Bombers Shoot Down Jackals 4-3

February 29, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


ELMIRA, NY - Benoit Doucet tied the game with a power play goal with 6:04 left in regulation to force overtime, but the Elmira Jackals came up short in dropping a 4-3 shootout to the Dayton Bombers Friday night at First Arena.

Doucet's goal, his 21st of the year, materialized off of a Matt Gens drive that missed the net and ricocheted wildly off the end wall. With Bombers' goaltender Jeremy Duchesne trying to react to his right, Doucet buried the loose puck to square the game at 3-3.

Despite outshooting Dayton 14-5 in the final period, and 40-27 on the night, that goal would be the only offense of the period for Elmira. In earning the overtime point, the Jackals regained a share of second place in the North Division with the idle Reading Royals (69 pts.).

Elmira registered four of the five shots on goal in the overtime period and appeared to have the game won on a Kyle Wharton left wing drive with under a half a minute to go in sudden death. Wharton's shot beat Duchesne clean on the glove hand side, but rattled off of both goal posts and stayed out to prolong the Jackals' agony.

Ervins Mustukovs played all by fifty-one seconds of the contest, but was lifted in favor of Joel Martin for the shootout. Martin entered with a league-leading five shootout victories and had allowed just four goals on 24 attempts.

But Yannick Tifu got Dayton on the board in the Bombers first chance after a misfire by Maxime Lincourt. Pierre-Luc Faubert tied it at 1-1 on Elmira's second chance, but that would prove to be the only highlight in the one-on-one competion.

After misses by Bran Bonello and Masahito Nishiwaki (two goals in regulation), the Jackals could not dent the lead as Doucet and Chaz Johnson were held at bay by Duchesne.

Matt Beaudoin entered the game with an ECHL-best 33 goals, but failed to scratch the score sheet in sixty-five minutes of play. He made the most of the shootout, though, and converted on Dayton's fourth attempt to retake the lead at 2-1.

Down to their last shooter, captain Frank Littlejohn missed and the Bombers claimed the bonus point.

Gens finished the night with his second three-assist effort in the last two Friday night contests while the Jackals received secondary scoring from Bruce Watson (4th) and Jim McKenzie (7th).

The Jackals and Bombers meet again at First Arena Saturday night in a 7:35 p.m. face-off on Bonjulies Concept Photo Night freet o all fans entering the arena. Good seats are still available at the Gray Street box office (open at 10:00 a.m. Saturday), on-line at www.ticketmaster.com or charge-by-phone at 722-3711.



ECHL Stories from February 29, 2008


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