Chiefs Chase Away Jackals

February 8, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, PA - The Johnstown Chiefs put up their biggest offensive effort of the season, without their two leading scorers, in defeat of the Elmira Jackals on Friday night. When the dust had settled the Chiefs emerged with a 9-3 win.

The onslaught began when a Mike Knight wrist shot was tipped in by Elmira's own Chris Busby at 4:37 of the first. Chaz Johnson made up for the blunder by knotting things up off of a face off win by Pierre-Luc Faubert. Tyler Hirsch put the Chiefs in the lead again with a pretty power play goal at 8:30 of the first.

After taking a cross-ice pass from Rob Drummond, Hirsch flipped the puck to the middle, hopped around his defender, and wristed the puck past Joel Martin's outstretched glove in one felled swoop.

The second period would become the Joey Olson show, as the rookie scored two goals and assisted on a third as the Chiefs built a 5-2 lead.

Johnson scored for Elmira just 17 seconds to begin the period to knot the game at 2. Olson's two goals came less than two minutes apart, though, and the Chiefs never looked back. His first came at 2:42, scoring on a rebound off of a Ryan Garlock shot, and the second came at 4:03 via a tipped in point-shot taken by Brian Deeth.

Olson then teamed up with Mike Knight to set up Nicolas Bachand all alone in front for the Chiefs' second power play goal and a 5-2 lead at 18:04 of the second.

Things really picked up in the third with Elmira scoring once, and the Chiefs netting four markers.

Andrew Gallant replaced Martin in net to start the third and was greeted by a Hirsch wraparound goal just 2:59 into the final stanza. Busby answered 1:30 later, putting the puck into the correct net this time, by finishing a setup in front from Frank Littlejohn.

Elmira's momentum was short-lived, though, as Vincent Zaore rifled a slap shot through Gallant's five-hole at 8:01 to reestablish the four-goal lead. Olson then completed his hat trick with another goal in close at 10:13, and Bachand banked a shot in off of an Elmira defender to set the 9-3 final at 17:22.

In all, Olson (3g, 1a), Zaore (1g, 1a), Garlock (4a), Knight (1g, 1a), Deeth (2a), Bachand (2g), Hirsch, (2g, 1a), and Andrew Martens (2a) all finished with multiple-point games. The Chiefs set season highs goals (9), assists (14), and points (23) in the game.

Ryan Nie picked up his 15th win of the year in stopping 21 of 24 Elmira shots, and the Chiefs' power play went 2-for-4

The Chiefs will take on the Trenton Devils for the next home game on Sunday, February 10 for Bingo Night. All fans will receive bingo cards upon entering the arena, and numbers will be called during random times throughout the game for Chiefs prizes. If you miss that one, you can catch the Chiefs Great seats are still available at the UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at the Cambria County War Memorial. Call 536-5156 or visit www.johnstownchiefs.com to get yours today!



ECHL Stories from February 8, 2008


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