Jackals Hold Off Everblades For Shootout Win
January 10, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release
The Elmira Jackals built a 4-1 lead over the Florida Everblades on Saturday night at First Arena before holding on to win 5-4 in a shootout. Yannick Tifu and Justin Donati each had four points as the Jackals moved to within three points of first place in the American East Division.
Justin Donati started the scoring at 11:21 of the first period, taking a centering feed from Tifu and one-timing it past Everblades starting goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu with the Jackals on a five-on-three power play to give Elmira a 1-0 advantage.
Toward the end of the first period with the teams skating four-on-four, the Jackals used a goal from their newest player to gain a 2-0 advantage entering the first intermission. Justin Donati fed R.J. Anderson, playing in his second game with the Jackals after being acquired in a trade from Johnstown in December, in front and he tapped the puck past Beckford-Tseu to make it 2-0 at 19:09 of the first period.
In the second period, Jordan Morrison cut in front of Jackals goaltender Julien Ellis, spun around and snuck it through a narrow opening at the post short side and cut the Jackals lead in half 2-1 at 2:47.
The Jackals appeared to take complete control later in the second period when they received a pair of goals from Tyler Donati and Yannick Tifu to open their lead to 4-1. At 6:20 of the second period, Tyler Donati completed a give-and-go with his brother Justin, as Tyler one-timed a puck in from the right circle to give the Jackals a two-goal lead, with Tifu receiving an assist on the play as well. Tifu then wristed a shot from the right circle past Beckford-Tseu for his fourth point of the game at 9:51. Justin Donati, who had the assist on the play, recorded his fourth point of the contest on the play as well. Beckford-Tseu was pulled for backup goaltender Mike Morrison after the Tifu tally.
However, the Everblades got back into the game with a power-play goal from Paul Healey on an Everblades power play at 11:27 of the second period to make it 4-2 in favor of the Jackals.
After the midway point of the third period, the Everblades revved up their comeback bid. A goal from Colin Nicholson in front off a feed from Chris Capraro at 13:37 made it 4-3, and the Everblades tied the game on a play in front by Mathieu Roy to even the score 4-4 with 2:25 left in regulation.
The teams skated through overtime, with the teams trading power-play opportunities in the extra session but neither team able to capitalize on their chance.
In the shootout, the Donati brothers each struck to give the Jackals the two goals they would need. Justin Donati deked Morrison backhand-forehand to give the Jackals the advantage, and Tyler Donati used a creative turnaround backhand to beat Morrison glove side for the Jackals second shootout goal. Ellis stopped A.J. Thelen's bid in the fifth round to extend the shootout, and the Jackals won the game 5-4 over the Everblades to close out the first half of the regular season in the win column.
In goal for the Jackals, Ellis stopped 21 of 25 shots and received the shootout victory, improving to 4-2-0-0 with the Jackals. Tyler Sims came in halfway through the first period for the Jackals for three minutes, stopping all four shots he saw. Beckford-Tseu gave up four goals on 16 Jackals shots but did not factor into the decision. Morrison suffered the shootout loss after saving all ten regulation and overtime shots put on him.
With his four points on the game, Justin Donati upped his league-leading total to 56, just one point away from Pierre-Luc Faubert's 2008-2009 Jackals-leading total of 57 points.
Over two games against the Everblades, his former team, this weekend, Tifu notched six points, with three goals and three assists.
The Jackals improved to 17-15-2-2 and, with a Reading loss to Cincinnati, moved to three points back of the Royals for first place in the East Division. Florida gained a point with the shootout defeat but fell to 17-14-2-4 on the season.
Elmira is on the road at Reading on Friday and Saturday to take on the Royals next weekend and closes out the weekend at Wheeling against the Nailers on Sunday.
ECHL Stories from January 10, 2010
- Thunder Salvage Point - Stockton Thunder
- Royals Knock Off Everblades, 7-3 - Reading Royals
- Condors Prevail In OT Thriller - Bakersfield Condors
- Three leagues featured on this week's Puska on Pucks - OSC Original by Denis Puska
- Checkers' Road Woes Continue In Toledo - Charlotte Checkers
- Walleye Win 6-3 - Toledo Walleye
- Stingrays Run Out Of Gas In 6-2 Loss To Gladiators - South Carolina Stingrays
- Everblades Walloped by Royals - Florida Everblades
- Gladiators Down Stingrays 6-2 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Ben Gordon And Joey Ryan Return To Reading - Reading Royals
- Jackals Loan Justin Donati To Binghamton - Elmira Jackals
- Stingrays Return Home To Face Gladiators; Campbell Called To Houston - South Carolina Stingrays
- Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Bakersfield Condors - Stockton Thunder
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Thiessen Shuts Out Chiefs 3-0 - Wheeling Nailers
- Weary Aces Overcome By Grizzlies - Alaska Aces
- Grizzlies Leave Alaska With 5-1 Win - Utah Grizzlies
- Jackals Hold Off Everblades For Shootout Win - Elmira Jackals
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