Jackals Head Home Down 2-0 to Komets

Published on April 14, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


It may be said that now is the winter of the Jackals' discontent. After losing the first two games on the road in the Eastern Conference Finals, Elmira finds itself needing to rally at home and win four out of the next five games to advance to the Colonial Cup Playoffs. 4/11/03 GAME ONE Jackals 2 – KOMETS 3

Starting a series on the road is nothing new to the Jackals this season, having started the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against Adirondack in Glens Falls. But the Jackals have not had the best of luck in Fort Wayne this year, failing to win there in the regular season. The Jackals hoped to defeat those demons, and the Komets, to open the series on Friday night.

Both teams would score in the first period, but Fort Wayne dominated the tempo in much of the first period, not even allowing a shot on goal for the Jackals until well after the halfway mark. David-Alexandre Beaureguard's power play goal at 11:28 put the Komets up 1-0, with Sean Venedam and Kelly Perrault picking up the assists on the play. Then, Rob Guinn would score on the power play in response when Tom Lawson was knocked down in front of his own net, allowing Guinn to shoot the puck over top of him for a 1-1 tie. David Lessard and Corey Neilson added the assists on the goal. Second period action turned out to be the key point in the game. Elmira allowed two goals to the Komets, one to Dustin Virag at 7:11, and then Beaureguard picked up his second of the night at 10:21, also on the power play. Lawson picked up assists on both goals, and the Komets found themselves in front after two periods of play, 3-1.

Elmira did attempt to climb back into things, and Mike Thompson provided the spark for them at 17:39 with a goal to make it 3-2. Guinn and Neilson picked up the assists on the goal, and the Jackals had hope. But thier hopes were dashed by the Komets over the final minutes as the Jackals failed to score. Game One went 3-2 to Fort Wayne. Jeremy Symington stopped 29 shots in the loss while Lawson deflected 20 to earn his fourth consecutive playoff win.

4/13/03 GAME TWO Jackals 0 – KOMETS 6

The Jackals looked to accomplish a split on the road against Fort Wayne, knowing the series would head back home after Game Two. But the Komets played two careful periods of hockey and exploded in the third for a 6-0 win and a 2-0 lead in the series.

Kelly Perrault got the ball rolling for the Komets at 17:29 of the first period when he scored on a feed from Adam Lewis. Lewis was circling behind the Jackal net when he found Perrault crashing from the point for the goal. Second period action saw the Komets again with the only goal, this time it was Ryan Severson scoring at 12:11 of the second period to make it 2-0. Severson's goal came on the heals of some terrific Jackal pressure in the Komets' end, but a key turnover at the blue line allowed a 2-on-1 break that Fort Wayne cashed in on.

In the third period, the Komets ran away with the game. Sean Venedam scored three straight goals for the natural hat trick and a 5-0 lead. Jeremy Symington was lifted after the fourth goal in hopes of sparking the team with Marco Emond. But Emond allowed Venedam's third goal on his first shot faced, and the Komets continued to shine. Kevin Schmidt's goal at 19:24 sealed the game for the Komets, who handed the Jackals their worst loss in playoff history. Symington finished with 15 saves on 19 shots, Emond 7 of 9. Tom Lawson stopped all 26 Elmira shots faced for the shutout, his first of the playoffs.

* * *

Games Three, Four, and Five (if nec.) come back to Elmira for 7 pm starts on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of next week. Games Six and Seven (again, if nec.) will be back in Fort Wayne, both at 8:35 pm, on Monday, April 21st, and Wednesday, April 23rd. All game times listed are Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

Tickets for all Jackals playoff home games may be purchased through the Coach USA Center Box Office, open 10 am to 6 pm Monday – Friday, and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday. Seats may also be obtained through all TicketMaster locations, on line at www.TicketMaster.com, or charge by phone at (607) 722-3711.

JACKAL BITES:

- Fort Wayne's shut out of the Jackals was just the second time in team history Elmira has been blanked in the post season. The first was a 1-0 loss to the Knoxville Speed on April 3rd, 2001. Komets goalie Tom Lawson was the backup in that game for Knoxville starter Brad Guzda.

- The six-goal margin of defeat on Sunday is the worst playoff loss in Jackals history.

- Elmira added rookie defenseman Marc St. Jean to the playoff roster, and St. Jean played in both games against Fort Wayne in occasional shifts. He registered no points and finished even for the weekend.

- Elmira is 9-1 all time at home during the playoffs. The team's only loss at home was Game Five of the 2002 Colonial Cup Finals in overtime to the Muskegon Fury.

NEWS AND NOTES:

The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show will air live from Patrick's, 303 College Ave. on Tuesday night. This week's guests are Trevor Burgess and Mike Thompson. Join Jackals Head Coach Todd Brost, Tom Callahan, and WiNGZ's Joe Munroe for an hour of fun and informative Jackal talk. Tune it in on your home for Jackals Hockey, WiNGZ 104.9!

The Elmira Jackals will have one more chapter in the Monthly Dinner Series At Horigan's once the second season comes to a close. Stay tuned to www.jackalshockey.com for more information once it becomes available!

The following is the complete schedule of games for the Eastern Conference Finals against Fort Wayne. Please note that all times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Game One FTW 3 – ELM 2
Game Two FTW 6 – ELM 0
Game Three Wednesday, April 16 @ Elmira 7:00 PM
Game Four Friday, April 18 @ Elmira 7:00 PM
Game Five (if nec.) Saturday, April 19 @ Elmira 7:00 PM
Game Six (if nec.) Monday, April 21 @ Fort Wayne 8:35 PM
Game Seven (if nec.) Wednesday, April 23 @ Fort Wayne 8:35 PM

Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, April 8th at the Coach USA Center Box Office, starting at 10 am. Tickets may also be obtained through all Ticket Master locations, on line at www.TicketMaster.com, or charge by phone at (607) 722-3711. Prices are: Endzone $13, Center Ice $16, VIP $18, and Restaurant $24. Come on out and cheer your Jackals back to the Eastern Conference Championship!

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ECHL Stories from April 14, 2003


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