RAPID CITY, SD – Sebastien Thinel, Kenny Corupe, and Kenny Bernard each scored a pair of goals while Michel Robinson stopped 30 shots in the Odessa Jackalopes’ 8-0 shutout of the Rapid City Rush on Friday night at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Box Score

Thinel’s two goals came at even-strength, Bernard’s both came on the power play, Corupe scored one with the man-advantage and the other shorthanded.  Thinel (two goals, two assists) and Todd Robinson (four assists) also led all skaters with four points on the night.

The Jackalopes (6-10-1) opened the game with a first period blitz of two goals in a 30-second span.  Thinel potted his first of the game on a rebound at the right side of the net nine minutes into the contest.  Corupe then scored on a wrist shot from the left circle during a counter-attack rush.  Thinel made it a 3-0 lead for Odessa with less than seven minutes remaining in the period on another rebound to the right side of the goal.

The second period is when Odessa’s power-play started clicking as Bernard and Mike Lesperance each scored man-advantage goals.  Bernard’s came on a rebound after Todd Robinson’s one-time shot from the left circle just 1:45 into the frame.  Thinel fed a cross-ice pass from the right-wing corner to Lesperance, who buried a wrist shot in the left circle at 5:38.  The Jackalopes held a 5-0 advantage after forty minutes of play.

Odessa added two more power play goals in the first half of period three.  Bernard again, and Dominic Leveille at 11:40.  Frustration boiled over for the Rapid City Rush (8-6-2) with just over six minutes remaining in the game as Colt King and Scott Wray each picked up misconduct penalties after a scrum ensued during a stoppage in play.  Kevin Harvey also was vacated from the game after instigating a fight with Odessa’s Garrett Gruenke.

Corupe and Bernard teamed up on a two-on-one rush in the game’s final minute to score a shorthanded goal to finalize the 8-0 shutout.

The win was Michel Robinson’s first in net for the Jackalopes, since joining the team in late October.  Danny Bottochio started the game for Rapid City, but was pulled after Odessa’s third goal.  Rookie Jimmy Spratt took over the goaltending duties for Rapid City, stopping 19 of 24 shots.

Thinel’s four-point night also extends his point-streak to a team-high seven games.  The Jackalopes have now scored six or more goals in four of their last five contests (4-1-0).