Jackals End Month With Winless Week

Published on January 31, 2005 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Week 16 Game Results:

1/26/05 DANBURY 6 - Jackals 4

Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals twice squandered a 3-goal lead as they lost to Danbury 6-4 Wednesday night at the First Arena. Elmira came out of the gates absolutely smoking, wasting no time to display vintage Jackals hockey. Elmira went ahead 1-0 on a Jamie Thompson goal just 4:05 into the contest, assisted by Nathan Gillies and George Pujacs. Gillies made it 2-0 a mere two minutes later, assisted by Thompson at 6:19. Late in the first period Jason Sessa scored a highlight reel goal at 18:33 to cap a phenomenal twenty minutes of hockey for the hometown team.

However the Connecticut garbage haulers again went to work in the second period, one they have been traditional very good against Elmira. Danbury got on the board a mere 50 seconds in to the second, as John Morlang scored an unassisted goal. Gillies scored a power play goal at 2:31, his second of the night, to regain the 3-goal cushion. However, that would be the last time Elmira put the puck in the net during the game. Danbury scored five unanswered goals to turn the tables and win the game. Jeff Daw, Gerry Hickey and Morlang each scored goals in a span of three minutes in the middle part of the period to tie the score 4-4 going into the final period. After each team had just 7 shots each after the first period, Danbury out-shot the Jackals 22-7 in the second frame.

In the final period, usually Elmira's best, Danbury was unrelenting scoring twice more to seal an impressive comeback win. First Nic Bilotto scored the game winner at 4:24 on the power play from Mike Bayrack and Bruce Richardson. Then late in the game Morlang earned a hat-trick by scoring a power play goal with just 57 second remaining in the contest. Danbury finished 3-for-9 on the power play, while Elmira was 1-for-4 on the man advantage.

Scott Stirling stopped 15-of-19 in goal for the Trashers, while Greg Hewitt took the loss, making 41 saves on 47 shots in the process. 19 shots on goal is one of the lowest single game totals for Elmira this season.

1/28/05 ADIRONDACK 2 - Jackals 1

Glens Falls, NY - The Adirondack Frostbite erased an early Elmira Jackals lead to earn a 2-1 victory Friday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

In the first of two straight games against Adirondack, the Jackals battled hard all night long and were rewarded with a goal late in the first period. Defenseman George Pujacs redirected a pass from Greg Koehler past Frostbite goalie Derek Gustafson at 18:42 for a 1-0 lead; Jamie Thompson also assisted on the goal.

Adirondack struck back early in the second period. After the Jackals had been pressing deep in the Frostbite zone, Frank Littlejohn broke back the other way, split the defense and snuck a wrist shot between the pads of goalie Kevin Kurk at 3:48; Jason Jaworski and Hugo Belanger assisted on the goal.

In the third period with the game up for grabs, Littlejohn's pass from behind the net found Jaworski pinching in from the blue line. Jaworski one-timed the puck into the twine, lifting Adirondack to a 2-1 win.

Gustafson stopped 26-of-27 for his UHL leading 25th win of the year; Kurk made 26 saves on 28 shots in the loss.

1/29/05 ADIRONDACK 4 - Jackals 3

Glens Falls, NY - The Adirondack Frostbite overcame three different Elmira Jackals leads to win 4-3 Saturday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

For the second straight night, Elmira scored first and carried a 1-0 into the break. Dean Jackson sniped a wicked wrist shot into the top corner over the stick side of Derek Gustafson at 4:55 from Carl Drakensjo and Greg Koehler.

In the second period Adirondack quickly tied the game with a power play goal from David Burgess at 5:55. But the Jackals had a timely response as Captain Trevor Burgess (no relation) turned in a rebound from Chris Shaw and Jeff Antonovich for a 2-1 lead. Back came the Frostbite again, leveling the score at 12:42 as Hugo Belanger netted his first of the game. Gustafson was forced to leave the game in the middle of the period with an injury and was replaced by rookie back up Kris Tebbs.

It took just 42 seconds of the third period for Elmira to put the puck past Tebbs. Jamie Thompson executed a classic burst down the left wing, turning the corner on Scott Drevitch and sliding the puck in for a 3-2 Jackals lead, Eddy Lowe earned the assist. But at 2:08 the game was once again drawn even as Frank Bakrlik scored from Trevor Segstro. Just after the media timeout, at 10:44 the Frostbite captain Belanger gave Adirondack their first lead of the night scoring his second goal of the game, and it would turn out to be the game winner. Elmira finished the game with a 6-on-4 advantage, but with the net empty and a power play combined the Jackals still were not able to send the game to a shootout.

Goaltender Kris Tebbs made 7 saves on 8 shots for the win in 25+ minutes of action, Derek Gustafson stopped 9-of-11 before leaving with an injury. Greg Hewitt took the loss for Elmira, stopping 26-of-30 on the night.

JACKALS PLAYER AND GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK: (WEEK 16)

Jamie Thompson - LW 3 GP, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 pts, +1, 6 PIMs Framingham, Massachusetts native Jamie Thompson was once again in fine form this week for the Jackals. Despite battling nightly with some nagging back pain, Thompson led the Jackals this week with 4 points in three games, starting with a goal and an assist in the loss Wednesday night to Danbury. Thompson assisted on the Jackals lone goal Friday in Adirondack and then Saturday night scored a classic #20 breakaway goal, as he skated around defenseman Scott Drevitch before beating Gustafson for the opening goal of the game. Thompson currently sits in third on the team in scoring with 41 points in just 34 games played (16 goals, 25 assists). J.T. is also riding a 5-game point streak, scoring 7 points starting on January 21st against Kalamazoo.

Kevin Kurk - G 1 GP, 0-1-0, 2.00 GAA, 0.929 SV%, 26 saves

Rookie Kevin Kurk earned his third straight Jackals Goaltender of the Week honors. Kurk came into the week on a small winning streak, the Orchard Park, NY native had won each of his last 4 starts. Friday night in Glens Falls he was given the start against Adirondack and his form continued to be top notch. Kurk allow just 2 goals on 28 shots, in a 2-1 loss to the Frostbite. He finished the game with a 2.00 GAA and a 0.929 save percentage. Kurk has made 12 appearances this season, but in his 8 starts he has 5 wins for a very respectable 0.625 winning percentage.

JACKALS PLAYER AND GOALTENDER OF THE Month: (January)

Jamie Thompson - LW 12 GP, 8 goals, 9 assists, 17 pts, +6, 2 PIMs Jamie Thompson was hands down the Jackals best player, and arguably the UHL best, during the month of January. While battling off nagging back pain on a daily basis, Thompson scored more than any other Jackals, while missing 3 of the 15 games due to those injuries. Perhaps even more impressively, the Framingham, MA native was a cool +6 while the team was collectively -29 in January. He scored 8 goals on 34 shots, giving him a 23.5% shooting percentage and he is currently riding a 5-game point scoring streak. On the season Thompson has scored 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in just 34 games played, third best on the Jackals.

Kevin Kurk - G 6 GP, 3-1-0, 3.07 GAA, 0.893 SV%, 108 saves

Kevin Kurk has been red hot for the Elmira Jackals in the month of January. In a month where the Jackals went 5-9-1, Kurk had three of those wins and his one loss was a narrow 2-1 defeat in Glens Falls. Through 6 appearances, Kurk had 4 starts and two relief stints that provided some great goaltending moments. Kurk turned aside 10-of-11 in one period against the defending Colonial Cup Champions, he beat Fort Wayne at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, he shutdown the almost unbeatable Kalamazoo Wings in a third period relief outing and he beat Danbury going a perfect 5-for-5 in the shootout. Kurk had a 3.07 GAA in January and he leads the Jackals this season in GAA (3.11) and winning percentage (0.625).

JACKAL BITES:

* RECENT RECORDS - Elmira lost two games by one goal and one game by two goals this week. In 1-goal games this season the Jackals are 8-8-5, 7 of those wins coming in a shootout. While in 2-goal games they are 5-10-0 this year.

* FIRST PERIOD LEADS -Elmira had the lead after the first period in each of their three losses this week. Overall this season the Jackals are 12-7-2 when leading after the opening frame, 5 of those losses have come on the road.

* MAINE MAN - LW Jamie Thompson, a UMaine alum, is streaking once again. Thompson has scored in each of his last 5 games, scoring 7 points starting on January 21st against Kalamazoo.

* POSITIVE START - D Bill Cass, who signed with Elmira prior to Wednesday's game with Danbury, has played 3 games for Elmira and is currently +2, a solid start for the defenseman.

* MINUTES MAN - G Greg Hewitt is still leading the UHL in total ice time this season. Hewitt has played 2531 minutes, has made 44 appearances, and has made 1262 saves, all of which lead the league in those goaltending categories.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Elmira Jackals Team Leaders:

Goals: Jason Sessa, Greg Koehler (26)
Assists: Greg Koehler (32)
Points: Greg Koehler (58)
Plus/Minus: Carl Drakensjo, Jamie Thompson, Bill Cass (+2)
Penalty Minutes: Derek Campbell (140)
Power Play Goals: Jason Sessa (14)
Short Handed Goals: Eddy Lowe, Jamie Thompson (2)
Shots: Greg Koehler (173)
Shooting Percentage: Dean Jackson (18.2%)
Saves: Greg Hewitt (1262)
Wins: Greg Hewitt (14)
GAA: Kevin Kurk (3.11)
Save Percentage: Greg Hewitt (.903)

Jackals Jam

Don't forget to check out the next edition Jackals Jam on WENY-TV. Broadcaster Owen Newkirk and WENY Sports Director Neille Giffune will recap another exciting week of Jackals hockey, including an interview with Head Coach Todd Brost, a Jackals player profile, and skills segment with Owen and a Jackal. Jackals Jam airs every Sunday night at 11:00 pm on WENY-TV (ABC).

GOALS FOR THE GLOVE HOUSE UPDATE:

Jamie Thompson had two goals and two assists in three games this week to add to his point total in the Goals for Glove House Fundraiser. Through 34 games played Jamie has 41 points coming on sixteen goals and twenty-five assists, putting him in third on the Jackals in scoring.

With each point that Jamie makes throughout the season he and Harding Harley-Davidson are asking you to pledge a gift to support Glove House programs and services.

To be a part of the fundraiser just fill out a pledge form at any of the convenient locations list below and drop your form in the box provided at each location. Jamie's points will be tallied at the end of the season determining your gift to help our communities children and families.

You can fill out a pledge card at any of the following locations throughout the season:
The DogHouse Jackals Merchandise Shop
Harding Harley-Davidson
Select Jackals Home Games
Glove House
Dick's Sporting Goods
Cappy's
Club Nautilus
Pal's Sports Center
Klein's All-Sports

Coach's Show

Don't miss the The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show broadcast LIVE Tuesday night from Patrick's Pub, 303 College Ave. at 7pm. Join Head Coach Todd Brost and Voice of the Jackals Owen Newkirk, along with forward Nathan Gillies and defenseman Bill Cass for the broadcast. Tune in on WiNGZ 104.9 FM or stream it online at www.jackalshockey.com - Fans are encouraged to email their questions for any of the Coach's Show participants to jackalshockey@jackalshockey.com no later than 3 pm on Tuesday before the show.

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



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 31, 2005


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