Jackals End Road Trip With Loss At Reading

Published on December 18, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


The Elmira Jackals scored two late goals on Friday night against the Reading Royals but fell to the Royals 4-3 at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa. The Jackals went in trailing the Royals for the top spot in the American East Division by seven points. The two teams had not met since Oct. 17 at the Sovereign Center when the Jackals defeated the Royals 6-5 in a shootout.

Reading took the early advantage in the contest. Daniel Steiner knocked in a puck in front, with Ben Gordon and Rob LaLonde notching the assists at 4:54 of the first period.

Minutes later the Jackals tied the game. Maxime Gratchev took a feed backdoor from Justin Donati at 8:04 of the first period to tie the game 1-1.

At 13:52 of the first period, Reading's Gavin Morgan received a pass from Andrew Sarauer and wristed it in from the left circle to make it 2-1 Royals.

Moments later, Sarauer took a shot that was kicked long to the right circle by Jackals goaltender Tyler Sims. Stefano Giliati knocked the puck past the netminder to make it 3-1 at 17:05 of the first period.

In the second period, the Royals took a 4-1 advantage on a 5-on-3 power-play goal. Danick Bouchard took a backdoor feed from Gordon, and he one-timed it past Sims for the three-goal lead at 13:55.

The Jackals scored two third-period goals to make the game close and give themselves a chance to tie it. Mat Robinson scored at 7:33 of the third period after a puck deflected into the net off a Royal defender, and Gratchev dropped a puck back at 17:02 for Justin Donati, who fired it past Royals goaltender Matt Dalton top shelf to make it 4-3. The Jackals were unable to solve Dalton in the final moments of the game, and the Royals prevailed 4-3.

Sims made 22 saves on 26 Royals shots, falling to 0-1-0-1 on the season. Dalton improved to 8-4-0-1 in his rookie season, making 21 saves on 24 Jackals bids.

Elmira fell to 11-11-2-2, while Reading upped its record to 16-9-1-2.

The Jackals seven game road trip comes to an end, as they host the Royals on Saturday night at 7:35 p.m. at First Arena. Elmira then hosts Johnstown on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

Don't forget to purchase your Jackals Holiday Stimulus Package! On Saturday, Dec. 26, the Jackals host the Reading Royals at 7:35 p.m. For $44, fans will receive four tickets to the game, four sodas, four boxes of popcorn, four chuck-a-pucks, four skating sessions at the First Arena Recreational Rink, and four skate rentals. There are only 200 packages available, so get yours today. To purchase this package, call (607) 734-PUCK (7825) or visit the First Arena Box Office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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ECHL Stories from December 18, 2009


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