Jackals Outdueled In Shootout; Fall 3-2 at Wheeling

WHEELING, WV - The Jackals climbed out to an early 2-0 lead at WesBanco Arena, but faltered in the third period and fell 3-2 in the shootout.

Elmira hit the road for its second Wednesday morning school game in two weeks. Today the Jackals took the ice against their former Atlantic Division rival, the Wheeling Nailers. Taylor Stefishen got Elmira on the board 3:52 into the opening frame with a redirect in the slot on the power-play. Zach Tolkinen and Justin Kea earned the assist's on Stefishen's fourth of the year. Kea extended his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists). Later in the first period the Jackals' special teams would strike again, but this time it would be the penalty kill. Thomas Nesbitt churned his legs to chase down Nick Tuzzolino's clearing feed and found Mike Seidel streaming down the middle for the short-handed marker. Tempters flared between the two rivals towards the end of the first period and was capped by fights between Tuzzolino and Patrick McGrath and Todd Orlando and Chaz Johnson.

The second period proved to be more docile between the Jackals and Nailers. The middle frame saw just three minor penalties combined between the two teams and neither team added to the score-sheet.

Derek Army cut the Jackals' lead in half with a wrap-around goal 6:26 into the third period. Morgan Ellis and David Gilbert added the assists on Army's second goal of the season. Less than two minutes later Clark Seymour's slap-shot from the point snuck past Sam Marotta and tied the game. Riley Brace and Nick D'Agostino assisted Seymour's first goal of the year. Neither team broke the tie in the final 11:53 of the third period or the five minute overtime session.

Gilbert and Zack Torquato scored in the shootout and Wheeling netminder Eric Hartzell stopped all four shots he faced to give the Nailers a 3-2 win.

Marotta stopped 25 of 27 shots faced in 65 minutes and turned aside two of four shootout attempts but was handed the shootout loss. Hartzell turned aside 19 of 21 shots faced and stopped all four shootout attempts to earn the win. The Jackals went 1-for-6 on the power-play and Wheeling went 0-for-3 with the man advantage.