ELMIRA, N.Y. - November 17, 2014 -
The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres
and AHL's Rochester Americans, are off to a strong start to the 2014-15
season. They completed the weekend sweep against former bench boss
Dwight Mullins and the Evansville Icemen with a 4-2 victory on Friday
and a 4-1 win on Saturday. The Jackals have won four straight games at
First Arena and are 7-3-2 on the season.
Last Week's Record: 2-0-0
Overall Record: 7-3-2; second place in East Division, fourth place in Eastern Conference
Leaders:
Goals: x Brayden Irwin (6)
Assists: Taylor Stefishen (10)
Points: x Brayden Irwin (14)
+/-: Taylor Stefishen (+8)
PIMs: Andrew Conboy (37)
PPG: Taylor Stefishen (2)
SHG: Matt Tassone (1)
Wins: Travis Fullerton (5)
GAA: Travis Fullerton (2.37)
SVP: Sam Marotta (.918)
Previewing the Upcoming Week:
11/19 at Wheeling Nailers - 10:35 a.m. EST
Home vs. WHL 0-0-0, Away vs. WHL 0-0-0
11/21 vs. Reading Royals - 7:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. REA 0-0-1, Away vs. REA 1-1-0
Elmira hosts the rival Reading Royals at First Arena for the fourth of fifteen meetings this season and the second of seven on home ice. These two East Division foes have met at First Arena on October 24, which turned out to be an action-packed nail-biter. The Jackals erased a three-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of the third period and forced overtime when Brayden Irwin scored on a penalty shot with 53 seconds remaining. The Royals came out victorious in the shootout, but the Jackals battled back and earned a hard-fought point. The Jackals traveled to Reading the next night and fell 5-1 in the Royals' home opener. But, Elmira bounced back in the weekend finale and defeated the Royals at Santander Arena 3-1. The all-time series has been tight between these two rivals, with the Jackals holding a 45-44-11 advantage.
11/22 vs. Wheeling Nailers - 7:05 p.m. EST; 11/23 vs. Wheeling Nailers - 4:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. WHL 0-0-0, Away vs. WHL 0-0-0
The Jackals host Wheeling at First Arena for the first two home matchups of the season. This weekend's games mark the second and third of thirteen meetings between these two foes and the first of six at First Arena. Last season the Jackals and Nailers met fifteen times and Elmira finished with a 3-9-3 record against their former Atlantic Division rival. Despite the tough sledding last season, the Jackals hold the advantage with a 37-25-8 all-time record against the Nailers. Due to the ECHL realignment these old rivals will no longer play in the same division. The Jackals are now in the new-look East Division with Reading, Gwinnett, Greenville, Florida, Orlando and South Carolina. The Nailers make the move into the North Division with Evansville, Indy, Cincinnati, Kalamazoo, Toledo and Fort Wayne.
Recapping Last Week:
11/14 vs. Evansville: W 4-2
For the third consecutive game the Jackals overcame a third period deficit and defeated the Evansville Icemen 4-2 on the back of three goals in the final 20 minutes. The Jackals trailed by one late in the first period but Ryan Rashid's first goal of the season tied it 1-1 going into the break. Patch Alber forced the turnover at Evansville's blueline and Rashid was able to pick up the rebound and deposit it past Chris Driedger at 18:10 of the first period. The Jackals headed into the third down 2-1 but showed their resiliency for the third straight game and tied the contest 2-2 when Nick Tuzzolino slammed home his first of the year at 3:29 of the third period. Colin Jacobs and Taylor Stefishen earned the assists on Tuzzolino's tally. Thomas Nesbitt capitalized less than four minutes later and snapped a shot short-side past Driedger for his second of the season. Justin Kea and Taylor Stefishen were credited with the helpers on Nesbitt's goal. Rob Florentino scored his first professional goal and added the insurance marker at 15:06 of the third period. Stefano Momesso found Florentino backdoor and earned an assist in his first professional game. Mike Seidel also added a helper on Florentino's first goal. Marotta stopped 17 of 19 shots faced for his second win of the season.
11/15 vs. Evansville: W 4-1
The Jackals completed their weekend sweep of the Evansville Icemen with a 4-1 victory tonight at First Arena. Andrew Conboy started the party with a goal just 38 seconds into the game and the Jackals continued to cruise against the Icemen. Allan McPherson and Steven Shamanski earned the assists on Conboy's second goal of the season. Less than four minutes later Justin Kea extended his point streak to three games with a beautiful backhand feed that found Colin Jacobs streaking through the slot. Jacobs' marker was his first of the season and was assisted by Kea and Tuzzolino. Elmira extended its 2-0 lead at 8:15 of the second period when Justin Kea redirected Mike Seidel's wrist shot for his third goal of the season. Shamanski also added an assist on Kea's tally. The Jackals added to their lead at 11:49 of the frame courtesy of Nick Tuzzolino's second goal in as many games. The veteran blueliner buried a blast past Chris Driedger on the power-play to extend the Jackals lead to 4-0. McPherson and Seidel recorded the helpers on Tuzzolino's tally. Fullerton finished with 27 saves on 28 shots and earned his fifth victory of the season.
Quick Hits:
* Taylor Stefishen leads all ECHL rookies with 10 assists.
* Steven Shamanski leads all rookie defensemen with 5 power-play points and is tied for first with nine points.
* Elmira ranks fourth in the league on the power-play at 23.3% (10-for-43).
* The Jackals penalty-kill is tied for fourth in the league on the road at 90.0% (18-for-20).
* Elmira is fifth in the ECHL with 32.33 shots for per game.
* Elmira is on a four-game home winning streak.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment! Please be aware that any comments that use offensive language or deemed inappropriate will be removed.
- Elmira Jackals