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Jackals hammer Nailers 8-1

January 18, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Frank Littlejohn and Pierre-Luc Faubert scored two goals each as part of a season-high eight goal explosion in the Elmira Jackals 8-1 dismantling of the Wheeling Nailers Friday night in front of 3,442 fans at First Arena. With the win, the Jackals moved back into a tie for first place with Cincinnati in the North Division.

With the game just ninety-eight seconds old, Littlejohn got things going when he finished off a Brett Pilkington centering feed, placing a close in shot from the top of the crease over the glove hand of Nailers netminder Martin Houle (33 saves).

Jim McKenzie (goal and an assist) extended the lead on the power play when he deflected a Luke Fulghum wrister past Houle at 6:18. The goal came just seven seconds after Jeremy Swanson was sent to the box for hooking and the subsequent goal ended the Nailers consecutive kill streak at 19.

Despite a first period shots total that barely favored the home team (10-9), the Jackals continued to cash in on their chances. Chaz Johnson, back from his one-game stint in Binghamton, made it a 3-0 game with his 13th of the season, a wraparound under the right pad of Houle, with 6:05 to go in the opening period.

The Johnson strike extended his goal streak to four games and matched the club's season-high point streak of eight games, set earlier this season by linemates Faubert and Benoit Doucet.

The only blemish of the night on Joel Martin, making his 19th consecutive start, came with Elmira skating two men short with Littlejohn (slashing) and Johnson (tripping) in the box late in the opening frame.

Aaron Clarke picked up a loose puck down low and lofted a follow-up try over the blocker arm of Martin (22 saves) at 17:22 for what turned out to be the only offense of the night for the visitors.

It would be all Elmira for the remaining forty minutes as the Jackals would cruise to their ninth home win in their last ten starts at First Arena.

With a delayed call coming to Wheeling, Tomas Kudelka (three assists) fed Doucet (two assists) along the boards. Quickly swinging a pass to the slot, he found Faubert breaking and he snapped home his team-leading 15th of the year to stretch the lead to 4-1.

The backbreaker came with under a minute to go in the middle period and the Nailers on the power play. Fulghum (goal and two assists) batted a loose puck to himself off of the wall inside the Elmira zone. Accelerating through center ice along with Pilkington, Fulghum was thinking shot all the way when used a defenseman as a screen, and fired in his 12th goal of the season and his league-leading fourth shorthanded tally with just 40.5 seconds left to push the Jackals lead to 5-1.

Faubert (16th), Hendrikx (3rd) and Littlejohn (14th) found the range in the final period to give Elmira its highest offensive output of the year and its largest winning margin. In total, six Jackals posted multi-point efforts helped along by a 2-for-4 power play showing.

Elmira closes out the weekend with a Saturday night rematch against the Nailers at 7:35 p.m. here at First Arena. Tickets are still available at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Gray Street box office - First Arena (open at 10 a.m. Saturday) or charge-by-phone at 722-3711. Tomorrow night's game features a Collins & Walton ice scraper giveaway and one lucky fan will in a car from Deniero's.

Tomorrow night's game can also be heard live beginning at 7:05 p.m. with the Hill Top Inn Countdown to Face-Off on MAGIC FM (92.7/97.7) and at www.jackalshockey.com.

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