Jackals Edge Closer To .500 With Two Home Wins

Published on February 6, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Week 17 Recap:

The Elmira Jackals began a 5-game home stand last week with two very solid defensive performances. The Jackals, and goaltender Dave Lemanowicz, held their Eastern Conference rival Port Huron to a single goal on 26 shots in a 3-1 win that put some distance between the Jackals and the Flags. Friday the Jackals welcomed the expansion Bloomington PrairieThunder to First Arena for the first time in their franchise history. Elmira had some new blood in the lineup as two-time UHL All-Star David Hymovitz signed with the Jackals and was added to the roster before Friday's game with Bloomington. Hymovitz brings a multitude of AHL and IHL experience to the Jackals and has been consistently one of the top offensive threats in the league during his two seasons in the UHL (Richmond & Danbury). It was another fabulous display of goaltending as Lemanowicz made 41 saves in a 3-1 win for the Jackals. Saturday was less desirable as Bloomington's new offensive weapons Greg Koehler and John Spoltore teamed up with captain Tyler Rennette to down Elmira 4-1.

The Jackals have, physically speaking, perhaps the easiest week of the season as they have just two games this weekend, both at home. They will host the Chicago Hounds Friday and Saturday night at First Arena, with face offs scheduled for 7:35 pm both evenings. Elmira is 3-2-0 against Chicago this season and this will be the Hounds second trip to First Arena. The Jackals are 1-1-0 so far in the month of February and they are looking to build on that record; Elmira has not had an above-0.500 record this season since November; Chicago has not been above-0.500 in any month so far this year.

Week 17 Game Results:

1/31/07 Port Huron 1 @ Elmira 3

Elmira, NY - Dynamic forward Frank Littlejohn scored two goals and goaltender Dave Lemanowicz was a stonewall in goal as the Elmira Jackals defeated the Port Huron Flags 3-1 Wednesday night at First Arena.

The Jackals dominated the opening period, but failed to capitalize on any of the chances. Elmira's defense frustrated Port Huron, who had two power plays in the first five minutes of play, but failed to register a shot on goal.

Frank Littlejohn broke the scoreless tie at 9:57 of the 2nd period when he banged in a pass from Erik Anderson for a 1-0 lead; the goal was Littlejohn's 23rd of the season, assisted by Anderson and Yevgeny Lazarev. But Elmira could not put any more distance between themselves and the visitors, leaving the door open for a Flags equalizer. Former Elmira Jackals forward Bobby McKillop, playing in his first professional hockey game in 3 years, tipped home a Pat Sutton slap shot from the blue line at 19:35 for a power play goal; assisted by Sutton and Greg Bullock and tying the game at one as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Elmira had some chances to retake the lead early in the third period, but they were denied by the play of Port Huron goaltender Brad Smith. The Flags came back with several quality chances of their own, only to be stymied by Jackals goaltender Dave Lemanowicz, who was in fine form all night long. Finally the Jackals pulled ahead, when Littlejohn again received a pass from Anderson and fired the puck into the roof of the Port Huron net at 17:48, his second goal of the night, for a 2-1 lead. The goal was Littlejohn's team-leading 24th of the season and was assisted by Anderson and Dale Lupul.

In the closing minute, the Flags pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker, but as they pressured the Elmira net, Brent Cullaton chased after a loose puck and found himself all alone in front of the empty net. But instead of burying the puck for a goal Cullaton selflessly laid it off to teammate Scott Wray who tapped it in with just two seconds remaining, sealing a 3-1 Jackals win. The goal at 19:58 of the third period was Wray's 23rd of the season and the assist was Cullaton's 33rd assist of the year.

Dave Lemanowicz was magnificent in goal for the Jackals as he stopped 25-of-26 shots in goal for the Jackals to earn his 7th win of the season. Elmira improved to 21-24-1 on the season, but they were 0-for-8 on the power play. Brad Smith took the loss in goal for Port Huron; making 29 saves on 31 shots. The Flags were 1-for-4 on the power play, but fell to 15-23-6 on the year.

2/2/07 Bloomington 1 @ Elmira 3

Elmira, NY - Left wing Scott Wray scored two goals as the Elmira Jackals beat the Bloomington PrairieThunder 3-1 Friday night at First Arena.

In their first every visit to First Arena, Bloomington grabbed the lead at 11:24 of the first period when Tyler Rennette cranked in a power play goal at 11:24, assisted by John Spoltore and Greg Koehler. But the Jackals answered two minutes later when Scott Wray received a pass from Brent Cullaton and snapped a wrist shot past the glove of Steffan Braunlich at 13:32, assisted by Cullaton and Chris Mann.

Wray then doubled the Jackals scored and gave them the lead at 6:18 of the second period. Erik Anderson found Wray open in the low slot and the Ottawa native again fired a wrist shot past Braunlich for a power play goal. The goal was Wray's 25th goal of the season, assisted by Anderson and Frank Littlejohn. Bloomington put the pressure on the Elmira goal, out-shooting the Jackals 16-11 in the middle period, but goaltender Dave Lemanowicz continued his top class form.

Frank Littlejohn kept pace with Wray in the Jackals goal-scoring race when he redirected a shot from Brent Cullaton at the point for his 25th goal of the season. The goal was Elmira's 2nd power play goal of the game and was assisted by Cullaton and Derek Miller. Elmira defended strongly, including a big help from newly signed center David Hymovitz, who used his AHL and IHL experience to help control the defensive zone.

Dave Lemanowicz turned in his second straight 1-goal victory as he made 40 saves on 41 shots for his 8th win of the season. The Jackals finished 2-for-5 on the power play and improved to 22-24-1 on the year. Steffan Braunlich took the loss in goal for Bloomington, stopping 33-of-36 shots. The PrairieThunder went 1-for-7 on the power play and fell to 15-23-6 on the season.

2/3/07 Bloomington 4 @ Elmira 1

Elmira, NY - Rookie goaltender Steffan Braunlich turned in a fabulous performance as he lifted the Bloomington PrairieThunder to a 4-1 win over the Elmira Jackals Saturday night at First Arena.

Former Jackal Greg Koehler put the visiting PrairieThunder in the lead as he scored at 9:42 from Ryan Gillis and Tyler Rennette. Rennette then made it 2-0 Bloomington on another Elmira turnover in their defensive zone; assisted by Koehler at 12:36. The Jackals out-shot their opponents 14-7 in the opening period, but failed to put the puck in the net.

In the second period Brad Thompson picked up a loose puck and put home a rebound for a power play goal at 10:57, giving Bloomington a 3-0 lead. Elmira had three more power plays in the second period, but still could not get on the scoreboard.

Finally some hope for the 3,252 fans at First Arena. 11 seconds into the third period, Koehler was whistled for hooking and the Jackals cashed in for a power play goal. Frank Littlejohn knocked home his 26th goal of the season at 0:50, assisted by Brent Cullaton and Elmira had completely turned the momentum in their favor. But the Jackals could not convert on either of their next two power plays, leading to Bloomington's 4th goal, scored by John Spoltore at 14:54, effectively sealing the victory for the PrairieThunder.

Steffan Braunlich made a colossal 41 saves on 42 shots for his 4th win of the season. Bloomington finished 1-for-4 on the power play and improved to 13-31-2 on the year. Dave Lemanowicz stopped 24-of-28 shots in goal for Elmira, as the Jackals went 1-for-8 on the power play and dropped to 22-25-1 on the season.

Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Week: (Week 17)

Frank Littlejohn - RW 3 GP, 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points, Even, 2 PIMs

Jackals right wing Frank Littlejohn has continued his hot streak into February. After leading the team in scoring during the first month of 2007, Littlejohn tallied another 5 points (4 goals, 1 assist) in 3 games played. He scored twice in a 3-1 win over Port Huron on Wednesday. Came back with a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Bloomington on Friday night and he scored the Jackals only goal in a 4-1 loss to Bloomington Saturday night. For the season Littlejohn has 39 points, which is 3rd best on the team, and he leads the Jackals in goals (26), power play goals (11) and short-handed goals (7).

Dave Lemanowicz - G 3 GP, 2-1-0, 2.00 GAA, 0.937 SV%, 89 saves

Dave Lemanowicz continues to put forth All-Star caliber efforts. The Jackals goaltender held the Port Huron Flags to a single goal on 26 shots in a 3-1 win Wednesday night in Elmira. He then backed it up with a phenomenal 40 save effort Friday night in a 3-1 win over Bloomington; his second straight one-goal performance. Saturday Lemanowicz again played extremely well, but was betrayed by his defense as the PrairieThunder scored four goals, two off defensive zone turnovers, one power play goal and another on a 4-on-1 odd-man rush. For the week Lemanowicz had a 2.00 GAA and a 0.937 save percentage as he improved his season record to 8-8-1 with two wins. On the year he has a 2.99 GAA and a 0.910 save percentage in 19 appearances.

Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Month: (January)

Frank Littlejohn - RW 15 GP, 11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points, -2, 43 PIMs

Jackals dynamic forward Frank Littlejohn elevated his game dramatically in the first month of the 2007 calendar year and his statistic reflect that improvement. Littlejohn led the Jackals in scoring during January, posting 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in 15 games played. He was held scoreless in 5 games, which means he averaged almost two points per game in the other 10 games in the month. Littlejohn had multi-point games six times in January and had multi-goal games three times. He ended the month on a 5-game point-scoring streak, tallying 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) during that stretch. Littlejohn scored 3 power play goals and 2 short-handed goals; adding to his team lead in both categories (9 PPG) and (7 SHG). He also leads the Jackals in Game-Winning Goals (4) and is #1 in the UHL in Short-Handed Goals (7).

Dave Lemanowicz - G 12 GP, 4-6-1, 3.07 GAA, 0.911 SV%, 359 saves

Dave Lemanowicz completed his first full month in goal for the Jackals in January, with some stunning numbers. Lemanowicz finished the month with a 3.07 GAA and a 0.911 save percentage, despite the fact that he had a couple of clunkers, statistically speaking. In four of his 12 starts, he allow 1-goal or less and earned his first shutout of the season against Quad City on January 19th, stopping 37 shots; it was also the Jackals first shutout of the year. He backed up that shutout with a stellar performance of 45 saves in Kalamazoo, as he beat the defending Champs. He also held the high-scoring Quad City Mallards to just 6 goals in three games. For the season, Lemanowicz is ranked 6th in the UHL with a 3.05 GAA and a 0.908 save percentage.

Jackals Rookie of the Month: (January)

David Morelli - C 15 GP, 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, Even, 16 PIMs For the third straight month rookie forward David Morelli has led the Jackals rookies in scoring. Morelli recorded 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 15 games. In the month of January, Morelli was one of only 5 Jackals not to have a minus rating and he was a perfect 1-for-1 in shootout attempts as he scored the Shootout Winner in the 8th Round against Quad City on January 20th at First Arena. For the season, Morelli is ranked 8th in the UHL in Rookie Scoring with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 44 games played.

JACKAL BITES:

* NEW SIGNING, JACKAL KILLER - The Jackals signed forward David Hymovitz, a player who was always a dangerous enemy of Elmira. Last year in Danbury Hymovitz scored 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) and was +5 in 13 regular season games against the Jackals.

* HIS GOLDEN JUBILEE - Captain Brent Cullaton had an assist Saturday against Bloomington, making him the first Elmira player this season to reach the 50 point mark (14 goals, 36 assists). The most amazing stat is that Cullaton has reached 50 points in only 38 games played. Elmira had 6 players with 50 or more points last season (2005-06). Cullaton is tied for 6th in the UHL in scoring with Muskegon defenseman Philippe Plante, who has 50 points in 49 games played.

* GOALS, GOALS, GOALS - Forward Frank Littlejohn scored goals in all three games this week, putting him on a 3-game Goal scoring streak. He had 4 goals this week, giving him a team-leading 26 goals for the season, one goal ahead of teammate Scott Wray (25).

* ANOTHER HELPING HAND - Captain Brent Cullaton is currently riding a 5-game assist streak. He has recorded at least one assist in each of his last 5 games, beginning on January 27th in Kalamazoo; he has 7 assists during this current streak.

* MILESTONES - Defenseman Scott Drevitch needs only 3 more games played to reach the 1,200 games mark for his professional career. If all goes well, Drevitch should reach the milestone on February 14th in Kalamazoo.

* MORE MILESTONES - Captain Brent Cullaton is 13 games played away from his 700th career professional game. He also needs just 9 more assists to record his 400th career pro assist. Cullaton is currently on pace to play his 700th pro game on Sunday March 4th in Port Huron.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 6, 2007


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.

OurSports Central