Jackals Earn Shootout Victory Against Reading

READING, PA - The Jackals earned their first shootout victory of the season in a 4-3 win against the Reading Royals tonight at Santander Arena.

Adam Comrie gave Reading the game's first goal 9:36 into the opening period. The defenseman found space in the neutral zone and carried the puck over the blueline then snapped a wrist shot past Travis Fullerton. Michael Caruso added the lone helper on Comrie's fourth of the year. The Jackals would answer at 16:08 of the first period and tie the game. Rob Florentino took a cross-ice feed from Kevin Hart and sniped a short-handed goal top-shelf over the shoulder of Connor Knapp. Matt Tassone also added an assist on Florentino's second goal of the season.

Elmira would carry the momentum from Florentino's late first period goal into the second frame and capitalize 1:37 into the stanza. Taylor Stefishen entered the zone on the left-hand side and snapped a shot past Knapp to give the Jackals a 2-1 lead. The Royals answered six minutes later with a power-play goal from David Marshall. Marshall blasted a shot from the boards-side of the right circle past Fullerton for his sixth goal of the year. Fullerton was pulled following Marshall's goal and Sam Marotta entered the game. Reading would score again on the power-play at 18:44 of the second period to take a 3-2 lead. Adam Comrie netted his second of the night and fifth of the year.

The Jackals captain, Matt Tassone, made his return to action tonight and buried the game-tying-goal at 5:09 of the third period. Tassone's sixth goal of the year chased Connor Knapp and Martin Ouellette entered the game for the Royals. Neither team scored the go-ahead tally in the third period and overtime didn't provide a winner either so the game went to a shootout. The Jackals were 0-for-3 in shootouts entering tonight, but goals from Colin Jacobs, Matt Tassone and Allan McPherson propelled them to their first shootout win of the year.

Marotta stopped 24 of 25 shots faced and three-of-four in the shootout for the victory. Ouellette stopped all nine shots he faced in relief action but only stopped one of four shootout attempts and took the loss. The Jackals went 0-for-3 on the power-play and the Royals finished 2-for-5 with the man advantage.