Jackals Gain Ground On Flags, Fall Back From Flint
Published on January 22, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release
The Jackals finished off their 7-game home stand with a 3-game set against the Quad City Mallards. Just like their first meeting on December 3rd in Moline, Friday and Saturday's games both went to shootouts. Friday night, goalies Dave Lemanowicz and Jason Tapp combined to make 81 saves in a 0-0 game that the Mallards took in the shootout. Saturday the Jackals responded with a 4-3 win after getting another stellar performance from Lemanowicz in regulation, but Kris Tebbs relieved him for the shootout, earning the victory in 8 rounds. Sunday the Jackals struggled to find any offense due to spending a large portion of the game short-handed. Elmira gave Quad City 14 power plays, which helped the Mallards take a 3-1 win.
The Jackals schedule does not get any easier this week as they head out for a 4-game, 7-day road trip, where the worst team they will face, record-wise, is a 2nd place team. They start with their first meeting of the season with the 2nd place Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday night. Elmira will then head to Kalamazoo for games on Friday and Saturday against the 2nd place and defending Colonial Cup Champion K-Wings. Sunday the Jackals will finish off their trip with an early 2:00 pm game in Muskegon against the top team in the United Hockey League; in 44 games this year the Fury have won 36 of those games. The Jackals next home game comes on Wednesday January 31st as they host the Port Huron Flags for a 7:05 pm face off at First Arena. Week 15 Game Results:
1/19/07 Quad City 1 @ Elmira 0 (3-1 in shootout)
Elmira, NY - Starting goaltenders Dave Lemanowicz and Jason Tapp put on a spectacular display as the Quad City Mallards narrowly beat the Elmira Jackals 1-0 in a shootout Friday night at First Arena.
Quad City opened the game with an intense flurry of offense in the first nine minutes of play. But Jackals starting goaltender Dave Lemanowicz made some scintillating saves that kept the Mallards at bay. Quad City out-shot the Jackals 12-0 to open the game, but Elmira would turn the tides. The Jackals dominated the 2nd half of the opening period, out-shooting the Mallards 19-2 in the final 11 minutes of the first, but this time Jason Tapp equaled Lemanowicz excellent form.
Elmira opened up the offense in the second period, as they created quality scoring chances even strength, on the power play and short-handed, only to be denied by Tapp. Elmira had two short-handed breakaways turned aside by the Quad City goalie; along with a 2-0 break that Tapp kept out of the net will a sprawling kick save. On the other end of the ice Lemanowicz put on a clinic for the Mallards forwards, stopping everything sent his direction.
For the most part, the third period was slightly less energetic that its preceding periods. Quad City edged Elmira in shots 12-8 in the final frame, as it appeared the Jackals lost a little steam coming out of the 2nd intermission. Despite the late push for a game-winning goal, both net minders kept their clean sheets and earned shutouts to force a shootout.
In the shootout Elmira took the lead; after a scoreless first round Scott Wray beat Tapp for a 1-0 lead after two rounds. But the Mallards came back as Patrick Nadeau, Don Parsons and Chad Woollard scored in consecutive attempts, while Tapp rejected efforts by Yevgeny Lazarev and Frank Littlejohn, giving Quad City the extra point.
Jason Tapp recorded his first shutout of the season as he stopped all 43 Elmira shots in regulation and went 3-for-4 in the shootout, helping Quad City to a 17-16-4 record. Jackals goaltender Dave Lemanowicz was also credited with his first shutout of the season, blocking all 38 Quad City shots, but went just 2-for-5 in the shootout as the Jackals lost their first shootout of the season and fell to 18-20-1. Quad City was 0-for-8 on the power play, while the Jackals were 0-for-7 with the man-advantage.
1/20/07 Quad City 3 @ Elmira 4 (4-3 in shootout)
Elmira, NY - For the third time this season the Elmira Jackals and the Quad City Mallards skated to a shootout; Saturday night the Jackals won 4-3 at First Arena.
After both teams were held scoreless for 60 minutes on Friday, the Quad City Mallards got the bowl rolling midway through the first period. Don Parsons scored his 28th goal of the season at 9:41, assisted by Brett Pilkington for a 1-0 lead. For the second straight night Elmira struggled out of the gates, but unlike last night they couldn't not respond with a strong second half of the first period.
Early in the second period Justin Chwedoruk was sent free on a breakaway by teammate Nick Harloff and Chwedoruk cashed in for a short-handed goal at 6:19 to extend the Mallards lead to 2-0. But Elmira rallied for three consecutive goals in the middle frame for a dramatic turn of momentum. First Frank Littlejohn tipped in a Dale Lupul shot from the point for a power play goal at 11:59, assisted by Lupul and Cullaton. Littlejohn's goal was his 18th of the season, tying him with Scott Wray for the team lead in goals. Fresh off the injured reserve, defenseman Eric Lind collected a rebound from a Tommy Kotsopoulos shot and buried a wrister into the open goal at 13:01, assisted by Kotsopoulos and Morelli, tying the game at two. Jackals captain Brent Cullaton game Elmira their first lead of the weekend series when he was given space in front of the net and he calmly slotted his shot past goaltender Jason Tapp for a short-handed goal at 14:48, assisted by Derek Miller and the Jackals went up 3-2.
But Luke Stauffacher would end the Jackals scoring run at 4:44 of the third period when he netted a power play goal from Justin Chwedoruk, leveling the score 3-3. The Jackals out-shot the Mallards 11-7 in the final period, but with strong goaltending from both Dave Lemanowicz and Jason Tapp, this game headed for a shootout.
Jackals Head Coach Robbie Nichols chose a different strategy for this shootout. He replaced starting goaltender Dave Lemanowicz for goalie Kris Tebbs who was unbeaten in his 4 prior shootout appearances this season. Tebbs got off to a rocky start when Stauffacher scored in the first round, but Eric Anderson returned the favor to tie the score in the botton of the first. Tebbs blocked Sean Starke in round two and Scott Wray's backhand into the top of the net put Elmira ahead 2-1 after two rounds. But Quad City's next two shooters, Patrick Nadeau and Don Parsons, each found the net and after a Brent Cullaton miss; Dale Lupul had to rifle in a wrist shot to tie the shootout 3-3 after four rounds. Tebbs then found his rhythm as he stopped Chad Woollard and forced extra shootout rounds. He then blocked attempts from Pilkington, Travis Granbois and Justin Chwedoruk. Jason Tapp denied Tommy Kotsopoulos, Scott Drevitch and Frank Littlejohn, but he couldn't keep out David Morelli's shot in the bottom of the 8th round as the Jackals rookie forward sent the crowd of 3,883 fans home happy.
Although he only appeared in the shootout, Kris Tebbs was credited with his 12th win of the season, making 5-of-8 saves during the overtime shootout. Starter Dave Lemanowicz receives a No-Decision, but he is credited with stopping 30-of-33 shots as the Jackals improve to 19-20-1 on the year. Jason Tapp took the shootout-loss, blocking 29-of-32 shots in regulation and 4-of-8 shots in the shootout.
1/21/07 Quad City 3 @ Elmira 1
Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals were plagued by penalties in the final two periods of play as they dropped the finale of a three game series with the Quad City Mallards 3-1 Sunday afternoon at First Arena.
The Mallards dominated the shots on goal in the first period, out-shooting Elmira 15-4, but goaltender Dave Lemanowicz kept the game scoreless with his outstanding play.
But a late first period penalty to Frank Littlejohn at 19:49 would come back to haunt the Jackals as the second period began. Don Parsons shot on the ensuing power play ricocheted off a Jackals skate and into the net for a power play goal at 0:30, unassisted, giving Quad City a 1-0 lead. The Mallards would double their lead at 10:03 when Chad Woollard's shot deflected off Erik Anderson and past Lemanowicz for a 4-on-3 power play goal. 91 seconds later Elmira shot themselves in the foot when Sean Starke stole a pass right in front of the Jackals goal and snapped it into the net for a 3-0 Mallards lead at 11:31; the third unassisted goal of the period.
Elmira got on the board early in the third period when defenseman Dale Lupul banged home a rebound from Scott Wray and Brent Cullaton at 1:15 and it appeared as though the Jackals had a spark to build a third period come back. But penalties mounted against Elmira, cutting their offensive time in half, limiting their chances of a second goal as the Mallards cruised to a 3-1 win.
Zach Sikich earned his 3rd win of the season as he stopped 22-of-23 shots, helping Quad City improve to 18-16-5 on the year. Dave Lemanowicz made 35 saves on 38 shots, but was pinned with the loss as the Jackals fall to 19-21-1. Quad City was 2-for-14 on the power play; Elmira finished 1-for-6.
Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Week: (Week 15)
Brent Cullaton - RW 3 GP, 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, -1, 8 PIMs
Jackals leading scorer Brent Cullaton led the team in points during a low scoring week. After both Elmira and Quad City were shutout Friday night, Cullaton came back with a two-point game, including a crucial short-handed goal to help Elmira to a 4-3 win over the Mallards. Sunday Cullaton set up Dale Lupul's power play goal, the Jackals only goal of the game. On the season the Elmira Captain leads the team with 40 points (12 goals, 28 assists) in just 31 games played. He also leads the Jackals with 16 power play assists and has 3 short-handed goals to his credit.
Dave Lemanowicz - G 3 GP, 0-1-1, 2.00 GAA, 0.944 SV%, 102 saves
Dave Lemanowicz was nothing short of spectacular this week. He began the weekend by making 37 saves as he earned his first shutout of the season. Although he only stopped 2-of-5 attempts in the shootout loss, he became the first Jackals goaltender to record a shutout this season. Saturday Lemanowicz brought in another solid effort as he combined with Kris Tebbs to earn his team a win. Lemanowicz played all 60 minutes and made 30 saves in regulation, but was replaced by Tebbs for the shootout. Sunday Lemanowicz put in another strong performance, 35 saves on 38 shots, but the offense was not there as the Jackals fell 3-1. For the week he posted a 2.00 GAA and a 0.944 save percentage despite holding a 0-1-1 record.
JACKAL BITES:
* ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE CLUB - Defenseman Chris Mann played in his 100th career professional game on Friday (1/19/07) against the Quad City Mallards. Mann has now played in 102 games in his pro career, all for the Jackals.
* THE FIRST MEMBER - Captain Brent Cullaton became the first Jackals player to reach the 40 point mark this season. Cullaton had 3 points on the week, but hit the 40 mark with an assist on Sunday on a Dale Lupul power play goal. Cullaton has 12 goals and 28 assists in just 31 games played.
* NEARING A HUGE MILESTONE - Defenseman Scott Drevitch is very close to approaching a huge milestone in his professional career. In his 18th professional season, Drevitch is just 10 games away from playing in his 1,200th career pro game. If everything goes well he should hit 1,200 on February 14th in Kalamazoo.
* AND THEN THERE WERE THREE - Defenseman Eric Lind scored his first goal of the season and first goal in a Jackals uniform on Saturday night against Quad City. Lind has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 4 games played this season. That leaves only Rob Chappel, R.C. Lyke and Marc Lefebvre as the only remaining skaters in the lineup looking for their first goal of the season.
* TWO ADDITIONS IN ONE WEEK - All-Star rookie defenseman Dale Lupul became the second Jackals player to reach the 100 games mark this weekend. Lupul appeared in his 100th professional game on Sunday (1/21/07) against the Quad City Mallards. Lupul has played in all 41 games for the Jackals this season and has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists).
* THE FIRSTS KEEP COMING - Goaltender Dave Lemanowicz earned his first shutout of the season on Friday (1/19/07) against Quad City. Lemanowicz made 37 saves to become the first Elmira goalie to record a shutout this season.
Coach's Show
Don't miss the next broadcast of The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show LIVE Monday January
22nd at 6 pm at the Pioneer Sports Bar & Grill in Elmira. Join the Voice of the
Jackals Owen Newkirk, as he interviews Jackals Head Coach Robbie Nichols, along with
All-Stars Scott Wray and Dale Lupul for the broadcast on News Talk 1230 & 1450 AM
WENY or stream it online at www.jackalshockey.com First Arena Rec Rink Hockey Information The ice is HOT at First Arena - Visit our website for a complete list of Public
Skating times and Arena Programs at www.firstarena.com The First Arena Rec Rink offers public skating, skating lessons, hockey programs,
figure skating, birthday parties, adult hockey leagues and much more....
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International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 22, 2007
