Gillies Hat-Trick Sparks Jackals Rout

March 6, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Richmond, VA - Nathan Gillies second period natural hat trick helped lift the Elmira Jackals to a 9-4 pummeling of the Richmond Riverdogs Sunday at the First Arena.

The game was wide open in the first period as both teams found the net three times in the opening twenty minutes. Jason Sessa opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 2:14 from Jason Jaworski and Craig Macdonald. Luch Nasato tied the game at 4:39 when his dump in ricocheted off the boards and into the net while goalie Kevin Kurk was stranded behind the net; it was the second time this season that the Jackals have conceded that kind of bizarre goal at the First Arena. Jarrett Konkle scored his second goal in his second professional game and Dean Jackson also scored in the opening period for Elmira. Richmond added goals from David Hymovitz and Mark Langdon to level the score at 3-3 after one.

Up stepped Nathan Gilles. Gillies scored three consecutive goals in a span of six minutes to help Elmira steam ahead. He scored from Sessa at 1:38, then made it 5-3 at 6:13 from Sessa and Eddy Lowe. The assist by Lowe tied him with Randy Murphy (219 points) as the Jackals All-Time Leading scorer. Gillies finished off the trick at 7:40 from Macdonald and Bill Cass giving him 17 goals this year, but that was not the last of Elmira's scoring in the second period. Trevor Burgess scored his 7th goal of the season at 18:12 from Macdonald for a 7-3 score after two. Macdonald finished the game with 4 assists in just his second pro game.

Jason Sessa and Dean Jackson each joined the list of Jackals multi-goal scorers on Sunday. Sessa's second goal of the game made it 8-3 at 5:05 of the third period with a blistering power play goal assisted by Gillies. Richmond got one back at 8:36 when Mark Langdon put home a power play goal at 8:36, but then Jackson finished off the scoring with his second goal of the night at 13:48, an unreal back-hand lifted up underneath the cross bar from close range, assisted by Jeff Antonovich for a 9-4 victory.

Kevin Kurk stopped 39-of-43 for his 6th win of the season in a performance that included dozens of scintillating saves. Brent Belecki started this game, making 15 saves on 20 shots before being pulled in the second period for Nathan Grobins who stopped 16-of-20 in the game; Belecki took the loss.

The Jackals now hit the road for three games next weekend against Flint, Muskegon and Rockford, beginning Friday night, March 11th at 7:35 pm. Elmira is back at the First Arena on Friday March 19th as they the Danbury Trashers for a 7:30 pm face-off.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 6, 2005


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