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Jackal Bites

November 18, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


The Elmira Jackals finally found a way to win this weekend, earning four out of a possible six points by way of two overtime duels with Adirondack and Flint, and a Saturday victory over the latter by a count of 5-3.

Though the team had been struggling lately, both in the win column and offensively, the Jackals were anxious to play three in a row at home in three nights. True to form with the Adirondack IceHawks in town on Thursday night, there were plenty of fireworks. To the surprise of some, however, they were mostly of the offensive variety.

Hugo Belanger would kick things off for the IceHawks at the 17:57 mark of the first period to give Adirondack a 1-0 lead at the end of one. Tyler MacKay stopped all ten shots he faced, while the Jackals gave up nine, eight of which were stopped by Marco Emond.

As the second period dawned, Elmira looked to make a move on the ‘Hawks, and stared off with Kevin Kerr's goal just 2:24 into the period, with help from Mike Thompson and Corey Neilson. Trevor Senn grabbed the lead back for Adirondack :47 later, but Elmira would come back themselves with a Randy Murphy goal at 4:15 to even things up at two. Just :33 later Glenn Stewart would score to give Elmira their first lead of the game at 3-2. Corey Neilson and Rob Guinn assisted on both goals for the Jackals.

The Jackals would finish out the scoring for the second period when Aaron Phillips scored a shorthanded goal of highlight reel quality. Phillips backchecked into the Elmira zone, and picked up a loose puck after Rob Guinn threw a bone jarring check to knock it free from an IceHawk player. Phillips then went from his own blueline, through three IceHawks down the right wing, cut in on goal, and put the puck past Tyler MacKay for a 4-2 Jackal advantage. That goal signaled the end of the night for MacKay, as he surrendered four goals on 12 shots. Rookie Jason Wolfe would move into the net for Adirondck, and stop the only other shot the Jackals put on goal after that point.

In the third period, the IceHawks would answer with three goals fo their own, as Dominic Chiasson, Doug Schmidt, and James Patterson all scored to give Adirondacka 5-4 lead. With time running down, the Jackals grew more desperate. Finally, David Lessard was able to poke home a loose puck that Wolfe could not track down with 1:57 left to tie the game at 5-5. Brad Wingfield and Corey Neilson picked up the assists to send the game to a shootout, guaranteeing each team one point.

In the extra session, Elmira couldn't match the IceHawks' three tallies, and ended up with the single point. Corey Neilson's four assists set a season high for points in a game by a Jackal this season. Netminder Marco Emond stopped 35 of 40 in regulation to earn the single point.

On Friday, Flint made their maiden voyage to the Coach USA Center this season, the first of ten meetings between the two clubs this year. Kevin Kerr suited up opposite his old club for the first time since donning a Jackal uniform, and he got the scoring started with a power play goal at the 2:43 mark of the second period with help from David Lessard and Randy Murphy. The Generals, however, would rally in the period. Tom Perry scored twice for Flint, netting one goal at even strength and one on the power play, to give the Generals a 2-1 lead at the end of the second stanza.

The Jackals came out needing to kill off 1:01 of power play time as Brad Wingfield picked up a roughing call before the end of the second. Special teams shone for the Jackals as they were able to keep Flint off the board, and a short time later were rewarded with a power play of their own. Elmira then second power play goal on the advantage, as Mike Thompson marked with help from Aaron Phillips and Rob Guinn just 2:34 into the period. Flint re-opened the lead to 3-2 when Dale Greenwood scored an unassisted goal at 4:24. The game would remain in Flint's favor until the Jackals took a risk to put the team on the power play late in the game. Jackals Head Coach Todd Brost called for a length measurement on Jim Duhart's stick, which proved to be too long and granted the Jackals a power play opportunity. Kevin Kerr scored his second goal of the contest with 1:07 left in regulation to knot things up at 3-3 and send the game to a shootout.

In the OT, Elmira wouldn't mark until the fifth round to tie things up at one goal each, with Kevin Kerr putting the puck past Sean Weaver. In the sixth round, though, Lee Jelenic scored while Mike Thompson missed for Elmira, and the Generals skated off with the two points despite Elmira's late charge. Jeremy Symington stopped 29 of 32 to earn the point, while Weaver blocked 39 of 42 for Flint.

Saturday brought the rematch between the two clubs before a second straight sellout crowd. Flint got on the board first, kicking off the scoring in the contest with the only goal of the first period from Jay Woodcroft. Woodcroft chipped home a rebound from a Corey Laniuk shot with :38 left in the period to grab the 1-0 advantage.

In the second, Elmira came back with three goals of their own, the first two coming with the man advantage as Randy Murphy and Glenn Stewart scored to make it 2-1. Corey Neilson picked up assists on both goals, while Murphy and Kevin Kerr picked up singles. The Jackals added to the lead with Murphy's second goal of the period from Glenn Stewart to make it 3-1 at the second intermission.

The third period saw Elmira stretch their lead to 4-1 as Kerr scored his third goal in two games against his former team from Aaron Phillips and Mike Thompson. But Flint would rally with a pair from Lee Jelenic and Bobby Reynolds, with Reynold's marker coming with 1:02 remaining in the contest. Flint goalie Sean Weaver would be pulled late for the extra attacker, but David Lessard would find the empty net for an insurance goal with 10.2 seconds remaining for a 5-3 final. The victory was Elmira's first win since November 1st over Fort Wayne.

The Jackals will now play 10 of their next 12 on the road, seeing Quad City, Missouri, and Rockford at home for the first time since their inaugural season. Only games on 11/27 against Adirondack and 12/8 against Kalamazoo break up the monotony for fans until 12/19 when Flint comes to town and the Jackals have a stretch of eight of ten at home.

POTW - Corey Neilson – D 3 GP 0-6-6 8 PIMs 10 shots +3

Neilson recorded a Jackal-season high four points in Elmira's 6-5 shootout loss to Adirondack on Thursday night, to go along with 4 PIMs, 3 shots, and a +2 rating. Friday he went pointless but had 2 PIMs, 2 shots, and was even for the Jackals' 4-3 SOL to Flint. Saturday Neilson assisted on two more goals, recorded 2 PIMs, 5 shots, and a +1 rating as the Jackals defeated Flint 5-3 GOTW - Marco Emond 2 GP 1-0-1 4.00 GAA .897 save percentage

Emond picked up the only win of the weekend for the Jackals, earning three of a possible four points in his starts this week. Thursday - 35 saves, 40 shots, 6-5 SOL to Adirondack Saturday - 35 saves, 38 shots, 5-3 W vs. Flint Jackal Bites:

- Corey Neilson's four point night was the highest total by a Jackal this season so far

- The Jackals scored five straight power play goals against Flint over two night, scoring all three goals with the man advantage on Friday night, and their first two on Saturday night before finally finding the net at even strength. The Jackals power play has improved dramatically in the last five games, with the team scoring eight man up goals in their last five games.

- Randy Murphy continues his torrid scoring pace for the club, notching a point in every game this weekend for the Jackals. Murphy scored 3-3-6 for the club in three games this weekend, and had two goals and an assist to help Elmira beat Flint to snap a five game winless skid. Murphy is currently riding an 11 game point scoring streak, the longest in the UHL this season. Murphy also ranks third in league scoring with 23 points this season.

- Speaking of streaking, Kevin Kerr has a three game goal scoring streak in the works. Kerr rose to the occasion against his old team, scoring 2 goals in Elmira's shootout loss to the Generals on Friday, where he also scored the only goal of the shootout for the club. Saturday he helped down his former mates with a one goal, one assist performance.

- All of Elmira's shootout losses have come at home this season, where they are 4-3-3

- The Jackals will now play ten of their next 12 games on the road, with only two home games (Adirondack, Kalamazoo) thrown in before December 19th when they host Flint at home for the third time this season.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Corey Neilson has won UHL Player of the Week for the week of 11/11/02. Neilson recorded four assists to help the Jackals earn a shootout point on Thursday against Adirondack, then followed up with two helpers in the team's 5-3 win over Flint on Saturday night.

With the team's travel schedule this week, the Jackals Coach's Show has been shifted to Monday at 7 pm. Brad Wingfield and Eddy Lowe highlight the show this week, broadcast live from Patrick's, 303 College Ave. at 7 pm.

The Jackals will appear in person at The Cantina Restaurant in Corning at the Rockwell Museum on Monday, November 18th from 5 – 7 pm. Players will be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures! Stop down and say hi!

Tickets are still available for the next Jackal games against Adirondack (Wed. 11/27) and Kalamazoo (Sunday 12/8). Seats may be purchased through all Ticket Master locations, online at www.TicketMaster.com, or charge by phone at (607) 722-3711. You may also come to the Coach USA Center Box Office, open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday's 10 am to 4 pm. The Jackals Monthly Dinner Series continues on Monday, December 9th at 6 pm at Horigan's, 365 Davis St. in Elmira. Join the Jackals for dinner, trivia, and lots of fun! No reservations are required at Horigan's, where Irish Hospitality Is Always On Tap!

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