Elmira Hiccups To One-Point Weekend
February 22, 2006 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release
Elmira, NY - The Roanoke Valley Vipers tied the game with 24 seconds left, but the Elmira Jackals took the shootout and the two points on Valentine's Day, Tuesday night at the First Arena.
The Jackals led Roanoke Valley in shots 15-6 in the first period only the Vipers could find the back of the net. Elmira had several flurries of shots on netminder Trevor Cunning who came up big for his team with 15 solid saves. 5:03 into the first Vipers forward L.P. Martin scored a top shelf blast setup by a smooth pass from teammate David Beauregard for a power play goal. The play was also assisted by Travis Smith to give the Vipers the 1-0 lead that they held on to throughout the period.
It only took the Jackals a little over four minutes to tie the game up at one goal apiece. Chris Chaput scored his 19th goal of the season on a low rocket past Roanoke's Trevor Cunning. Jason Sessa and Bobby Gates were both awarded with assists on the play. The pace was fast through the second period with each team receiving only one penalty apiece. But no goals were scored despite both the Jackals and the Vipers having several chances to put the puck away. The teams would head to the locker room for the second intermission tied at 1 and Elmira leading in shots 22-14.
Sam Paolini started off the third period with a beautiful one-timer goal at 4:50, assisted by Chris Chaput and Konstantin Kalmikov to give Elmira the 2-1 lead. Four minutes later Roanoke's Mike Wiggins tied it up at two with the Vipers' second power play goal of the game, Wiggins knocking in a rebound from Travis Smith and Martin providing the assists. With 3:20 left in the game, Eddy Lowe deked Viper Goalie Trevor Cunning and roofed his shot off the underside of the crossbar to give Elmira what should have been the game winner, assisted by Carl Drakensjo and Mathieu Wathier. Just when Elmira seemed to have the win in hand, Roanoke pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. With 25 seconds left to play David Beauregard put his shot through traffic in front of the net and got it past McIntosh to tie the game in the closing seconds. Jan Jas and Joe Koslakiewicz were credited with the assists on the goal that brought the game into overtime.
Jan Jas, L.P. Martin, and Mark Scott were the first three shooters for Roanoke Valley in the shootout and neither of them could get the puck past Jackals goalie Ryan McIntosh. Konstantin Kalmikov went first for Elmira but put his shot high. Elmira's second shooter, Craig MacDonald, did not disappoint the fans as he stunned Cunning with a wrist shot to the back of the net. Josh Tataryn and Kevin Cooper were next up for the Jackals but neither could hit the right spot leaving the shootout tied at 1-1 due to the Vipers David Beauregard's 4th round goal. In the last round of the shootout Matt Miller could not pull through for the Vipers thanks to a game saving stop by McIntosh. Sam Paolini would take advantage of his chance to win the game for Elmira by making a nice move and releasing a blistering shot top shelf, sending Trevor Cunning and the rest of the Vipers packing.
Ryan McIntosh turned away 19-of-22 Roanoke Valley shots in regulation and stopping 4-of-5 penalty shots in the shootout. Vipers' goalie Trevor Cunning would not be so lucky coming away with only 31 saves on 35 shots in regulation and letting in 2 of 5 penalty shots in the shoot out. Roanoke was 2-for-5 on the power play, while Elmira finished 0-for-4.
2/17/06 Danbury 4 @ Elmira 2
Elmira, NY - The Danbury Trashers scored two third period goals on their way to a 4-2 win over the Elmira Jackals Friday night at the First Arena.
Danbury found several ways to strike down the Jackals momentum all night, beginning halfway into the first period. Danny Stewart knocked in a rebound just 6 seconds after Danbury's 2nd power play of the night expired, giving the Trashers a 1-0 lead at 13:03. The goal can just after penalized defenseman Mathieu Wathier returned to the ice, squashing all of Elmira's energy built from killing off the penalty.
But the Jackals came back strong in the second period. Sean Kotary scored his first goal of the season and first as a Jackal with a power play goal at 10:45, assisted by Kevin Cooper and Jason Sessa. Kotary's goal came on a blast from the blue line that navigated all the traffic in front and beat Danbury's goaltender Jayme Platt to tie the game. Elmira's power play continued to improve as they cashed in again for their first lead. Chris Chaput roofed a shot above the blocker of Platt at 16:55, just 9 seconds into Drew Omicioli's penalty for high-sticking. The goal was Chaput's 20th of the season, their second power play goal of the game, assisted by Sam Paolini and Flo Iberer. But Danbury again quelled Elmira's momentum just moments before the break. After John Donnelly was called for hooking at 19:11, Danbury's Donny Grover scored with just 2.7 seconds remaining in the 2nd period, sending both teams into the intermission tied at two, a major blow to the Jackals and their fans.
Elmira stepped up in the third period, but had two fatal flaws. First, they narrowly failed to score on a 35-second five-on-three advantage just three minutes into the third. Then Ryan Barnes caught the Jackals defense off guard for just a split second, snapping a shot past goaltender Nick Boucher at 6:38, putting the Trashers on top 3-2. Then, after Elmira failed to score on Shawn Collymore's high-sticking penalty, Drew Omicioli slapped a one-timer in the net at 12:31 for a 4-2 Danbury lead, the final straw in Elmira's disappointed downfall.
Goaltender Jayme Platt made 33 saves on 35 shots for the win in goal for Danbury, while Elmira's Nick Boucher stopped 32-of-36 shots in the loss. The Jackals were 2-for-9 on the power play in the game, while Danbury was 1-for-3.
2/18/06 Adirondack 5 @ Elmira 3
Elmira, NY - The Adirondack Frostbite scored 4-straight goals on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Elmira Jackals Saturday night at the First Arena.
Elmira came out looking to avenge not only a shootout loss to Adirondack one-week prior, but also from Friday's defeat to Danbury. Josh Tataryn, who was the healthy scratch on Friday, scored from an impossibly sharp angle at 7:03, slipping a shot between the legs of goaltender Derek Gustafson, assisted by Kevin Cooper and John Donnelly. But then the Frostbite took over. First Adirondack answered just 59 seconds later, tying the game on a power play goal from Kevin Watters at 8:02. Then Mike Berry made it a 2-1 Adirondack lead when he scored at 19:53, with just 7.4 seconds remaining in the period.
Adirondack came out in the second period and added to their lead despite being out-shot 16-10 by Elmira. Ryan Bennett scored at 12:03 to make it 3-1 Frostbite, but again it was the last minute of the period that really plagued the Jackals. Sylvain Cloutier one-timed a shot past goaltender Nick Boucher at 19:22 for a power play goal, their second goal in the final minute of a period and a 4-1 lead after two periods.
Elmira started to come back when Jarrett Konkle, from his own defensive zone, sent a clever 100-foot pass to Kevin Cooper streaking up the right wing. Cooper sped past defenseman Bob Rapoza and slid a backhand shot past Gustafson for a power play goal at 5:54, cutting the Frostbite lead to two. Then, with a brief 5-on-3 advantage, Jason Sessa snapped a sizzling wrist shot past Gustafson at 10:13 and, with just under half a period remaining, Elmira trailed Adirondack by just one goal, 4-3. But the comeback would not be completed and the Frostbite got some needed insurance when Kevin Watters scored his second power play goal of the game at 14:06 for a 5-3 lead. Elmira out-shot the Frostbite 21-to-9 in the final period, but could along manage the two power play goals.
Derek Gustafson was sensation in goal for Adirondack, stopping 42-of-45 shots, including three almost sure goals in the third period. Nick Boucher made 26 saves on 31 shots in goal for the Jackals. Elmira out-shot the Frostbite 45-to-31 and finished 2-for-10 on the power play. Adirondack was 3-for-6 with the man-advantage, a deciding factor in the game.
2/19/06 Elmira 4 @ Danbury 5
Danbury, CT - The Danbury Trashers scored a late third period goal, breaking a 4-4 tie to beat the Elmira Jackals 5-4 Sunday night at the Danbury Ice Arena.
After suffering two difficult losses to Danbury and Adirondack at the First Arena the previous two evenings, Elmira went into the DIA hoping to feed off their prior success in the Trashers home rink. Newcomer Todd Grant scored his first goal in a Jackals uniform as he put Elmira on the board at 3:52 of the opening period. Jason Sessa set up the goal by stealing the puck behind Danbury's net, then with his stick tied up with a defender, kicking the loose puck with his skate right out to the top of the crease where Grant was all alone to bury his shot. It was the lone goal of the opening period that saw just 12 total shots on goal, Danbury out-shooting the Jackals 7-5.
In the second period Elmira continued to keep the home fans quiet when Sam Paolini unleashed a blazing slap shot that beat goaltender Sylvain Daigle upstairs for a power play goal at 7:28, assisted by Sessa and Flo Iberer for a 2-0 Elmira lead. But the Trashers answered right back, Shawn Collymore scored a mere 48 seconds later at 8:16 to cut the Jackals lead in half. Then in the last three minutes of the period, things got wild. First Paolini scored his second goal of the game on a beautiful wrap-around shot that slid through the legs of Daigle for a 3-1 Elmira lead at 17:06, assisted by Chris Chaput and Kevin Cooper. For Chaput it was his team leading 30th assist of the year and it put him at the 50-point plateau, the first Jackal to reach that mark this season. Then Danbury came storming back. Drew Omicioli scored a pair of goals to tie the game at three. He first blasted in a power play goal at 18:44 and then backed it up with the game-tying goal with only 10.4 seconds remaining on the clock. It was the 5th goal allowed by Elmira in the last four games that was scored in the final 30 seconds of a period.
Just 2:41 into the third period, Danny Stewart gave Danbury their first lead of the game, 4-3, as he scored from Drew Omicioli and Ed Campbell. But Elmira answered. Rookie Jarrett Konkle sent an absolute Howitzer from the right face-off circle that scorched the back of the net for a power play goal at 7:22, assisted by Bobby Gates and Carl Drakensjo. Gates was the one who really setup the goal, stopping a clearing attempt at the blue line, then skating by a charging defenseman before sliding the puck across to the opposite circle where Konkle was unmarked. But Danbury again spoiled Elmira's bid for points when Alex Goupil scored at 15:25, lifting the Trashers to a late winner 5-4.
Sylvain Daigle made 25 saves on 29 shots in the win for Danbury, while Ryan McIntosh stopped 31-of-36 for the Jackals in the loss. Elmira was 2-for-5 on the power play in the game, while the Trashers were 1-for-5.
Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Week: (Week 18)
Chris Chaput - C 4 GP, 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points, Even, 4 PIMs
Chris Chaput had a very steady week on the ice for the Jackals. In a stretch where Elmira's offense has been anything but consistent, Chaput scored points in all four games, finishing with 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) and continued to bolster his team leading points total. On the season, the rookie forward leads Elmira in scoring with 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) in 52 games played. During the weekend he also passed injured teammate Trevor Burgess for the team lead in assists (30).
Ryan McIntosh - G 2 GP, 1-1-0, 4.04 GAA, 0.862 SV%, 50 saves
Ryan McIntosh gave the Jackals a great start to the week, beating Roanoke in a shootout on Valentine's Day. But it went downhill after that. Even in the final game of the weekend, Elmira could not hold the lead against Danbury and McIntosh suffered a difficult 5-4 loss Sunday. He finished the week with a 4.04 GAA and a 0.862 save percentage.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Elmira Jackals Team Leaders:
Goals: Kevin Cooper (24)
Assists: Chris Chaput (30)
Points: Chris Chaput (50)
Plus/Minus: Several Players Tied at (Even)
Penalty Minutes: Chris Mann (245)
Power Play Goals: Jarrett Konkle (12)
Short Handed Goals: Eddy Lowe, Jarrett Konkle (2)
Game Winning Goals: Kevin Cooper (3)
Shots: Kevin Cooper (167)
Shooting Percentage: Todd Grant (20.0%)
Saves: Nick Boucher (861)
Wins: Ryan McIntosh (10)
GAA: Ryan McIntosh (3.54)
Save Percentage: Nick Boucher (0.898)
Eastern Division Standings:
EASTERN GP W L SOP PTS PCT.
Danbury 55 32 13 10 74 .673
Adirondack 49 30 15 4 64 .653
Richmond 52 25 22 5 55 .529
Elmira 52 18 28 6 42 .404
Roanoke 49 14 29 6 31 .347
Coach's Show
Don't miss the next broadcast of The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show broadcast of the
season LIVE Tuesday night February 28th at 7pm. This week the show will be
broadcast live from the Coach's Office inside the First Arena. Come listen to Head
Coach Perry Florio, the Voice of the Jackals Owen Newkirk, along with two Jackals
players for the broadcast. Tune in on Wheels AM 820 WWLZ or stream it online at
www.jackalshockey.com First Arena Rec Rink Hockey Information The ice is HOT at First Arena - Visit our website for a complete list of Public
Skating times and Arena Programs at www.firstarena.com The First Arena Rec Rink offers public skating, skating lessons, hockey programs,
figure skating, birthday parties, and much more....
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International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 22, 2006
