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Elmira Rolls Past Reading

March 30, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


READING, PA - The Elmira Jackals wrapped up the 2012-13 regular season with a 3-2 shootout win over the Reading Royals at the Sovereign Center on Saturday night. The win moved the Jackals' record to 40-25-7 on the season, and gave them 40 wins for the third time in six years in the ECHL.

With Florida's win over Orlando and Gwinnett's win over Greenville, the Jackals head into the playoffs as the fifth seed to take on the Everblades. Game 1 will be on Friday, April 5 at Germain Arena with a 7:30 scheduled faceoff.

The first period was about as dominant as it could be for the Jackals, but they only made it out of the frame with a tie. Reading goaltender Riley Gill swatted away 14 of the 15 shots the Jackals sent his way, and thanks to that the Royals held a brief 1-0 lead despite five shots. Stan Galiev swatted home a loose puck on the doorstep at 17:08 for his 23rd goal and a 1-0 Reading lead. Elmira wasted next to no time in its effort for the tying goal. Jordon Southorn unleashed a shot from the point that was deflected home by Jean Bourbeau for his 21st of the season. It came just 26 seconds after Galive's strike.

Reading flipped the script on Elmira in the second period and outshot the Jackals 9-4. A well placed deflection by Julien Cayer turned out to be the shot that lifted the Royals back into the lead. Ethan Cox pressured the Jackals into an errant clearing attempt up the left wing boards. After keeping the puck in, Bryant Molle turned a slap shot on goal that Cayer tipped in for his third of the season. Gill stopped each of the four shots Elmira sent his way and the Jackals headed into the third needed a comeback.

The Jackals took a page out of Reading's playbook to find the tying score near the midway point of the stanza. Chaz Johnson polished off a Reading defenseman on the forecheck and left the puck for a centering pass by Brandon Blandina. The rookie found Matt Tassone open in the slot, and his shot was tucked neatly under the crossbar for his fourth with Elmira in nine games. Each team had a power play opportunity within the final five minutes of play but could not break the tie. So the game shifted to overtime to decide the winner.

Each team managed a single shot in the sudden death frame with left a shootout to decide the winner. Elmira piled in goals from Andrew Rowe, Matt Carter, and Kyle Bushee over their first four attempts. At the other end, Ian Keserich stopped all three of Reading's shooters and lifted Elmira to the win.

Keserich stopped 26 shots in all to earn his eighth win of the season. Elmira was 0-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Mark your calendars! The Jackals will be back on home ice for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Florida Everblades. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at First Arena. Tickets are on sale right now through the First Arena Box Office, by phone at 607-734-7825, and online.

Jackals playoff ticket packages are on sale right now. They give fans a discount off of the box office price, and feature a convenient "pay-as-we-play" feature that assures you only pay for the games that will be played. Fans can download the playoff ticket form to order their package or call 607-734-7825 for more information.

All Jackals playoff games will be broadcast on the home of Jackals hockey, WEHH 1600 AM & 93.9 FM. The broadcast will also be streamed online at www.1600wehh.com and the internet TV broadcast is provided by America One.

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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.

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