Jackals Win Two Games To Complete Road Trip

Published on March 13, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


The Elmira Jackals are slowly turning the corner following a busy two weeks that saw roster shakeups at the UHL trading deadline and Elmira's longest road trip of the season (9-days, 6-games). Elmira completed the road trip by winning two of their four games this past week. The started things off with a gutsy 3-2 shootout win over the Flint Generals Wednesday night at Perani's Arena. Rob Chappell scored his first professional goal in that game and the Jackals received a great outing from goaltender Dave Lemanowicz. Friday the Jackals dropped a 3-1 contest to Chicago, but they rallied for a massive 6-3 win over the Hounds Saturday night at the Sears Centre. On a recent offensive surge, Chappell scored two more goals in Saturday's win. Sunday the Jackals faced former goaltender Kris Tebbs in Bloomington for the first time since his trade on March 2nd. Tebbs narrowly out-dueled new goaltender Zach Sikich to earn the PrairieThunder a 3-2 win.

The Jackals are looking to shrug off their recent dip in form as they begin a 5-game home stand at First Arena. Elmira will start things off this Friday February 23rd as they host the Rockford IceHogs for GLN Tax & Payroll Rally Towel Giveaway Night. Rockford will be in town for a 3-game weekend series, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week. Next week the Jackals host Bloomington on Wednesday February 28th and Flint on Friday March 2nd before heading out for a 10-day road trip.

Week 22 Game Results:

3/7/07 Elmira 3 @ Flint 2 - (3-1 in shootout)

Flint, MI - The Elmira Jackals leap-frogged the Port Huron Flags in the Eastern Conference standings with a 3-2 shootout win over the Flint Generals Wednesday night at Perani's Arena.

In the midst of their longest road trip of the season Elmira had two non-game days to prepare for their third game against Flint in the span of a week. The Jackals jumped to the lead midway through the first period when rookie defenseman Rob Chappell fired a backhand into the net for his first professional goal at 12:35, assisted by Joe Markusen. But Flint would equalize two minutes later at 14:31 when newly acquired forward Bogdan Rudenko found Jan Jas on the back post, also assisted by Bobby Reynolds, tying the game 1-1.

In the second period the Jackals created a lot of offensive chances, but were held off by Flint goaltender Jason Muzzatti. The Generals grabbed their first lead of the game when Jason Selleke's wrist shot at 7:56 found a small hole and snuck into the net, assisted by Shaun Fischer and Jan Jas.

Veteran defenseman Scott Drevitch tied the game 2-2 at 5:32 of the third period, assisted by Glenn Detulleo and Andrew Leach. Drevitch unleashed a slap shot from the point that zipped through the traffic in front of Muzzatti for a power play goal, Drevitch's 5th goal of the year. Elmira bombarded the Flint goal, out-shooting the Generals 13-8 in the final frame, but the goaltenders sent this game to a shootout.

In the shootout Erik Anderson put Elmira ahead in the first round, but was quickly matched by a goal from Flint's Shawn Snider. Both goaltenders stopped the next two shooters they faced, Bobby Kukulka and Glenn Detulleo for Elmira and Bogdan Rudenko and Jan Jas for Flint. David Morelli put Elmira ahead 2-1 in the fourth round and at the other end Dave Lemanowicz denied Shaun Fisher to setup a dramatic 5th round attempt by Frank Littlejohn. Littlejohn won the game for the Jackals in the shootout with a backhand shot up under the crossbar, winning the shootout 3-1 and the game 3-2.

Dave Lemanowicz earned his 12th win of the season and 1st Star honors in the game as he made 27 saves on 29 shots in regulation and denied 3-of-4 shootout attempts, helping the Jackals improve to 26-35-1 on the season. Jason Muzzatti took the loss, stopping 34-of-36 shots in regulation and 2-of-5 in the shootout for Flint. Elmira was 1-for-7 on the power play; Flint was 0-for-5.

3/9/07 Elmira 1 @ Chicago 3

Hoffman Estates, IL - The Chicago Hounds never trailed in the contest as they downed the Elmira Jackals 3-1 Friday night at the Sears Centre.

Jeff Daw returned the Jackals lineup as they squared up with the Hounds, after missing the veteran forward for Wednesday's shootout victory in Flint. Elmira out-played Chicago in the first period, creating a majority of the chances and out-shooting their hosts 12-5, but goaltender Brendan Cuthbert made some great saves as the two teams went to the locker rooms scoreless.

The shoe was on the other foot in the second period and the Hounds came out with a new level of energy that put Elmira on their heels. Todd Grant put Chicago on the scoreboard as he ripped a slap shot from the top of the right face off circle past goaltender Dave Lemanowicz 31 seconds into the period, assisted by Steve Cygan and Mike Kautz. Although Elmira did create some quality scoring chances, they were out-shot by the Hounds 19-12 in the second period.

Looking to repeat their comeback win over Flint on Wednesday, the Jackals quickly erased their one goal deficit in the third period. Rookie forward Dan Veenema fired a long pass up the ice to Bobby Kukulka, sending him free on a breakaway. Kukulka slotted the puck past Cuthbert at 1:41, assisted by Veenema, tying the game at 1-1. But Chicago had the answers tonight. Matt Amado put the Hounds ahead 2-1 at 5:46 with an unassisted goal. Then Kelly Miller scored on a pass from Tim Plett at 8:30 and all of a sudden the Hounds were up 3-1. The Jackals tried to mount a comeback, even pulling Lemanowicz in the final two minutes, but Cuthbert remained solid in goal as the Jackals lost 3-1.

Brendan Cuthbert was outstanding in goal for Chicago, stopping 29-of-30 shots in the win. Dave Lemanowicz put together a solid 33 saves on 36 shots, as the Jackals fell to 26-36-1 on the season. Both teams finished 0-for-2 on the power play, combining for a total of 8 penalty minutes, one of Elmira's least penalized games of the season.

3/10/07 Elmira 6 @ Chicago 3

Hoffman Estates, IL - Rookie Rob Chappell scored two goals as the Elmira Jackals trounced the Chicago Hounds 6-3 Saturday night at the Sears Centre. After playing a scoreless first period on Friday night, the two teams decided to get the scoring going early and often on Saturday night. Tim Plett started the offensive explosion at 4:37, assisted by Darryl McArthur and Matt Johnson. But the Jackals responded with a 5-on-3 power play from defenseman Scott Drevitch, assisted by Joe Markusen at 6:49. Drevitch took a pass from Markusen behind the Elmira goal, then skated coast-to-coast and snapped a wrist shot past the block of goaltender Brendan Cuthbert for his 5th goal of the season.

Elmira then took the lead when rookie defenseman Rob Chappel tucked a backhand shot through the pads of Cuthbert at 9:01, assisted by Markusen and Erik Anderson. But the Hounds struck back with a 5-on-3 power play goal of their own from Maris Ziedins 14:09 as he calmly slotted in a rebound from a Chris Busby shot from the blue line. After Ziedins' goal, Glenn Detulleo came out of the penalty box, leaving Andrew Leach in the sin bin. That would set up for a dramatic go-ahead goal from Marc Lefebvre as he cranked a slapshot from the left face off circle that hit Cuthbert's glove hand, but forced its way through to the net for a short-handed goal at 15:34. The goal, assisted by Anderson, was Lefebvre's third goal of the year and was Elmira's UHL-leading 23rd short-handed goal this season.

In the second period Jeff Daw added some insurance as he scored his 5th goal for the Jackals in 10 games played at 7:43. The assists went to Andrew Leach and Nick Harloff and it was Harloff who made a clinical pass to Daw in the low slot, who then buried a wrist shot for a power play goal and a 4-2 Jackals lead.

Tim Plett made things interesting in the third period as he pulled Chicago back within one goal, scoring at 3:07 to make it 4-3 Jackals. But that was as close as the Hounds would get to Elmira on this night. Shortly after he failed to convert on a penalty shot, Bobby Kukulka scored his 3rd goal for the Jackals and 23rd of the season at 6:13, assisted by Dan Veenema and Erik Anderson. Rob Chappell put the nail in the coffin at 11:24, scoring his 2nd goal of the game and 3rd of the year, assisted by David Morelli and Jeff Daw to clinch a 6-3 win.

Dave Lemanowicz earned his 13th win of the season as he stopped 28-of-31 shots, helping the Jackals improve to 27-36-1 on the year. Brendan Cuthbert took the loss in goal for Chicago, making 22 saves on 28 shots. Elmira was 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Hounds finished 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

3/11/07 Elmira 2 @ Bloomington 3

Bloomington, IL - Mike Zbriger scored two goals as the Bloomington PrairieThunder beat the Elmira Jackals 3-2 Sunday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. The Jackals came into Sunday's game looking to build on the momentum from their 6-3 drubbing of Chicago the night before. They had to face recently traded goaltender Kris Tebbs, who was sent to Bloomington from Elmira in a trade on March 2nd. Tebbs entered the game making his third start in consecutive days, having beaten both Kalamazoo and Fort Wayne on the road. But in the opening twenty minutes both Tebbs and Jackals starter Zach Sikich were perfect, keeping a scoreless game into the intermission.

Bloomington came charging out in the second period, gaining momentum from a power play awarded at the end of the first period. The PrairieThunder couldn't capitalize on the advantage, but they did get on the score board shortly after as Mike Zbriger scored at 2:44, assisted by Greg Koehler. Zbriger then tallied his second goal of the period in a very similar play, again set up by Koehler, this time at 4:37, giving Bloomington a 2-0 lead. But the Jackals stopped the bleeding and pulled a goal back as they got their first goal of the afternoon from Marc Lefebvre. Scoring his 4th goal of the season, Lefebvre took a perfect pass from Glenn Detulleo and one-timed his shot past Tebbs at 7:34.

In the third period, Bobby Kukulka had a great chance to tie the game when he was awarded a penalty shot for the second straight game, but Kukulka could not convert as he was denied by Tebbs on the attempt. With time winding down, the Jackals finally scored the equalizer as Scott Drevitch collected his own rebound and fired a backhand pass to a wide open Glenn Detulleo on the back post. Detulleo slammed the puck into the net at 15:20 for his first goal in a Jackals uniform, assisted by Drevitch and tying the game 2-2. But in the dying minutes of the game Tyler Rennette found Brad Thompson in the slot as Thompson knocked in the go ahead goal at 18:18, giving Bloomington a late winner over Elmira.

Kris Tebbs earned his third win of the week for Bloomington as he made 23 saves on 25 shots in goal for the PrairieThunder. Elmira goaltender Zach Sikich took the loss, stopping 29-of-32 shots in goal for the Jackals as their record dropped to 27-37-1 on the year. Elmira was 0-for-3 on the power play in the game; while Bloomington was 0-for-2.

Jackals Player & Goaltender of the Week: (Week 22)

Rob Chappell - D 4 GP, 3 goals, 0 assists, 3 points, Even, 10 PIMs Rookie defenseman Rob Chappell has enjoyed an offensive surge in his last three weeks of play, filling in as a forward due to some injuries up front. In the past two weeks he recorded his first pro point, an assist against Rockford and added two more assists in that span. This week he scored his first pro goal Wednesday in Flint, during a 3-2 shootout win. Saturday Chappell lit the lamp twice in Elmira's 6-3 romp over Chicago, suggesting that when Chappell scores, the Jackals win. For the season Chappell has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) and 98 penalty minutes.

Dave Lemanowicz - G 3 GP, 2-1-0, 2.70 GAA, 0.917 SV%, 88 saves Goaltender Dave Lemanowicz continues to be Elmira's go-to-guy in goal for the Jackals. He posted a 2-1 record in three starts during the week, while posting a 2.70 GAA and a 0.917 save percentage. He started the week with a 3-2 shootout win over Flint Wednesday, stopping 3-of-4 shooters in the extra session to earn 1st Star honors for the game. Friday in Chicago, Lemanowicz made 33 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Hounds, but battled back with 28 saves the next night in a resounding 6-3 win over Chicago, his 13th win of the season.

JACKAL BITES:

* GOALS EQUALS WINS - Elmira's 6-3 win over Chicago Saturday marked just the 8th time this season that the Jackals have scored 5 or more goals in a game. They are 8-0-0 in games where they have scored 5 or more goals.

* NEW ACCOUNT OPENED - Rookie defenseman Rob Chappell scored his first career pro goal on Wednesday at 12:35 of the 1st period in a 3-2 shootout win over Flint. He proceeded to score his second and third pro goals in Saturday's 6-3 win in Chicago.

* THE 500 CLUB - Center Jeff Dawn and defenseman Andrei Lupandin both hit the 500 mark in a couple of statistics. Daw recorded his 500th career point on Friday March 2nd at First Arena, on his second goal of the night at 1:55 of the third period in a 4-1 win over Flint. Lupandin played in his 500th career pro game on Wednesday March 7th at Perani's Arena in a 3-2 shootout win over Flint.

* APPROACHING BIG NUMBERS - Center Jeff Daw is 8 games away from playing in his 700th career pro game. He is also just 2 assists away from the 300 pro assists mark. Right wing Bobby Kukulka should hit a milestone this weekend. Kukulka needs just two more games played to reach the 200 games mark for his career. Defenseman R.C. Lyke is just one game away from his 300th career pro game.

* NEW FACES - During the Jackals recent road trip, five new faces entered the lineup. Four players, forwards Andrew Leach and Glenn Detulleo, defenseman Joe Markusen and goaltender Zach Sikich all joined the team in Flint on Saturday March 3rd, after being acquired in trades. Rookie defenseman Kim Brandvold made his Jackals debut on Saturday March 3rd in Flint and appeared in all 6 games of the road trip.

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 13, 2007


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