Jackalopes remain solid under Paul Gillis

ODESSA , Texas – Preparation, confidence, mental toughness and perseverance are highlighted on banners in the Odessa Jackalopes locker room. Now in their 13^th season, the Jackalopes are poised to benefit from their preparation, battle forward with confidence and mental toughness and take the lessons learned from perseverance straight ahead to the playoffs, where they will make a second straight run for a chance to play in the Central Hockey League’s championship series.
 
Their success is due in no small part to the efforts of head coach Paul Gillis.
 
Gillis earned his 100^th win behind the bench for the Jackalopes with a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Sundogs on Wednesday night at Tim’s Toyota Center. The win was also Gillis’ 497th overall in his professional coaching career.
 

A former player, Gillis was selected 34th overall (2nd round) in the 1982 NHL Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. He made his NHL debut on December 19, 1982 against the Buffalo Sabres and went on to play 624 games over an 11 year career. A gritty defensive player and a team leader who could also create scoring chances, Gillis scored 88 goals, added 154 assists (242 points), and recorded 1,498 penalty minutes in the NHL with the Nordiques, Chicago Blackhawks, and Hartford Whalers. Following his retirement, he spent the next 13 years coaching in the AHL, OHL and UHL.
 
He won the 1997-98 United Hockey League Championship with the Quad City Mallards, and made four more UHL Final appearances – three with Quad City and one with the Danbury Trashers.
 
Named as the Jackalopes’ head coach on April 23, 2007, Gillis led the Jackalopes back to the post-season after the team missed out entirely in the 2006-07 campaign. They defeated the Austin Ice Bats 2-1 in the three-game first-round series and then went on to face the Laredo Bucks in the quarter finals, only to be swept 4-0.
 
During the 2008-09 season, the Jacks won the Southwest Division with a 39-19-6 record. They went on to defeat the Laredo Bucks 4-2 and then met up with the Texas Brahmas in the Conference Championship, where they shut out the Brahmas in Games Four and Six at the Ector County Coliseum to force a Game Seven showdown. Unfortunately, their season and their championship dreams ended when they were soundly defeated on the Brahmas’ home ice, 8-1.
 
While it was no doubt hard to accept the loss, Gillis went back to work immediately to bring back the necessary players and add others to the mix to make another run at a championship. His hard work continues to pay off. This season, the Jackalopes have dominated the Southern Conference from the start and have led the league’s points race – currently seven points ahead of their nearest competitor, the Allen Americans.
 
They have 10 players with at least 20 points on the season, led by Dominic Leveille’s 51, with eight of the players having scored more than 30 points thus far. With that many players able to score, the Jackalopes have become a formidable opponent for every team they’ve faced.
 
Boasting one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, Odessa has the second lowest goals against average with just 101 goals allowed in 38 games played. Joel Martin (15-3-2) leads all CHL net minders with a 2.28 GAA and is second in save percentage at .922. Juha Toivonen (14-3-1) has won his last seven starts.
 
The Governor’s Cup and potentially, the President’s Cup are theirs to lose but the mindset of Paul Gillis and the Odessa Jackalopes is to focus on winning, one game at a time. With their current pace and the strength of their roster, one game at a time just might lead them to a championship.
 
Contact the author/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com