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Quick Strikes Lead Jackals To 7-3 Win In Reading

January 2, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Brett Pilkington's goal 8:15 into the final period snapped a 3-3 tie and sent the Elmira Jackals on to a 7-3 win over the Reading Royals Wednesday night before 4,146 fans at Sovereign Center. The victory extended the Jackals road unbeaten streak in regulation to nine games (7-0-1-1) and lifted them to within one point of idle Cincinnati for the North Division lead.

Pilkington's go-ahead goal came just fifty-three seconds after the Royals had knotted the score on Peter Ferraro's first professional goal following the Jackals' third unsuccessful power play chance due to a Ferraro tripping penalty.

Jackals defenseman Joe Grimaldi tried to drill a shot through Brock Hooton in the high slot at the end of the man advantage. The shot deflected off of Hooton and came out to center ice as Ferraro left the penalty box. A two-on-two developed with Hooton carrying wide on the right wing into the Elmira zone and Ferraro cutting down the slot. Ferarro sent Hooton's centering feed past Joel Martin (27 saves) to tie the game at 3-3.

With the crowd still celebrating, Grimaldi redeemed himself by picking up a loose puck in his own zone and feathering an outlet pass through center behind Royals blueliner Rob Lalonde.

Pilkington picked up the feed just outside the Reading line and gained just enough separation to come in alone on Royals goaltender Jonathan Quick (22 saves). Pilkington managed to snap a rolling puck over Quick's glove hand for his sixth goal of the year and a 4-3 advantage.

Dan Kronick scored eleven seconds later, his second of the night and third of the year, to give the visitors a two-goal advantage before the Jackals salted the game away with two more goals (Luke Fulghum and Jim McKenzie) in the final 1:51 of play.

The third period fireworks came on the heels of a scoreless second period after Elmira built a 3-2 lead at the end of the opening period.

Chaz Johnson got things going 7:35 into the contest when he converted a Royals turnover into his ninth goal of the year on a wrister from the right face-off dot that beat Quick between the pads for a 1-0 lead.

Reading countered on a pair of strikes from Charlie Kronschnabel, his 4th and 5th of the season at 10:43 and 15:31 respectively to give the Royals their only lead at 2-1.

The lead lasted all of twenty-seven seconds when Kronick wrestled free from a check in the slot and swatted in a Frank Littlejohn centering pass to tie the game 2-2.

Fulghum slipped his ninth of the season underneath Quick thirty-five seconds later to give the Jackals the 3-2 lead after one period of play on assists from Grimaldi and Kevin Ulanski.

Pilkington (goal and two assists) and Kronick (two goals and an assist) each finished with three-point efforts while Fulghum notched a pair of goals. Grimaldi and Ulanski chipped in with two assists each as five Jackals had multi-point games as the club struck for a season-high seven goals.

Martin picked up his league leading 18th win of the year (18-5-1) in making his 14th consecutive start in goal for the Jackals.

The victory was Elmira's first in three tries at Sovereign Center following last week's 4-3 overtime loss December 26th and a November 4th 5-3 regulation loss. Overall, the Jackals hold the upper hand in the season series over the Royals with a record of 3-1-1-0.

Following the contest, the Jackals loaned Chaz Johnson to the Binghamton Senators (AHL) and released emergency back-up goaltender Adam Horvath.

Elmira concludes its four-game road trip with two games Friday and Saturday at the Nutter Center in Dayton against the fourth place Bombers. Game time both nights is 7 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the Hill Top Inn Countdown to Face-Off on MAGIC FM (92.7/97.7) and on-line at www.jackalshockey.com.

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