The Odessa Jackalopes are a Tier II junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team playing in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

(NAHL). The team is based in

Odessa, Texas Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small section of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, mak ...

and plays their home games at

Ector County Coliseum The Ector County Coliseum is a 5,131 seat multi-purpose arena in Odessa, Texas. Tenants It is home to the Odessa Jackalopes (North American Hockey League), the West Texas Warbirds (Champions Indoor Football), the Sand Hills Rodeo, and the bien ...

History

The franchise first played as the Owatonna Express in

Owatonna, Minnesota Owatonna () is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair i ...

, in 2008 replacing the recently relocated

Southern Minnesota Express The Jamestown Ironmen were a junior ice hockey#Tier II, Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. The Ironmen played their home games at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena in Jamestown, New York. History The franchise ...

. The Express played their home games at the Four Seasons Centre at the Steele County Fairgrounds. The Express played in the Central Division for three seasons from 2008 to 2011 until the team was sold to the Odessa Jackalopes in 2011. A previous minor professional hockey franchise known as the

Odessa Jackalopes The Odessa Jackalopes are a Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The team is based in Odessa, Texas and plays their home games at Ector County Coliseum. History The franchise first played as the ...

played in the

Western Professional Hockey League The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with ...

and

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

from 1997 to 2011.

Broadcasting

The team's games are broadcast over the internet via Hockey TV. They also use their YouTube channel to broadcast but it is strictly audio only.

Season-by-season records

Playoffs

*2009 :First Round – Owatonna Express defeated

North Iowa Outlaws North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, ''3-games-to-1'' :Second Round –

Bismarck Bobcats The Bismarck Bobcats are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's (NAHL) Central Division, and play out of Bismarck, North Dakota, in the V.F.W. Sports Center. Originally a part of the American Frontier Hockey Leag ...

defeated Owatonna Express, ''3-games-to-2'' *2010 :First Round –

Alexandria Blizzard The Alexandria Blizzard is a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior ice hockey team playing in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at Runestone Community Center in Alexandria, Minnesota. The franchise is o ...

defeated Owatonna Express, ''3-games-to-1'' *2011 :Division Semifinals –

Coulee Region Chill The Chippewa Steel is a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, that plays in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). History The franchise began in 2005 as the North Iowa Outlaws based in Mason City, Iowa, where the ...

defeated Owatonna Express, ''3-games-to-1'' *2012 :Division Semifinals –

Amarillo Bulls The Amarillo Bulls were a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were a member of the North American Hockey League's South Division and played home games in the Amarillo Civic Center. History The franchise joined the NAHL ...

defeated Odessa Jackalopes, ''3-games-to-1'' *2016 :Division Semifinals –

Wichita Falls Wildcats The Wichita Falls Wildcats were a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's South Division. The Wildcats played out of the 7,380-seat Kay Yeager Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas. After failing to find a buyer, the Wil ...

defeated Odessa Jackalopes, ''3-games-to-0'' *2018 :Division Semifinals –

Lone Star Brahmas The Lone Star Brahmas are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) based in North Richland Hills, Texas (a suburb of Fort Worth). The Brahmas play their home games at the NYTEX Sports Centre. The Brahmas nick ...

defeated Odessa Jackalopes, ''3-games-to-0''

References

External links

Odessa Jackalopes
Sports in Odessa, Texas North American Hockey League teams North American Hockey League Ice hockey teams in Texas Ice hockey clubs established in 1997 {{Texas-sport-team-stub