pickup for the 'Kings, and the Northern Conference better get ready for 'Kings as they are sure to be at the top of the standings in the Northern Conference.


• The Amarillo Gorillas have announced the signing of veteran defenseman Rod Aldoff. This guy has put up pretty good numbers throughout his career but will it be enough to make the apes a playoff contender? I think not, but only time will tell.


• Former Jackalope (for a very short time might I add) Robin Richards has signed with the Laredo Bucks. This guy is an enforcer, but in my honest opinion he takes far too many stupid penalties, is rather slow, and not really that great of a fighter if I can be brutally honest with you. That is probably one of the main reasons that Gillis dumped Richards rather quickly, but how does that old cliche go, "one persons junk is another's treasure." I would be very, very surprised if Richards turns out to be a diamond in the rough for the Bucks, and I would think that the title "fools gold" might be more appropriate for this supposed enforcer.


• Finally, Tori Holt has announced that he will be leaving Eagle Country as radio broadcaster as he has joined the Dallas Stars for an unknown (to me anyways) position. Kevin McGlue will now become the voice of the Eagles.

Until next time Jack fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and hockey season is just around the corner!

Jacks Re-Sign Lesperance!

Hello fellow CHL and especially Odessa Jacklope fans. It is a warm and humid Friday in Odessa, and the Jacks have announced yet another player to re-sign with the Jacks. The Jacks announced today that Mike Lesperance has re-signed with the team for the 09-10 season. A rookie last season, Lesperance put up 38 points in 60 games, and while he was not one of my personal favorites, the guy is still very young and has all the potential in the world to become a future star in the CHL. I expect bigger and better things from Lesperance this season since he has had a full season to learn and grow with the Jacks, and hopefully he will be a lot more noticeable when on the ice next season. With all of this being said, I would like to say welcome back to the Permian Basin, Mike, and prove to all of your critics (including myself) that you deserve a spot on the roster of the Jacks. I am not too sure if their will be anymore "surprising" signings this offseason as the Jacks still have several other guys returning from last season's team that have not yet been announced such as Bourbeau, Toivonen, Van Drunen, and Plante. You can read the full article pertaining to Lesperance re-signing with the Jacks at the Jacks website which can be viewed at http://www.jackalopes.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=261:09story02&catid=69:newstory&Itemid=119.

In other CHL news:

• Marty Standish has signed with the Tulsa Oilers. Once one of the most hated people of the Oiler faithful, Standish is sure to become a fan favorite in Tulsa as he is a proven player that can still get things done.


• The Eagles continue to bring back players from last season as they announced the re-signings of Hogg and Haddon.


• Finally, the Missouri Mavericks have announced the signing of yet another former Blazer in Chad Hinz. They really should have named the team the Missouri Blazers as they are practically the same team from last season, just in different uniforms. This Mavs team is one to watch in the upcoming season as they have signed several proven players, and have a very good, young coach in former Jack great, Scott Hillman.

Until next time Jack fans all I have to say is GO JACKS GO!!! and October can't come soon enough!