Jackals Split Weekend Series With Chicago

Published on February 12, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


The Elmira Jackals completed their 5-game home stand with two games against the Chicago Hounds in Week 18. In their first game under new head coach Paul Gillis, the Jackals received some stellar goaltending from Dave Lemanowicz and jumped out in from with three second period goals. Chicago made it interesting as they scored two in the final period, but Elmira took the two points 3-2. Saturday night Elmira again had the lead early, but the Hounds goaltender Brendan Cuthbert kept the Jackals from running away with the score and Chicago clawed out a 3-2 win.

Elmira now has a difficult week-long road trip as they play four games in five nights against Kalamazoo, Muskegon and Quad City. The Jackals will first attack the defending Colonial Cup Champions in Kalamazoo on Wednesday February 14th for "Pink Ice Night" at Wings Stadium. They will then head to Muskegon for a two game set against the Fury on Friday and Saturday, before finishing out the week with a Sunday afternoon game in Quad City. The Jackals next home game comes on Friday February 23rd as they host the Rockford IceHogs for GLN Tax & Payroll Rally Towel Giveaway Night.

Week 18 Game Results:

2/9/07 Chicago 2 @ Elmira 3

Elmira, NY - Captain Brent Cullaton scored two goals, including the game-winner, as the Elmira Jackals beat the Chicago Hounds 3-2 Friday night at First Arena.

The Jackals got off to a slow start in their first game with Head Coach Paul Gillis behind the bench. Elmira was out-shot 13-9 in a sloppy first period with very few quality scoring chances for either team.

But they did not waste any time getting on the board in the second period. Chicago forward Matt Johnson took an interference penalty just 7 seconds into the restart, giving the Jackals their second power play of the night. It took captain Brent Cullaton 16 seconds from the beginning of the advantage to put Elmira ahead 1-0 as he scored at 0:23, assisted by Scott Wray and Dale Lupul. New Jackals forward Noah Katz scored in his debut at 13:23 assisted by Derek Miller and goaltender Dave Lemanowicz. Cullaton then scored his 2nd goal of the period at 19:24, his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Miller and Wray, completing a 3-goal period for Elmira.

But Chicago would not go down without a fight. Todd Grant spoiled Lemanowicz's shutout bid with a goal at 10:57, from Drew Otten and Andrew Lackner. With just over four minutes remaining in the game, Erik Anderson and Steve Cygan received coincidental minor penalties, creating a 4-on-4 situation. Hounds coach Greg Puhalski pulled goaltender Marty Magers to create a 5-on-4 advantage and his risk paid off. Paul Caponigri scored an unassisted, extra-attacker goal at 16:53, pulling the Hounds back within a goal, 3-2. Chicago again pulled Magers in the final minute of play, but the Jackals bravely defended their goal and their lead to earn a 3-2 win.

Goaltender Dave Lemanowicz earned his 9th win of the season as he made 35 saves on 37 shots and Elmira improved to 23-25-1 on the year. Marty Magers took the loss, despite stopping 36-of-36 shots in a strong effort. Chicago drops to 17-27-1 on the year, while they finished the game 0-for-7 on the power play. The Jackals were 1-for-4 on the man advantage and out-shot the Hounds 39-37.

2/10/07 Chicago 3 @ Elmira 2

Elmira, NY - The Chicago Hounds twice erased a one-goal deficit as they beat the Elmira Jackals 3-2 Saturday night at First Arena.

Elmira took an early lead when Frank Littlejohn took a pass from Dan Veenema at the red line, sped right through the Chicago defense and ripped a shot into the top shelf at 8:13 of the first period. The goal was Littlejohn's team-leading 27th of the season, assisted by Veenema for a 1-0 lead. But Chicago answered less than a minute later when Todd Grant scored at 9:06, from Maris Ziedins and Drew Otten, tying the game at 1-1.

Rookie forward David Morelli put Elmira back in front with an unassisted goal at 4:11 of the second period, his 14th goal of the season, giving the Jackals a 2-1 advantage. But after the media timeout, Chicago surged and got a pair of goals from Drew Otten. Otten tied the game at 12:32 with a wrist shot into the top corner, assisted by Grant and Andrew Lackner. He then scored his second goal of the night at 17:58 during a 5-on-3 power play, assisted by Steve Cygan and Darryl McArthur, putting the Hounds ahead for the first time in the game 3-2.

Elmira had opportunities to get back into the game during the third period as they out-shot Chicago 10-5 during the final 20 minutes, but Hounds goaltender Brendan Cuthbert was outstanding as he kept out every Elmira scoring chance. The Jackals pulled goaltender Dave Lemanowicz with two minutes remaining in the game, but even with a penalty to Grant, which gave the Jackals a two-man advantage with the empty net, Elmira could not find an equalizer.

Brendan Cuthbert earned his 3rd win of the season as he made a colossal 39 saves on 41 shots, helping Chicago improve to 18-28-1 on the season. Dave Lemanowicz stopped 22-of-25 shots in goal for Elmira, as the Jackals dropped to 23-26-1. The Hounds were 1-for-7 on the power play in the game; Elmira was 0-for-8 on the advantage and out-shot Chicago 41-25 in the game.

Just before the first period, the Jackals honored former mainstay forward Eddy Lowe by retiring his #26 jersey; he is the first Jackals player to have his number retired in the team's 7-year history.

Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Week: (Week 18)

Brent Cullaton - RW 2 GP, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, -2, 2 PIMs Jackals captain Brent Cullaton was instrumental in the Jackals earning two points against Chicago this week. Cullaton scored twice, including the game-winning goal on Friday's 3-2 win over the Hounds. On the season Cullaton leads the Jackals in scoring with 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) and he leads the team with a +6 rating; all while missing the first 10 games of the regular season.

Dave Lemanowicz - G 2 GP, 1-1-0, 2.54 GAA, 0.918 SV%, 56 saves Dave Lemanowicz earns yet another UHL goaltender of the week nomination with his effort in goal for the Jackals. Lemanowicz stopped 34-of-36 shots to earn a 3-2 win over the Chicago Hounds on Friday night. Lemanowicz also earned his first assist of the season on Noah Katz's second period goal Friday. Saturday he made 22 saves, but the Jackals lost to Chicago 3-2. For the week Lemanowicz posted a 2.54 GAA and a 0.918 save percentage.

JACKAL BITES:

* NEW PLAYERS - The Jackals welcomed three new players this week as forwards Jeff Daw and Noah Katz and defenseman Kristjan Jefkins suited up for the Jackals against Chicago.

* PASSING THE CENTURY - Defenseman Dale Lupul had one minor penalty on the weekend, putting him over 100 penalty minutes. Lupul is the 4th player on the Jackals roster to cross into triple digits. With 101 PIMs he joins Curtis Tidball (258), Frank Littlejohn (168) and Chris Mann (122).

* APPROACHING A BIG NUMBER - The Jackals cumulative attendance for the 2006-07 season is rapidly approaching the 100,000 mark. Through 27 home games at First Arena this year, the Jackals have hosted 93,247, an average of 3,456 people per game. This average is approximately 800 people higher than the 2005-06 season.

* A MULTIPLIED BAKERS DOZEN - Defenseman Scott Drevitch is just one game away from reaching the 1,200 games mark for his professional career. Drevitch is expected reach the milestone on February 14th in Kalamazoo.

* MORE MILESTONES - Captain Brent Cullaton is 11 games played away from his 700th career professional game. He also needs just 9 more assists to record his 400th career pro assist. Cullaton is currently on pace to play his 700th pro game on Sunday March 4th in Port Huron.

2006-07 Record: 23-26-1, 47 points (13-13-1 Home, 10-13-0 Road), Fourth Place, Eastern Conference

Week 19 Schedule: (All games are broadcasted LIVE on MAGIC 92.7 & 97.7 FM)

Wednesday, February 14 7:00 pm @ Kalamazoo Wings (28-17-5, 61 pts) Second Place, Eastern Conference

Friday, February 16 7:30 pm @ Muskegon Fury (39-11-1, 79 pts) First Place, Eastern Conference

Saturday, February 17 7:30 pm @ Muskegon Fury (39-11-1, 79 pts) First Place, Eastern Conference

Sunday February 18 7:35 pm @ Quad City Mallards (23-19-6, 52 pts) Third Place, Western Conference

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 12, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central