Jackals Dispatch IceHawks, Prepare for Komets

Published on April 9, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Despite all the doubters, all the nay sayers, and all those who thought it couldn't be done, the Elmira Jackals managed to get by the Adirondack IceHawks in four games in the United Hockey League's Eastern Conference Finals. Elmira fell behind 1-0 in the series, but rebounded with three straight wins for the series victory.

4/1/03 GAME ONE Jackals 2 – ICEHAWKS 6 Could it happen again that the Jackals might drop a third straight game to the IceHawks? And by a 6-2 score? As Game One of the series would prove, the answers were yes, and yes.

The Jackals wanted to get out to a quick start in the game, but Adirondack scored the first two goals. James Patterson and Dominic Chiasson boosted the IceHawks ahead 2-0 by the 15:13 mark of the first period. Elmira came back with a goal of its own from Brad Wingfield at 17:48, a power play marker to make it 2-1 at the intermission. Glenn Stewart and Aaron Phillips picked up the assists on the goal.

Second period action saw Elmira allow Hugo Belanger's first goal of the night at 6:27 for a 3-1 IceHawks lead, the only marker of the period. Randy Murphy scored on the power play for the Jackals just 1:03 into the third period to make it a 3-2 game with help from Corey Neilson and David Lessard. But from there, the ‘Hawks really put on the jets, scoring three more times. Trevor Senn's goal made it 4-2, and then Hugo Belanger capped the hat trick with a pair in the third for a 6-2 final. Marco Emond took the loss, making 27 saves, while Jason Wolfe stopped 34 shots for his first playoff win.

4/4/03 GAME TWO Jackals 3 – ICEHAWKS 2

Elmira's goal heading into the series was a split on the road with the IceHawks, and in Game Two, that's exactly what they ended up with. Elmira scored the only goal of the first period when Glenn Stewart notched an unassisted marker at 13:09 to make it 1-0 after one period. In the second, the Jackals kept the ball rolling, notching a pair of goals from Randy Murphy, both on the power play. Glenn Stewart set up the first goal, while Stewart and Aaron Phillips combined on the second one.

With the Jackals up 3-0 after 40 minutes, the IceHawks tried to come back. Dominic Chiasson's goal at 3:27 made it 3-1, and Bogdan Rudenko tipped a shot through the pads of Elmira goaltender Jeremy Symington at 17:37 to make it 3-2. From there, however, Elmira managed to hold the ‘Hawks off the board despite a late charge. With the win in hand, the Jackals evened the series at one game each. Symington, who got the nod in favor of Emond for the contest, stopped 44 shots for the win, while Martin Villeneuve blocked 26 shots in taking the loss.

4/5/03 GAME THREE JACKALS 5 – IceHawks 1

Adirondack now found itself with the same goal heading into the Coach USA Center for Games Three and Four: a split on the road at the very least. Bogdan Rudenko got the team off to a fast start with the only goal of the first period at 3:40 from James Patterson for a 1-0 lead. But from there, it was all Jackals the rest of the way.

Second period action saw the Jackals score three times. Tom Clayton opened the scoring at 3:38 from Eddy Lowe and Kris Mallette, followed by Rob Guinn's goal from Clayton and David Lessard at 14:25 for a 2-1 lead. Glenn Stewart made it 3-1 from Mallette and Randy Murphy just under two minutes later, which is how the second period ended.

The third period saw Elmira mark twice more to cap the scoring. Eddy Lowe's goal at 10:26 from Corey Neilson and Mike Thompson made it 4-1, and then Tom Clayton's second goal of the night from Lessard and Trevor Burgess at 15:59 for a 5-1 final. Jeremy Symington won his second straight start with a 23 save performance, and the IceHawks pulled starter Jason Wolfe after stopping 38 of 42 shots, and replacement Martin Villeneuve stopped 6 of 7 shots in mop up duty.

4/6/03 GAME FOUR JACKALS 4 – IceHawks 2

Elmira could sense the blood in the water as they closed on Game Four. Needing a win to close out the series at home and avoid a deciding game in Glens Falls, the Jackals hoped the Coach USA Center faithful could help bolster their chances.

It would be Adirondack marking first, with Frank Littlejohn firing a missile from the point past Jeremy Symington for a 1-0 lead. That was the only scoring until Randy Murphy scored at 14:47 of the second period from Trevor Burgess, beating Jason Wolfe off a beautiful feed in the slot. At the end of two periods of play, the clubs were tied at 1-1.

Third period action opened with J.C. Ruid scoring at 5:53 from Steven Low for a 2-1 IceHawks lead. But back came the Jackals, with Glenn Stewart tying the game at 7:29 from Rob Guinn and Aaron Phillips. Eddy Lowe took a feed from behind the net off the stick of David Lessard, pumping home the eventual game winner at 15:36. Tom Clayton added the other assist on the goal. Then, with the IceHawk net empty and the puck in the Jackals zone, Trevor Senn was whistled for slashing with 41.7 seconds left. Adirondack had to pull their goalie, trailing 3-2, and attacked five on five. Trevor Burgess found a path to the net with a dump off the glass from deep in his own end at 19:43 to give the Jackals a 4-2 win, and the series victory.

* * *

The Jackals now advance to face the Fort Wayne Komets in Eastern Conference Finals action. Games One and Two will be played in Fort Wayne this Friday at 8:35 pm, and Sunday at 6:05 pm. Games Three, Four, and Five (if nec.) come back to Elmira for 7 pm starts on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of next week. Games Six and Seven (again, if nec.) will be back in Fort Wayne, both at 8:35 pm, on Monday, April 21st, and Wednesday, April 23rd. All game times listed are Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

Tickets for all Jackals playoff home games may be purchased through the Coach USA Center Box Office, open 10 am to 6 pm Monday – Friday, and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday. Seats may also be obtained through all TicketMaster locations, on line at www.TicketMaster.com, or charge by phone at (607) 722-3711.

PLAYER AND GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS:

POTW – Randy Murphy, C 4 GP, 4-2-6, -1, 1 GWG, 3 PPG, 2 PIMS
VISITING TEAM G A +/- SH PIM MIN MAJ 10 GM GR MT PP SH GW GT EN OT FG UA G/A
Murphy, Randy 1 -3 1 1
Murphy, Randy 2 3 2 1
Murphy, Randy 1 2 2 1
Murphy, Randy 1 1 +2 2

GOTW – Jeremy Symington 3 GP, 180 mins., 3-0, 1.66 GAA, .943 Save percentage
HOME TEAM D MIN GA EN S1 S2 S3 SOT TOT
Symington, Jeremy W 60:00 2 11 17 16 44
Symington, Jeremy W 60:00 1 10 6 7 23
Symington, Jeremy W 60:00 2 5 9 2 16

JACKAL BITES:


- Randy Murphy's four goals leads all UHL players after the first round. Three of Murphy's goals were with the man advantage.


- Murphy and Glenn Stewart tied in the production department for the first round, with each player notching six points. Murphy had 4-2-6, while Stewart amassed 3-3-6.


- Jeremy Symington's starts against Adirondack were his first career playoff starts. He backed up Christian Soucy all last season during Elmira's charge to the Colonial Cup Finals. Symington is currently 3-0 in the playoffs with a 1.66 GAA and .943 save percentage.


- Tom Clayton's four points in four games (2-2) is nearly a quarter of his season total of 18 points (10-8).


- The line of Tom Clayton, David Lessard, and Eddy Lowe combined for 12 points in the Adirondack series.

NEWS AND NOTES:

The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show will air live from Patrick's, 303 College Ave. on Tuesday night. This week's guests are Jeremy Symington and Eddy Lowe. Join Jackals Head Coach Todd Brost, Tom Callahan, and WiNZ's Joe Munroe for an hour of fun and informative Jackal talk. Tune it in on your home for Jackals Hockey, WiNGZ 104.9!

The Elmira Jackals will have one more chapter in the Monthly Dinner Series At Horigan's once the second season comes to a close. Stay tuned to www.jackalshockey.com for more information once it becomes available!

The following is the complete schedule of games for the Eastern Conference Finals against Fort Wayne. Please note that all times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Game One Friday, April 11 @ Fort Wayne 8:35 PM
Game Two Sunday, April 13 @ Fort Wayne 6:05 PM
Game Three Wednesday, April 16 @ Elmira 7:00 PM
Game Four Friday, April 18 @ Elmira 7:00 PM
Game Five (if nec.) Saturday, April 19 @ Elmira 7:00 PM
Game Six (if nec.) Monday, April 21 @ Fort Wayne 8:35 PM
Game Seven (if nec.) Wednesday, April 23 @ Fort Wayne 8:35 PM

Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, April 8th at the Coach USA Center Box Office, starting at 10 am. Tickets may also be obtained through all Ticket Master locations, on line at www.TicketMaster.com, or charge by phone at (607) 722-3711. Prices are: Endzone $13, Center Ice $16, VIP $18, and Restaurant $24. Come on out and cheer your Jackals back to the Eastern Conference Championship!

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ECHL Stories from April 9, 2003


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