Their playoff hopes have been kept alive! Now it’s win or go home in Odessa tonight.
I had the good fortune to make the game since there were plenty of tickets available. Attendance is usually poor on a “school” night with most sports. Okay, most people in the area probably didn’t even know the team exists anymore. Still, it was an exciting game with a greater amount of intensity than the regular season. Excellent play could result in a team member or two getting the call to help Houston (currently third in the AHL’s West Division) win the Calder Cup.
Austin scored first with a spectacular goal that I caught on camera (hopefully I will have it posted by the weekend). Then their usual problem with defending the lead cropped up before the end of the opening period with an Odessa power-play goal. In the second period the Jackalopes took the lead but the Bats tied it back up. The final period went back and forth with the pushing, shoving, hitting, boarding and unsportsmanlike behavior yet neither side could take the lead. I did get my 21-bucks worth of hockey action since playoff games have full 20-minute, five-on-five, overtime periods. Thankfully, the Icebats didn’t keep everyone on the edge of their seats too long as forward RG Flath nailed the GWG within three minutes. I did capture this too but it happened on the other side of the rink and it may be a tad fuzzy looking.
Thanks for your patience. I plan on having more than the two goals in my next iMovie creation. Possibly a couple great saves and hits.