Jackals Win Streak Ends At Six With 4-3 Ot Loss At Reading

Published on December 27, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Patrick Hersley poked home a loose puck in the slot 1:42 into overtime Wednesday night to give the Reading Royals a 4-3 win over the Elmira Jackals before 4,968 fans at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The win ended the Jackals' winning streak at six games, but the club remained unbeaten in regulation for a ninth straight contest (7-0-1-1) in taking a one-point lead over idle Cincinnati atop the North Division.

Hersley's heroics came on a night in which both clubs where undermanned (Reading dressing 15 skaters, the Jackals 14) and the visiting Jackals seemingly in control of the game midway through the second period.

By that point, Elmira had built a 3-0 lead and had held Reading without a shot for the first ten minutes of the middle period. The Royals would end the period with just four shots, but would make the most of them during a three-goal uprising.

The Royals comeback began when defenseman Mike Salekin's low wrister from the top of the left circle slipped between the pads of Joel Martin (20 saves) at 10:56 on the club's first of the period to make it 3-1.

Six and a half minutes later, Brett Hemingway's sharp angle drive from just above the goal line bounded off of Martin and was steered into the net from the top of the crease by Ned Lukacevic to pull Reading to within 3-2.

Reading struck for the equalizer just forty-five seconds later when Charlie Kronschnabel's point drive was tipped in by Kevin Saurette to send the teams to the second intermission tied at 3-3.

The Jackals, skating just twelve men most of the night with newcomers Chris Holmes and Joe Pelle seeing only spot duty, took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Luke Fulghum and Trevor Hendrikx.

Fulghum connected for his seventh of the year just after Elmira's first power play of the night expired, surprising Royals netminder Jonathan Quick (32 saves) with a rising snapshot that beat him clean over the glove hand eight minutes into the game.

The Jackals made the most of their second power play chance as Hendrikx scored from almost the same spot on the ice at Fulghum with Elmira working a 4-on-3 man advantage.

Hendrikx one-timed a Brett Pilkington feed off of Quick and trickled it across the goal line to make it 2-0 with 4:48 left in the first period. The assist by Pilkington extended his point streak to six games (2+6=8). Hendrikx, who assisted on a pair of goals in Saturday's 4-2 win at Wheeling, now has points in three straight contests.

Chaz Johnson, returning to the line-up after a four-game absence due to a groin strain, set the table for what turned out to be the last strike of the night for the Jackals with some hard work along the boards.

Raking a puck off of a Reading stick, Johnson then muscled his way to the slot and drew another defender to him before passing off to Benoit Doucet.

Doucet put a smooth stick deke on Quick before dumping his seventh of the year into an empty net at 6:28 of the middle frame.

Elmira held a slim 11-10 lead in shots in a scoreless third period in which each club failed to capitalize on one power play each. In the overtime period, Elmira registered two shots and Reading had just one shot and clinched the bonus point with it. On the power play, the Jackals were 1-for-3 while the Royals were 1-for-5.

Pierre-Luc Faubert had his eight-game point scoring streak snapped in the loss while Martin had his personal win streak end at six games in making his tenth consecutive start.

In player moves before tonight's game, the Jackals placed left wing Bruce Watson on the seven-day injured reserve, defenseman J.D. Forrest was reassigned by Carolina (NHL) to their American Hockey League affiliate in Albany, and Elmira signed forwards Joe Pelle and Chris Holmes to ECHL contracts. Watson underwent an appendectomy in Ontario during the holiday break. Pelle and Holmes were released by the Jackals following the game in Reading.

The Jackals remain on the road for their next game, a 7:30 p.m. face-off Friday night at Sovereign Bank Arena against the Trenton Devils. Radio coverage on MAGIC FM (92.7/97.7) begins at 7 p.m. with the Hill Top Inn Countdown to Face-Off.

Elmira is next at home Saturday night when Cincinnati comes to First Arena in a 7:35 p.m. contest. It's WETM-18 Calendar Giveaway Night and good seats remain for the final game of 2007 for the Jackals. Tickets are available at the Gray Street box office - First Arena (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday), charge-by-phone by calling 722-3711, and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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ECHL Stories from December 27, 2007


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