Three-unanswered Goals Help Jackals Defeat Cyclones, 4-2

Published on November 3, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals News Release


Cincinnati, Ohio - The Elmira Jackals overcame a one-goal second-period deficit, scoring three-straight times to pull away from the Cincinnati Cyclones, 4-2, on Tuesday night at U.S. Bank Arena. Shane Connelly made 30 saves in his Jackals debut as Elmira earned its first win in Cincinnati since Feb. 27, 2009.

Oren Eizenman registered his third goal of the season at 2:42 of the first period. Justin Donati chipped the puck toward the net from the top of the slot to start the play. Andrew Sweetland pushed the puck closer to the net, and Eizenman sent it into the goal on the power play to give Elmira a 1-0 lead.

A pair of Cyclones goals 19 seconds apart gave Cincinnati a 2-1 lead. Mathieu Aubin put home a loose puck at the top of the crease at 13:23 of the first period and Mike Bartlett wristed a puck in from the top of the slot at 13:42 for the one-goal Cyclones advantage.

Connelly and the Jackals defense kept the deficit at one for the next 21 minutes. At 14:44, the Jackals were on their first power play of the second period. Donati's left-point shot was turned aside by Cyclones goaltender Chet Pickard, but Yannick Tifu lifted the rebound into the net to tie the game, 2-2.

Kevin DeVergilio's first goal as a Jackal proved to be the game-winning tally. Tifu and DeVergilio broke into the zone on a two-on-one rush, and the veteran fed the second-year pro on the doorstep, with DeVergilio shooting the puck past the glove of Pickard at 18:45 of the second to make it 3-2 Elmira.

In the third period, an individual effort from Donati made it 4-2 at 5:56. With the Jackals on the power play, Donati came into the zone from the center ice, skated around two players and advanced toward the net. Now just outside of the crease, Donati backhanded the puck by Pickard to increase Elmira's lead with their third power-play goal of the game.

The Jackals silenced the Cyclones offense from there, limiting Cincinnati's scoring chances late on a pair of power plays. Overall, the Jackals were perfect on the penalty kill, stifling all four Cincinnati man advantages.

Donati's three points gives him 13 for the season, one behind the league lead.

Connelly's 30 saves earned him a 1-0 record on the season, while Pickard dropped to 0-2 with 23 saves on 27 shots.

Elmira had lost each of its last four games in the Queen City, with two coming in the regular season and two in the playoffs. The Jackals now lead the Atlantic Division by four points over Reading with a record of 4-1-2-0.

Cincinnati is winless in five-straight games and is 1-4-1-1 on the season.

The Jackals have a 10:30 a.m. game on Wednesday in Toledo, Ohio before returning home for games on Friday and Saturday at 7:35 p.m. against the Reading Royals.

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