Jackals Win On Road, Struggle At Home

Published on December 27, 2004 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Week 11 Game Results:

12/22/04 RICHMOND 4 - Jackals 2

Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals scored the first two goals of the game, but the Richmond Riverdogs responded with four unanswered goals Wednesday night for a 4-2 win at the First Arena.

Jason Sessa and the Jackals came flying out of the opening face off and struck twice before the fans had made their first run to the concessions stands. Sessa scored his 19th of the season at 5:07 from Derek Campbell and Jeff Antonovich to make it 1-0 Jackals. The Long Island, NY native then upped his season account to 20 with a rebound goal at 8:08 from Antonovich and Jamie Thompson and Elmira's lead was two. Richmond halted the Jackals momentum with a goal at 10:06 from Kyle Sheen, and then got a late equalizer at 18:50 from David Brosseau to go into the first break tied 2-2.

The Jackals regrouped and dominated the second frame, out-shooting Richmond 14-3 in the second 20-minutes, but several goal posts and Ryan McIntosh saves kept this game even after two periods.

The third period saw a renewed effort by Richmond, sparked by killing off a double minor to start the final session. Richmond took the lead soon thereafter as they went ahead 3-2 at 4:06 courtesy of a Jonathan Gagnon goal off a rebound. The Riverdogs added an empty net goal at 18:50 to close off the scoring and a 4-2 win.

Richmond goalie Ryan McIntosh earned his 7th win of the season by stopping 26-of-28, including 24 straight saves after the two Sessa goals. Greg Hewitt made 24 saves on 28 Richmond shots.

12/23/04 JACKALS 4 - Richmond 1

Richmond, VA - One night after losing at home to the Richmond Riverdogs, the Elmira Jackals returned the favor with a 4-1 win Thursday night at the Richmond Coliseum.

Carl Drakensjo got the game going when he redirected a Trevor Burgess shot past goalie Jeff Sanger at 16:22 of the opening period to make it 1-0 Jackals. For the second straight night, Elmira started the game by leading 2-0, this time it was the captain Burgess who found the net with a one-timer on the power play, assisted by Jamie Thompson and Jason Sessa at 17:38. J.J. Wrobel got the Riverdogs on the board with a mere 19 seconds remaining in the period, assisted by Francis Belanger and Trevor Senn.

The Jackals again turned on the heat during the second period, but like a night ago, no goals were scored. Wednesday Elmira out-shot Richmond 14-3 at the First Arena in the middle frame but failed to result in any goals and Thursday was no different. The red light did not go on, despite a 12-5 shot domination.

Unlike the previous evening, however, Elmira did get a goal early in the third period, which proved crucial in the complexity of the game. Tom Clayton scored his second goal of the season at 5:08 from Nathan Gillies and Drakensjo for a 3-1 Jackals lead. Elmira would also get an empty net goal from Jamie Thompson at 19:44, assisted by Darren Van Oene to cap the scoring.

Greg Hewitt earned his 12th win of the season with a stellar 23 saves on 24 shots in the contest; Jeff Sanger went 28-for-31 in the Richmond cage.

12/26/04 DANBURY 5 - Jackals 3

Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals hopes of winning two straight games for the first time since early November were dashed by the Danbury Trashers who came to the First Arena and earned a 5-3 victory Sunday night.

After a disallowed goal ruled to have been kicked in by Jackals center Eddy Lowe, Elmira did finally strike first at 8:28 as Nathan Gillies scored, assisted by Darren Van Oene and Bryan Cummings. The Trashers responded exactly two minutes later with a goal by Blake Bellefeuille, but Lowe had the answer and this time it counted, making it 2-1 Jackals at 13:18 from Dean Jackson and Greg Koehler.

However the Connecticut garbage haulers went to work and scored three consecutive goals during a four-minute stretch of the second period. Nic Bilotto scored unassisted at 4:05; Brian Herbert made it 3-2 Danbury at 4:39; and then Jeff Daw scored the eventual game-winning goal at 7:59 from Brent Gretzky for a 4-2 Trashers lead. Gillies scored his second of the night at 17:27 from Van Oene and George Pujacs to bring Elmira close again.

But the third period would be goalless until 19:41 when Gretzky tapped in an empty-net goal to finish off the Jackals.

Back up goaltender Guillaume Lavallee earned his fourth win of the season while stopping 30-of-33 shots, starting for the flu-ridden Scott Stirling. Greg Hewitt took the loss; making 25 saves on 30 Danbury shots.

JACKALS PLAYER AND GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK: (WEEK 11)

Trevor Burgess - D 3 GP, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 pts, +1, 2 PIMs

Jackals Captain Trevor Burgess earns his first Player of the Week honors with a solid week. He earned all his points Thursday in Richmond where he assisted on the game's first goal and then was returned the favor as he buried a one-timer on the power play for the game-winning goal. Burgess was a +3 in the game and is one of few Jackals to finish in the positive for the week. The captain is currently 1st in the UHL amongst Defensemen with 20 assists and 2nd in Defensemen points (23).

Greg Hewitt - G 3 GP, 1-2-0, 2.68 GAA, 0.900 SV%, 72 saves

Greg Hewitt finished the week with a 1-2-0 record, a 2.68 goals against average and a 0.900 save percentage. He got a big 4-1 win in Richmond, helping the Jackals respond to losing the night before to the Riverdogs at the First Arena. In the game Hewitt stopped 23-of-34 shots and earned his 12th win of the season. For the year to date Hewitt leads the UHL in minutes played (1802) and saves (903).

JACKAL BITES:

* LOOKING FOR A STREAK - Elmira missed two opportunities in Week 11 to win two consecutive games. The Jackals have not won two in a row since November 3rd-5th when they beat Richmond and Port Huron in back-to-back road games.

* DISAPPEARING MARGIN - C Greg Koehler, who had a 10-point lead over the next best scorer at one point this season, has lost his lead. Fort Wayne's Colin Chaulk caught Koehler; the two are tied for the UHL lead in scoring with 47 points each.

* RED LIGHTS FLASHING - RW Jason Sessa scored two goals this week, moving him just two goals behind teammate Greg Koehler (23 goals) for the UHL lead. Sessa also leads the league with 11 power play goals in 31 games played.

* ROOKIE WRECKING BALL - F Derek Campbell has been a frequent visitor to the Sin Bin Motel lately. Campbell now leads the UHL rookies in minor penalties (19) and is 2nd on the Jackals with 93 total minutes, just 4 minutes behind fellow rookie teammate Chris Shaw.

* LESSONS IN SHARING - D Trevor Burgess is currently leading all UHL defensemen in assists (20). The Jackals captain is second amongst UHL blue-liners with 23 points, just one point behind Fort Wayne's Jason Kean, who has spent some time as a forward for the Komets.

NEWS AND NOTES:
Elmira Jackals Team Leaders:

Goals: Greg Koehler (23)
Assists: Greg Koehler (24)
Points: Greg Koehler (47)
Plus/Minus: Carl Drakensjo, Trevor Burgess (+4)
Penalty Minutes: Chris Shaw (97)
Power Play Goals: Jason Sessa (11)
Short Handed Goals: Eddy Lowe (2)
Shots: Greg Koehler (128)
Shooting Percentage: Jason Sessa (19.4%)
Saves: Greg Hewitt (903)
Wins: Greg Hewitt (12)
GAA: Greg Hewitt (3.10)
Save Percentage: Greg Hewitt (.907)

Jackals Jam

Don't forget to check out the next edition Jackals Jam on WENY-TV. Broadcaster Owen Newkirk and WENY Sports Director Neille Giffune will recap another exciting week of Jackals hockey, including an interview with Head Coach Todd Brost, a Jackals player profile, and skills segment with Owen and a Jackal. Jackals Jam airs every Sunday night at 11:00 pm on WENY-TV (ABC).

GOALS FOR THE GLOVE HOUSE UPDATE:

Jamie Thompson scored a goal and two assists this week to add to his point total in the Goals for Glove House Fundraiser. Through twenty-one games played Jamie has twenty-three points coming on seven goals and sixteen assists, putting him in 4th on the Jackals in scoring.

With each point that Jamie makes throughout the season he and Harding Harley-Davidson are asking you to pledge a gift to support Glove House programs and services.

To be a part of the fundraiser just fill out a pledge form at any of the convenient locations list below and drop your form in the box provided at each location. Jamie's points will be tallied at the end of the season determining your gift to help our communities children and families.


You can fill out a pledge card at any of the following locations throughout the season:
The DogHouse Jackals Merchandise Shop
Harding Harley-Davidson
Select Jackals Home Games
Glove House
Dick's Sporting Goods
Cappy's
Club Nautilus
Pal's Sports Center
Klein's All-Sports

Coach's Show

Don't miss the The Elmira Jackals Coach's Show broadcast LIVE Tuesday night from Patrick's Pub, 303 College Ave. at 7pm. Join Head Coach Todd Brost and Voice of the Jackals Owen Newkirk, along with left wing Jamie Thompson and forward Dean Jackson for the broadcast. Tune in on WiNGZ 104.9 FM or stream it online at www.jackalshockey.com - Fans are encouraged to email their questions for any of the Coach's Show participants to jackalshockey@jackalshockey.com no later than 3 pm on Tuesday before the show.

2004-05 RECORD: 14-18-3, 31 points (10-10-1 home, 4-8-2 road), Fourth Place, Eastern Division

Week 12 Game Schedule:
December 31 7:00 pm @ Adirondack Frostbite (16-7-6, 38 pts) Second Place, Eastern Division
January 1 7:30 pm vs. Adirondack Frostbite (16-7-6, 38 pts) Second Place, Eastern Division
January 2 5:00 pm vs. Richmond Riverdogs (15-14-2, 32 pts) Third Place, Eastern Division

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



International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 27, 2004


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