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Shootout Weekend! Jackals Stop Skid At Home

December 20, 2004 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Week 10 Game Results:

12/17/04 DANBURY 6 - Jackals 5 (3-2 in Shootout) Danbury, CT - Twice during the game, and twice more in the shootout, the Elmira Jackals had the lead, but the Danbury Trashers never let up, coming back to win 6-5 Friday night.

Jason Sessa helped the Jackals explode out of the gates by scoring twice in the first period. First he buried a slap shot at 11:38, assisted by Corey Foster and Simon Poirier; then he notched his second at 14:08 from Bryan Cummings and Derek Campbell to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

Danbury not only grabbed the momentum in the second period, they took it and ran away with it. The Trashers scored 4 straight goals in the middle frame to turn a 180 on this game. First Mike Bayrack got Danbury on the board at 3:41, then Jeff Daw scored a short handed goal at 10:24 to bring the game level. Bayrack's second of the period at 13:12 put the self-proclaimed "Bad Boys of Hockey" into the lead, and 56 seconds later it was 4-2 Trashers courtesy of a goal by Brian Herbert. Elmira stopped the bleeding late in the period when Jamie Thompson tipped home a Corey Foster blast from the point at 19:51 for the first power play goal of the contest.

In the final period the Jackals again surged into the lead. In keeping with the theme of "Two," Jeff Antonovich scored a pair of power play goals to make it 5-4 Elmira. First he lit the lamp just 16 seconds after the opening face off, assisted by Foster and Darren Van Oene, and then scored his second at 6:52 from Thompson and Poirier. Danbury responded with their second short handed goal of the night at 7:12 when defenseman Mario Larocque send a thundering drive into the net off a quick face off to equalize at five.

The shootout proved to be an event of record proportions. Jason Sessa scored to lead off the first round, but was leveled by Bruce Richardson in the 3rd round for Danbury. The next ELEVEN rounds went by without a goal as both net minders put on a breakaway clinic for the 2,310 fans at the Danbury Ice Arena. Elmira went ahead 2-1 when George Pujacs scored in the 15th round, but Blake Bellefeuille kept Danbury in the game with his own successful goal.

The 'tenders stopped the next 9 attempts before Bayrack ended the marathon shootout by scoring in the 21st round for Danbury.

Scott Stirling stopped 19-of-24 shots, 19-of-21 in the shootout for the win; Greg Hewitt made an amazing 43 saves on 48 Danbury shots, 18-of-21 in the overtime session.

12/18/04 DANBURY 3 - Jackals 2 (3-0 in Shootout)

Elmira, NY - The Danbury Trashers earned their second straight shootout victory over the Elmira Jackals, winning 3-2 Saturday night in Danbury. The Trashers jumped out on top just 62 seconds into the game as Jeff Daw fired a scorching wrist shot up over the glove of Greg Hewitt for a 1-0 Danbury lead. The Jackals struck back half way through the period when Dean Jackson scored his first goal as a Jackal this season, blasting a slap shot past Scott Stirling at 12:17, assisted by Jeff Antonovich and Derek Campbell.

In the second period the Garbage men regained the lead at 4:57 when a Mario Larocque shot from the point was redirected by Bruce Richardson into the net for a 2-1 lead.

In perhaps the most exciting conclusion of the season, the Jackals drew level with literally no time to spare. Defenseman George Pujacs unleashed a blistering wrister from the blue line that caught the iron of the cross bar on its way into the net as the game clock struck zero, tying the game at two and sending festivities to a shootout.

Friday night's UHL record setting 20-round shootout would not be relived on this night. Jason Sessa scored to open the first round, but Danbury scored their first three attempts to take the extra point 3-1. Stirling made 22 saves for the win, 3-of-4 in the shootout; while Hewitt turned aside 31-of-33 in the game, 0-for-3 in the shootout.

12/19/04 JACKALS 3 - Flint 2 (2-1 in Shootout)

Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals broke an 8-game winless streak by beating the Flint Generals 3-2 in a shootout Sunday night at the First Arena.

The Jackals took the lead late in first period when Jeff Antonovich released Jason Sessa on a breakaway and Sessa did not miss, beating goaltender Marco Emond at 16:27 for his 19th goal of the season.

The Jackals held the lead through the second period, but could not add to their goal total in the middle frame despite out-shooting Flint 13-4. In the third period Flint evened the score with a power play goal at 4:50 from J.P. Morin, assisted by John DiPace. Elmira struck back and regained the lead at 6:49 when Eddy Lowe scored his second short-handed goal of the season. Lowe blocked a Rob Valicevic shot near the Elmira blue line, then chased Valicevic down at the Flint blue line, stole the puck and steamed in unabated on Emond for the go-ahead goal. However, the Generals tied the game again at 11:28 when rookie Mike Kinnie scored, assisted by Leo Thomas and Mike Tobin to send this game into a shootout.

For the third straight game, Elmira went to an extra session, but after losing two consecutive shootouts to Danbury, tonight would turn out differently. Jason Sessa scored in round one to give Elmira the lead, John DiPace tied it in round four, but defenseman George Pujacs slipped his 5th round attempt through Emond's 5-hole for the game winner.

Rookie Kevin Kurk earned his second win of his professional career by stopping 37-of-39 shots and 4-of-5 in his first pro shootout. Emond made 28 saves on 30 Jackals shots, 3-of-5 in the shootout.

JACKALS PLAYER AND GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK: (WEEK 10)

Jeff Antonovich - C 3 GP, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 pts, Even, 0 PIMs

Jeff Antonovich was considered to be on the bubble of the Jackals roster after the first two weeks of the season. Since that point he has played like a man fighting for his job. Antonovich stormed through the week for the Jackals, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists in three games, starting with a 3-point night Friday in Danbury, where he set up Jason Sessa in the first period, and then scored two third period power play goals. Saturday night he assisted on both goals the Jackals scored in regulation, including the buzzer-beating game tying goal at 19:59 of the third period. Sunday again Antonovich was an impact player, sending an impossible pass through the middle of the ice to release Sessa on a breakaway in the first period against Flint. The Coleraine, Minnesota native has 9 goals and 15 assists, good for third on the team with 24 points.

Kevin Kurk - G 1 GP, 1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, 0.949 SV%, 37 saves

Rookie Kevin Kurk earned his 2nd professional win in just his 4th career start Sunday as he beat the Flint Generals for a shootout win. The Orchard Park, NY native shined in goal, making 37 saves on 39 Flint shots during the contest. Kurk earned his Jackals Goaltender of the Week award and his first pro shootout win, in his first ever appearance in the extra session, stopping 4-of-5 Flint attempts. Kurk finishes the week with a 2.00 goals against average and a 0.949 save percentage.

JACKAL BITES:

* MARATHON GOALTENDING OVERTIME - The Elmira Jackals and the Danbury Trashers, along with goaltenders Greg Hewitt and Scott Stirling set a United Hockey League record Friday night in Connecticut by going through a 21-round shootout in order to determine a winner. Through the regular 5 rounds, plus 16 rounds of sudden death, 42 attempts were made, and only 5 shooters were successful.

* SIX POINT FAVORITE - C Greg Koehler played sparingly Friday and missed two of the three games for Elmira with an injury, but that hasn't dethroned the forward as the UHL's leading scorer. Koehler has 46 points and league best 23 goals through 30 games.

* RED LIGHTS FLASHING - RW Jason Sessa scored three goals this week, moving him up to third in the UHL in goals with 18 on the season. Sessa also leads the league with 10 power play goals in 28 games played.

* TEAM GOALS - The Elmira Jackals are one of just three teams in the UHL this season to score at least 100 goals. The Jackals scored their 100th goal of the season Sunday on an Eddy Lowe shorthanded goal against Flint. However, Elmira is one of five teams in the league that has allowed 100 or more goals; the Jackals have conceded 110 goals through 32 games.

* GET IN THE BOX - The Jackals lead the UHL in penalty minutes drawn with 1087 minutes of penalties taken against them by opposing teams. Elmira and Rockford are the only two teams in the League to draw more that 1,000 minutes in penalties so far this season.

NEWS AND NOTES:
Elmira Jackals Team Leaders:

Goals: Greg Koehler (23)
Assists: Greg Koehler (23)
Points: Greg Koehler (46)
Plus/Minus: Carl Drakensjo, Trevor Burgess (+3)
Penalty Minutes: Chris Shaw (97)
Power Play Goals: Jason Sessa (10)
Short Handed Goals: Eddy Lowe (2)
Shots: Greg Koehler (123)
Shooting Percentage: Jason Sessa (20.0%)
Saves: Greg Hewitt (840)
Wins: Greg Hewitt (11)
GAA: Kevin Kurk (3.14)
Save Percentage: Greg Hewitt (.902)

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 returned from injury this weekend and immediately tallied a goal and two assists to add to his point total in the Goals for Glove House Fundraiser. Through eighteen games Jamie has twenty points coming on six goals and fourteen assists, putting him in 5th 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 defenseman Chris Shaw and right wing Charlie Elezi 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: 13-16-3, 29 points (10-8-1 home, 3-8-2 road), Third Place, Eastern Division

Week 11 Game Schedule:
December 22 7:00 pm vs. Richmond Riverdogs (13-13-2, 28 pts) Fourth Place, Eastern Division
December 23 7:35 pm @ Richmond Riverdogs (13-13-2, 28 pts) Fourth Place, Eastern Division
December 26 5:00 pm vs. Danbury Trashers (21-8-1, 43 pts) First Place, Eastern Division

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