Elmira Looking For A Spark To Halt Skid
Published on March 26, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release
Approaching the final weeks of the 2006-2007 UHL season, the Jackals found themselves desperately needing wins as they faced the Kalamazoo Wings for two games at First Arena last weekend. The Jackals held their own against the defending Colonial Cup champions, but in both Friday and Saturday's match ups, Elmira could not seem to win the momentum in key situations. Friday down 2-1 in the second period, Frank Littlejohn beat goaltender Tom Askey with a short handed shot that clanged off the cross bar. Moments later the K-Wings scored to take a 3-1 lead. Later in the period Littlejohn was awarded a penalty shot, only to be stifled again by a strong save from Askey. Saturday both of Elmira's game-tying goals were answered by the K-Wings almost immediately. In the second period Lucas Drake scored 12 seconds after Glenn Detulleo tied the game 1-1 and then in the third period Jason Lawmaster answered Mike Oliveira's game-tying power play goal by scoring the go-ahead goal 17 seconds later.
Elmira will hit the road this week as they have a trio of games out in the Midwest. Wednesday the Jackals are in Kalamazoo for their third-straight game against the K-Wings. Friday and Saturday Elmira will head to Rockford for a weekend series with the IceHogs. The Jackals will need big performances from the likes of Frank Littlejohn, Mike Oliveira, Erik Anderson, Glenn Detulleo and others if they want to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. Elmira currently stands 8 points behind Port Huron, with 6 games left, meaning they need to pull within 6 points of the Flags by the week's end, to set up a do-or-die three game set with Port Huron to close out the regular season.
Week 24 Game Results:
3/23/07 Kalamazoo 4 @ Elmira 1
Elmira, NY - The Kalamazoo Wings broke open a 1-1 tie with three second period goals on their way to a 4-1 win over the Elmira Jackals Friday night at First Arena.
The Jackals had Mike Oliveira, Yevgeny Lazarev and Curtis Tidball all return to the lineup from the Injured Reserve to face off against the K-Wings, but the influx of new players would not be enough to propel Elmira to victory. Tyler Willis opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 15:58 of the 1st period, assisted by Adam Elzinga and Lucas Drake. But Frank Littlejohn brought the 3,248 fans at First Arena to their feet when he tallied his 36th goal of the season at 18:05, after he was sent free on a breakaway by Glenn Detulleo; goaltender Zach Sikich also assisted on the goal.
In spite of the fact that Elmira was playing a strong, even game against Kalamazoo, the visitors broke open the score in the middle frame. Kory Karlander scored a power play goal at 12:46 to give the K-Wings the lead. Littlejohn just missed a chance to tie the game at two, when his short-handed effort beat goaltender Tom Askey, but clanged off the crossbar. Jason Lawmaster then put his team up 3-1 at 15:18 when he scored just moments after that same Kalamazoo power play expired. Down by two, Littlejohn was pulled down by Jeff Brown and referee Neil Christopher award the Jackals forward a penalty shot; but Askey again denied Elmira's leading goal scorer. Karlander added his second goal of the night with just 25 seconds remaining in the period as he lifted a shot over the glove of Sikich, giving Kalamazoo a 4-1 lead after forty minutes.
Elmira worked hard over the third period, managing 11 shots on goal, but could not solve Askey's play in goal. Rob Chappell and Jesse Rycroft dropped the gloves with 9 minutes left in the game, providing a little entertainment in the final period.
Tom Askey earned his 24th win of the season in goal for Kalamazoo, stopping 29-of-30 shots as the K-Wings improved to 40-21-6 on the year. Zach Sikich recorded an assist in the game, but took the loss in goal for Elmira, making 34 saves on 38 shots as the Jackals dropped to 27-41-1 on the season. Kalamazoo finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while Elmira was 0-for-6.
3/24/07 Kalamazoo 4 @ Elmira 2
Elmira, NY - The Kalamazoo Wings swept their two-game weekend series with the Elmira Jackals earning a 4-2 victory Saturday night at First Arena.
Playing in his first ever professional game, Kalamazoo rookie Doug Conley scored on his first pro shot, scoring a power play goal at 3:21, assisted by Paul Caponigri and Lucas Drake. The Jackals out-shot the K-Wings 12-8 in the first period, but could not beat starter Tom Askey who was spectacular.
In the second period Elmira finally got a shot behind Askey. Center Glenn Detulleo snapped a low wrist shot under the blocker of the Kalamazoo goaltender at 10:45, assisted by Kim Brandvold and Bobby Kukulka, tying the game 1-1. But the K-Wings stole the momentum right back when Lucas Drake scored just 12 seconds later at 10:57, regaining their lead 2-1.
Again the Jackals labored to tie the game and again they found the equalizer when Mike Oliveira scored his first goal in a Jackals uniform at 5:57 of the third period, banging home a pass from Yevgeny Lazarev for a power play goal; Joe Markusen had the second assist on the goal. However, Kalamazoo again had the answer. Jason Lawmaster caught Elmira off guard and poked home a fluky goal a mere 17 seconds later at 6:14, putting the K-Wings back in the lead 3-2. Kory Karlander then padded the visitors lead with his 41st goal of the season at 11:44, assisted by Tyler Kindle, capping off a 4-2 Kalamazoo victory.
For the second straight game Tom Askey earned the win in goal for Kalamazoo, his 25th of the season, as he made 30 saves on 32 shots to help the K-Wings improve to 41-21-6 on the year. Dave Lemanowicz took the loss for Elmira, stopping 29-of-33 shots as the Jackals fell to 27-42-1 on the season. Elmira was 1-for-7 on the power play, while Kalamazoo was 1-for-3.
Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Week: (Week 24)
Glenn Detulleo - C 2 GP, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, -2, 0 PIMs Glenn Detulleo was named the Jackals player of the week for the second straight time. Detulleo led the team in scoring with 2 points in two games against Kalamazoo. He earned an assist Friday night by firing a long pass to send Frank Littlejohn on a breakaway. Saturday he scored the Jackals first goal of the game in the second period. Detulleo 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 11 games with Elmira, and 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) on the season.
Zach Sikich - G 1 GP, 0-1-0, 4.00 GAA, 0.895 SV%, 34 saves Rookie goalie Zach Sikich put in a strong performance against the defending Colonial Cup champs this week, but the Jackals couldn't find the offense to support him. Sikich made 34 saves Friday against Kalamazoo in a 4-1 defeat. For the season Sikich has a 4-7-1 record in 19 appearances, with a 3.31 GAA and a 0.899 save percentage.
JACKAL BITES:
* NUMBER CRUNCHING - Despite the Jackals currently losing streak, there are still plenty of scenarios that would put Elmira into the playoffs. Along with some other teams losing games, the Jackals have to win at least four of their final six games in order to earn a spot in the post season.
* CHASING HISTORY - RW Frank Littlejohn is just one goal away from tying Jarrett Konkle single season goal scoring record. Konkle scored 37 goals last season for Elmira, setting a new franchise record for goals in one season. With 36 goals to date, Littlejohn is already enjoying a career year in goals and has 6 games left to make or break the Jackals record.
* BACK FROM INJURY - LW Mike Oliveira, RW Yevgeny Lazarev and LW Curtis Tidball all returned from injury on Friday against Kalamazoo. Oliveira and Lazarev even combined for a power play goal Saturday night, Oliveira's first goal as a Jackal. However Tidball did not play Saturday, after reaggravating his injury during Friday's game.
* MR. 2000 - Goaltender Dave Lemanowicz is approaching the 2,000 minutes played milestone for the season. He currently has played 1,880 minutes in between the pipes for the Jackals this season. If he appears in two full games of the last six of the season he will become the first Jackals goaltender since Greg Hewitt in 2004-05 to log 2,000 or more minutes in the season.
* NOT QUITE A VET - Last week it was reported that defenseman R.C. Lyke had played in his 300th pro game against Muskegon. However, due to several statistical errors, Lyke has actually only played 299 career regular season professional games. Since he suffered a season ending injury, Lyke will not hit the 300 games played mark and will not hit veteran status.
Coach's Show
Don't miss the next broadcast of The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show LIVE Monday March
26th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Pioneer Sports Bar & Grill in Elmira. Join the
Voice of the Jackals Owen Newkirk, as he interviews Jackals Head Coach Paul Gillis,
along with captain Erik Anderson and left wing Mike Oliveira for the broadcast on
News Talk 1230 & 1450 AM WENY or stream it online at www.jackalshockey.com
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 26, 2007
