Jackals and Royals Clash In New Year's Eve Showdown

ELMIRA, NY  - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, visit Reading to face the Royals in a New Year's Eve showdown.
WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (15-12-3) at Reading Royals - Philadelphia/NHL & Lehigh Valley/AHL (17-9-2)
 
WHAT: Jackals Away Game #15.

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. EST 

WHERE: Santander Arena - 700 Penn Street Reading, PA 19602

The Jackals take on the Reading Royals for the third consecutive game to close out the 2014 calendar year. Despite dropping both contests this past weekend to the Royals, the Jackals still maintain a 47-46-11 all-time record against Reading. The battle for the DeMet's Candy Turtle Cup is stands at 3-3-1 through the first seven meetings this season with eight matchups remaining between these East Division rivals. The Royals got the best of the Jackals in this past weekend's home-and-home series. On Friday night, in front of a soldout crowd at First Arena, the Royals topped the Jackals 5-2. The following night the Jackals traveled to Santander Arena and battled resiliently but fell 4-3. The last Jackals' win in the series occurred on November 26th in Reading. Elmira battled back and defeated the Royals 4-3 in the shootout.

Tonight the Jackals continue a stretch of five consecutive games following a quick pit-stop at home on December 26. Prior to the Jackals' home game, they had played six in a row on the road and are currently in the midst of a stretch where they play 11 of 12 away from home ice.

Jackals Weekly Release 12/29-1/4

 ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, embark on a four-game road trip which begins in Reading, PA, then takes them to Gwinnett, GA for two games, and ends with a weekend finale in Greenville, SC.
Last Week's Record: 0-2-0
Overall Record: 15-12-3; fifth place in East Division, seventh place in Eastern Conference

Leaders:
Goals: Matt Tassone (12)
Assists: Steven Shamanski (15)
Points: Matt Tassone & Steven Shamanski (21)
+/-: Matt Tassone (+14)
PIMs: Nick Tuzzolino (72)
PPG: x Taylor Stefishen (4)
SHG: Matt Tassone, Rob Florentino, x Taylor Stefishen & Mike Seidel (1)
Wins: x Travis Fullerton (9)
GAA: Sam Marotta (2.61)
SVP: Sam Marotta (.914)

Previewing the Upcoming Week:

12/31 at Reading Royals - 5:30 p.m. EST
Home vs. REA 1-1-1, Away vs. REA 2-2-0
The Jackals take on the Reading Royals for the third consecutive game to close out the 2014 calendar year. Despite dropping both contests this past weekend to the Royals, the Jackals still maintain a 47-46-11 all-time record against Reading. The battle for the DeMet's Candy Turtle Cup is stands at 3-3-1 through the first seven meetings this season with eight matchups remaining between these East Division rivals. The Royals got the best of the Jackals in this past weekend's home-and-home series. On Friday night, in front of a soldout crowd at First Arena, the Royals topped the Jackals 5-2. The following night the Jackals traveled to Santander Arena and battled resiliently but fell 4-3. The last Jackals' win in the series occurred on November 26th in Reading. Elmira battled back and defeated the Royals 4-3 in the shootout.

1/2 at Gwinnett Gladiators - 7:35 p.m. EST; 1/3 at Gwinnett Gladiators - 7:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. GWT 0-0-0, Away vs. GWT 0-0-0
The Jackals travel to Gwinnett to face the Gladiators for the only two meetings this season. Elmira holds a 9-7-1 all-time record against Gwinnett. The last time these two teams met was April 12, 2014, which was the Jackals season finale. Elmira stumbled to a 7-0 defeat at the hands of the Gladiators. The Jackals' last win against Gwinnett came on April 9, 2014 inside The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Five Jackals recorded multi-point games in their 6-3 victory. The most goals any Jackals team has ever recorded in a game was 11, which came on November 14, 2009 against Gwinnett. Justin Donati and Maxime Gratchev tied a team record with six points in the 11-3 win over the Gladiators. Donati's four goals are tied for a team record and Gratchev's six assists are still the most in Jackals' history.

1/4 at Greenville Road Warriors - 3:00 p.m. EST
Home vs. GRN 0-0-0, Away vs. GRN 0-0-0
On Sunday, the Jackals pay their first and only visit to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena this season. The Jackals and Road Warriors meet just twice this year, despite playing in the same division. The Jackals hold a 7-3-1 all-time advantage in the series with Greenville. Two of the Road Warriors' three all-time wins against Elmira came last season. The Jackals traveled down to Greenville on December 28-29, 2013 and dropped the two-game set, 4-2 and 6-3. The last Jackals' victory versus Greenville came on November 1, 2013, when the Road Warriors visited First Arena and were shutout 3-0. Artem Demkov, Philip-Michael Devos and Rob Bellamy scored for Elmira, and Scott Greenham stopped 31 saves for the shutout win.

Recapping Last Week:

12/26 vs. Reading: L 2-5

Nearly 4,000 passionate Jackals fans packed First Arena for Friday's contest between the Jackals and the Royals. Ryan Rashid scored a goal and added an assist but the Jackals fell short 5-2. Matt Hatch scored the game's opening tally 7:23 in following a lengthy post-whistle discussion. Pat Mullane added his 10th goal of the season at 16:28 on the power-play. Olivier Labelle was the beneficiary of the second goal debate of the evening and put the Royals ahead 3-0 at 13:40 of the second period. Adam Hughesman and David Marshall earned the assists. Ryan Cruthers netted his seventh of the season at 19:07 of the frame. The Jackals got on the board at 8:33 of the third period when Ryan Rashid popped in a rebound for his third goal of the year. Nick Tuzzolino and Steven Shamanski earned the assists on Rashid's tally. Less than four minutes later Cam Reid scored a backdoor goal on an odd-man rush to put the Royals ahead 5-1. Lucas Bloodoff wristed home his second of the year at 16:09, assisted by Rashid, but the comeback would end there.

12/27 at Reading: L 3-4

The Jackals weathered the storm early and battled back resiliently at Santander Arena, but were defeated by Reading 4-3 in the home-and-home weekend finale. Jackals netminder Sam Marotta stood tall in the opening frame and turned aside 15 of Reading's 16 shots on goal. However, Jordan Heywood would crack the scoresheet with his first goal of the season at 16:00 of the first period. Andrew Johnston and Olivier Labelle earned assists on Heywood's tally. The Jackals pounced quickly in the second period with Lucas Bloodoff's third of the season at 3:36 of the middle frame. Nick Tuzzolino and Matt Tassone earned assists on Bloodoff's second goal in as many games. Just over four minutes later on the power-play Ryan Rashid deposited his fourth of the season and second in as many nights. Mitch Holmberg and Kevin Hart earned the assists on Rashid's go-ahead marker. However, Pat Mullane would tie the game 2-2 at 16:14 of the period with his 11th goal of the year. Labelle added his ninth goal of the year at 12:04 of the third period, assisted by Matt Hatch and Maxim Lamarche. Just over two minutes later Heywood notched his second goal of the night and second of the season to put the Royals ahead 4-2. Tassone buried his 12th goal of the season with 25 seconds left to pull the Jackals within one, but that would be as far as they would come in their comeback effort. Steven Shamanski and Rashid assisted Tassone's tally.

Quick Hits:

* Sam Marotta leads all rookie goaltenders with a 2.61 goals-against-average and tied for second with a .914 save percentage.

* Steven Shamanski leads all rookie defensemen with 21 points and 10 power-play points.

* Shamanski is tied for third among all blueliners in points.

* Elmira is 11-2-2 when scoring first.

* Elmira is 10-0-1 when leading after two periods.

* Matt Tassone leads the league with five first goals.

* Nick Tuzzolino leads defensemen with 90 shots on goal.

Jackals Battle Back But Fall In Reading, 4-3

READING, PA - The Jackals weathered the storm early and battled back resiliently at Santander Arena, but were defeated by Reading 4-3 in the home-and-home weekend finale.
Jackals netminder Sam Marotta stood tall in the opening frame and turned aside 15 of Reading's 16 shots on goal. However, Jordan Heywood would crack the scoresheet with his first goal of the season at 16:00 of the first period. Andrew Johnston and Olivier Labelle earned assists on Heywood's tally. The Jackals were out-shot 16-2 by Reading through the first 20 minutes of play, but trailed by just one heading into the intermission.

The Jackals pounced quickly in the second period with Lucas Bloodoff's third of the season at 3:36 of the middle frame. Nick Tuzzolino and Matt Tassone earned assists on Bloodoff's second goal in as many games. Just over four minutes later on the power-play Ryan Rashid deposited his fourth of the season and second in as many nights. Mitch Holmberg and Kevin Hart earned the assists on Rashid's go-ahead marker. However, Pat Mullane would tie the game 2-2 at 16:14 of the period with his 11th goal of the year. Michael Caruso and David Marshall assisted Mullane's tying tally.

The third period opened with a 2-2 tie and each team had chances to take the lead but the knotted affair lasted until 12:04 of the period when Labelle added his ninth goal of the year assisted by Matt Hatch and Maxim Lamarche. Just over two minutes later Heywood notched his second goal of the night and second of the season to put the Royals ahead 4-2. Mullane and Lamarche assisted Heywood's goal. Tassone buried his 12th goal of the season with 25 seconds left to pull the Jackals within one, but that would be as far as they would come in their comeback effort. Steven Shamanski and Holmberg assisted Tassone's tally.

Marotta turned aside 33 of 37 shots faced but shouldered the loss. Joe Howe allowed three goals on 28 shots but earned the win.

Jackals Send Three To Rochester

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that rookie forward Justin Kea has been reassigned to Rochester by Buffalo. Additionally, forward Brodie Reid and goaltender Travis Fullerton have been loaned to Rochester.
Kea, 20, has collected eight points (three goals, five assists) in 25 games this season for the Jackals. This is the second AHL call-up this season for the 6-foot-4 205-pound forward. He spent the last four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Saginaw Spirit, recording 117 points (51 goals, 66 assists) and 324 penalty minutes in 253 OHL games. Kea was selected in the third round (#73 overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.

Reid, 25, heads to the AHL for the third time this season. His first call-up resulted in one game with the St. John's IceCaps and before he could return to Elmira he was called up to the Adirondack Flames. The Delta, British Columbia native collected five points (three goals, two assists) in 11 games with the Flames. Reid recorded a goal in three straight games from November 18-22, including two power-play goals and one game-winning goal. The 6-foot-1 195-pound forward has recorded nine points (three goals, six assists) in nine games with the Jackals this season. In 167 career AHL games with Worcester, Adirondack and St. John's, Reid has registered 76 points (34 goals, 42 assists).

Fullerton, 27, earns his second call-up to Rochester this season. He has appeared in 17 games with the Jackals this season, posting a 9-4-2 record with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Last season, Fullerton appeared in 45 games for the Las Vegas Wranglers, collecting a record of 14-22-6, with a 3.26 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. In 64 career ECHL games with San Francisco, Las Vegas and Elmira, the Riverview, New Brunkswick native has posted a 23-26-9 record with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

The Jackals also announced today that they have signed defenseman Jordan Ciccarello and forwards Keith Buehler and Phil Bronner to ECHL Standard Player Contracts. Also, the team has signed Kevin Hoy as an emergency backup goaltender.

Ciccarello, 24, joins the Jackals after posting 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 21 games with the Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League. The New Hartford, CT native appeared in four games with the Jackals last season and recorded his first professional goal. Ciccarello posted 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 44 NCAA-III games while serving as the captain at Nazareth College.

Buehler, 23, competed for four seasons at Wesleyan University (NCAA-III) and compiled 112 points (55 goals, 57 assists) and 164 penalty minutes in 97 games. The Skaneateles, NY native served as team captain the previous two seasons.

Bronner, 25, signs with Elmira after collecting 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and 35 penalty minutes in 20 games for the Watertown Wolves of the FHL. The Wilbraham, MA native is in his second professional season following the conclusion of his collegiate career at UMass-Dartmouth (NCAA-III). Last year, Bronner split the season between the Knoxville Ice Bears of the SPHL, the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL and the Mississippi RiverKings of the SPHL.

Hoy, 23, has recorded a 4-0-1 record with a 1.72 goals-against-average and a .949 save percentage in six games with Danbury this season. Last year, as a rookie, the Fort Lauderdale, FL native, posted a 7-4-1 record with a 2.98 goals-against-average and a .916 save percentage in 14 FHL games.

Jackals Visit Reading To Complete Weekend Home-And-Home

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, visit Santander Arena tonight to complete the weekend home-and-home with the Royals. Last night, the Jackals were defeated by Reading at First Arena, 5-2.
WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (15-11-3) at Reading Royals - Philadelphia/NHL & Lehigh Valley/AHL (16-9-2)
 
WHAT: Jackals Away Game #14.

WHEN: 7:05 p.m. EST 

WHERE: Santander Arena - 700 Penn Street Reading, PA 19602

Tonight the Jackals face the Royals for the seventh of 15 meetings this season and the fourth of eight at Santander Arena. Last night the Jackal hosted Reading in front of a soldout crowd at First Arena. However, first period goals from Matt Hatch and Pat Mullane gave Reading the early advantage. Olivier Labelle and Ryan Cruthers added second period tallies to extend Reading's lead. Ryan Rashid and Lucas Bloodoff scored in the third period but the comeback would fall short as Cam Reid added the Royals' fifth goal and propelled them past the Jackals 5-2. Travis Fullerton turned aside 25 of 29 shots in 40 minutes but was saddled with the loss. Sam Marotta entered the game in the third period and stopped four of five shots faced. Connor Knapp stopped 24 of 26 shots faced to earn the win. The Jackals hold a 47-45-11 advantage in the all-time series against the Royals.

The Jackals have found tremendous success this season when they have posted at least a trio of tallies. Elmira is 15-0-1 this year in games where they score three or more times. They are 7-0-0 when scoring exactly three goals.

Jackals Fall Short in Soldout Contest, 5-2

ELMIRA, NY - Nearly 4,000 passionate Jackals fans packed First Arena for tonight's contest between the Jackals and the Royals. Ryan Rashid scored a goal and added an assist but the Jackals fell short 5-2.
Matt Hatch scored the game's opening tally 7:23 in following a lengthy post-whistle discussion. Pat Mullane added his 10th goal of the season at 16:28 on the power-play. Adam Comrie kept the puck in the Jackals' zone and found Mullane for the one-timer in the high slot.

Olivier Labelle was the beneficiary of the second goal debate of the evening and put the Royals ahead 3-0 at 13:40 of the second period. Adam Hughesman and David Marshall earned the assists. Ryan Cruthers netted his seventh of the season at 19:07 of the frame.

The Jackals got on the board at 8:33 of the third period when Ryan Rashid popped in a rebound for his third goal of the year. Nick Tuzzolino and Steven Shamanski earned the assists on Rashid's tally. Less than four minutes later Cam Reid scored a backdoor goal on an odd-man rush to put the Royals ahead 5-1. Lucas Bloodoff wristed home his second of the year at 16:09, assisted by Rashid.

Travis Fullerton stopped 25 of 29 shots faced in 40 minutes of action and was handed the loss. Sam Marotta came in for the third period and stopped four of five shots faced. Connor Knapp stopped 24 of 26 shots faced for the win.

Fullerton Returns To Elmira From Rochester

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that goaltender Travis Fullerton has been returned to Elmira from loan to Rochester.
Fullerton, 27, did not see any action in his call-up to Rochester on December 20th. He has appeared in 16 games with the Jackals this season, posting a 9-3-2 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.

Last season, Fullerton appeared in 45 games for the Las Vegas Wranglers, collecting a record of 14-22-6, with a 3.26 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. In 63 career ECHL games with San Francisco, Las Vegas and Elmira, the Riverview, New Brunkswick native has posted a 23-25-9 record with a 3.08 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Prior to turning pro, Fullerton competed for five seasons at the University of New Brunswick in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). In his CIS career, Fullerton compiled a record of 60-13-0 with a 1.87 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage. He backstopped the University of New Brunswick to University Cup championships in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

Fullerton played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before attending the University of New Brunswick. He logged time with the Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Saint John Sea Dogs. Fullerton racked up a 41-46-1 record with a 3.43 goals-against-average and a .892 save percentage in 95 QMJHL games.

Jackals Host Royals With ZOOperstars! In Town

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, return home for the lone home game in a stretch where 11 of 12 games are played away from First Arena. The Jackals host the Reading Royals for the sixth meeting this season.
WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (15-10-3) vs. Reading Royals - Philadelphia/NHL & Lehigh Valley/AHL (15-9-2)
 
WHAT: Jackals Home Game #16.

WHEN: 7:05 p.m. EST 

WHERE: First Arena - 155 N. Main St. Elmira, NY 14901

Tonight the Jackals face the Royals for the sixth meeting this season. Elmira returns home on Friday night, following six consecutive road games, to take on Reading for the third of seven meetings in First Arena this season. The last meeting between these two foes occurred on November 26th in Reading. The Royals scored first and added two power-play goals but the Jackals clawed back and defeated their East Division rival 4-3 in a shootout. Rob Florentino scored a short-handed tally to get the Jackals on the board in the first period and Taylor Stefishen added a goal early in the second frame. Jackals captain Matt Tassone tied the game in the third period to force overtime and the eventual shootout. Colin Jacobs, Tassone and Allan McPherson netted shootout goals to provide the Jackals with their first shootout win of the season. The Jackals hold a 47-44-11 advantage in the all-time series against the Royals.

The Jackals have found tremendous success this season when they have posted at least a trio of tallies. Elmira is 15-0-1 this year in games where they score three or more times. They are 7-0-0 when scoring exactly three goals.

Jackals Weekly Release 12/22-12/28

ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, head into the holiday break with a 15-10-3 overall record following a 2-1-0 road trip this past week.

Last Week's Record: 2-1-0
Overall Record: 15-10-3; third place in East Division, fifth place in Eastern Conference

Leaders:
Goals: Matt Tassone (11)
Assists: Steven Shamanski (13)
Points: Matt Tassone, Steven Shamanski (19)
+/-: Matt Tassone (+11)
PIMs: Nick Tuzzolino (72)
PPG: Taylor Stefishen (4)
SHG: Matt Tassone, Rob Florentino, x Taylor Stefishen & Mike Seidel (1)
Wins: Travis Fullerton (9)
GAA: Sam Marotta (2.49)
SVP: Sam Marotta (.918)

Previewing the Upcoming Week:

12/26 vs. Reading Royals - 7:05 p.m. EST; 12/27 at Reading Royals - 7:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. REA 1-0-1, Away vs. REA 2-1-0
This weekend the Jackals face the Royals for the sixth and seventh meetings this season. Elmira returns home on Friday night, following six consecutive road games, to take on Reading for the third of seven meetings in First Arena this season. On Saturday, the Jackals visit Santander Arena for the fourth of eight times this year. The last meeting between these two foes this season occurred on November 26th in Reading. The Royals scored first and added two power-play goals but the Jackals clawed back and defeated their East Division rival 4-3 in a shootout. Rob Florentino scored a short-handed tally to get the Jackals on the board in the first period and Taylor Stefishen added a goal early in the second frame. Jackals captain Matt Tassone tied the game in the third period to force overtime and the eventual shootout. Colin Jacobs, Tassone and Allan McPherson netted shootout goals to provide the Jackals with their first shootout win of the season. The Jackals hold a 47-44-11 advantage in the all-time series against the Royals.

Recapping Last Week:

12/17 at Evansville: W 4-1

Mitch Holmberg led the Jackals to a 4-1 victory with his first career hat-trick in his team debut at the Ford Center in Evansville. Holmberg notched his first goal of the night 5:29 into the first period. Brodie Reid made his return to the lineup after two separate call-ups to the AHL and started the scoring play with a pass to Justin Daniels who found Holmberg in front for the backhand marker. Evansville tied the game 2:20 into the second period with Colin Murray's third goal of the season. Holmberg registered his second goal of the night at 10:16 of the middle frame to regain the Jackals lead. Daniels entered the offensive zone in a four-on-four situation and found Holmberg at the net for the tip-in tally. Holmberg completed the hat-trick at 5:56 of the third period with a redirect off of Zach Tolkinen's point shot. Reid also added his second assist of the game on Holmberg's third goal. Reid would be the recipient of a tic-tac-toe passing play with Holmberg and Daniels at 13:16 of the third period. Daniels entered the offensive zone on the right side and moved it to Holmberg in the middle who fed Reid on the left side for the one-timer. The Jackals improved to 12-2-1 all-time against Evansville and 6-0-0 at the Ford Center.

12/19 at Cincinnati: W 3-2

The Cyclones stormed out to an early 1-0 lead just 45 seconds into the game. Two first period fights sparked the Jackals bench and fed into a charged attack. Mike Seidel drew an interference penalty against Brian Nugent and on the ensuing power-play Matt Tassone worked the puck down to the goal-line to Lucas Bloodoff who jammed it on net and the rebound popped out to a waiting Steven Shamanski. The rookie defenseman potted his sixth goal of the season and tied the game. Just a minute and two seconds later Justin Daniels fed Brodie Reid with a pass and as Reid entered the Cincinnati zone he dropped the puck to Mitch Holmberg, who snapped a quick release short-side top-shelf over Rob Madore. Holmberg's fourth goal of the season gave him four goals in four periods as a Jackal. The Cyclones would break through after 17:56 of scoreless second period hockey. Nugent passed the puck to Stephan Vigier who whistled a shot past Fullerton from inside the Jackals' blueline. Reid, who already notched an assist, would prove to be the game's hero at 6:44 of the third period. Cincinnati had a delayed penalty upcoming, giving the Jackals a bonus offensive opportunity while possessing the puck. Reid controlled the puck in the Cyclones' end and blasted a shot into a diving blocker, but he was able to regain possession and get off another shot from the bottom of the right circle, which squeaked past Madore. Seidel and Daniels earned assists on Reid's fifth point in the last two games.

12/20 at Cincinnati: L 0-2

The Jackals entered the night searching for a three-game sweep on the road, but were thwarted by Rob Madore, who stopped 23 shots and shutout the Jackals 2-0. Neither team could break through in the opening period, with seven shots apiece directed on net. However, the first 20 minutes did not lack excitement. At 8:01 of the frame, Mike Bergin challenged Christiaan Minella and landed some hard body shots in the tussle. The scoreless tie lasted over 30 minutes until Minella deposited the loose puck past Marotta to give Cincinnati the lead at 10:55 of the period. Marotta got a piece of the puck following a scrum in front, but couldn't get all of Minella's shot. The Jackals upped the pressure, but were turned aside each time. As the final seconds of the period ticked off the clock another scrum ensued and tempers flared. Justin Sawyer was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head, which resulted in a five minor penalty kill for the Jackals to begin the third period. The Cyclones were able to extend their lead to two with a power-play tally 1:30 into the third period. Branden Gracel took a slapshot from the top of the left circle and powered it past Marotta for his fifth goal of the season. The Jackals killed off the remainder of the penalty kill but could not solve Madore and dropped the weekend finale 2-0.

Quick Hits:

* Sam Marotta leads all rookie goaltenders with a 2.49 goals-against-average and second with a .918 save percentage.

* Steven Shamanski leads all rookie defensemen with six goals and 19 points. He is tied for second among all defensemen with 10 power-play points and is tied for fourth in points.

* The Jackals lead the league with 641 penalty minutes.

* Elmira is 11-2-2 when scoring first.

* The Jackals are 15-0-1 when scoring three or more goals.

* Elmira is 10-0-1 when leading after two periods.

Jackals Shutout By Cyclones, 2-0

CINCINNATI, OH - The Jackals entered the night searching for a three-game sweep on the road, but were thwarted by Rob Madore, who stopped 23 shots and shutout the Jackals 2-0.
Neither team could break through in the opening period, with seven shots apiece directed on net. However, the first 20 minutes did not lack excitement. At 8:01 of the frame, Mike Bergin challenged Christiaan Minella and landed some hard body shots in the tussle.

The scoreless tie lasted over 30 minutes until Minella deposited the loose puck past Marotta to give Cincinnati the lead at 10:55 of the period. Marotta got a piece of the puck following a scrum in front, but couldn't get all of Minella's shot. The Jackals upped the pressure, but were turned aside each time. As the final seconds of the period ticked off the clock another scrum ensued and tempers flared. Justin Sawyer was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head, which resulted in a five minor penalty kill for the Jackals to begin the third period.

The Cyclones were able to extend their lead to two with a power-play tally 1:30 into the third period. Branden Gracel took a slapshot from the top of the left circle and powered it past Marotta for his fifth goal of the season. The Jackals killed off the remainder of the penalty kill but could not solve Madore. Spencer McAvoy was hit hard by Minella at 12:03 of the period and engaged Minella in a fight.

The Jackals finished 0-for-2 on the power-play and Cincinnati went 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

The ZOOperstars! will be in town on December 26th when the Jackals return to First Arena to take on the East Division rival Reading Royals at 7:05 p.m. EST.

Fullerton Loaned To Rochester

CINCINNATI, OH - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that they have loaned goaltender Travis Fullerton to Rochester.

Fullerton, 27, has appeared in 16 games with the Jackals this season, posting a 9-3-2 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. The Riverview, New Brunswick native has earned his first AHL call-up following a 34-save performance last night against Cincinnati.

Last season, Fullerton appeared in 45 games for the Las Vegas Wranglers, collecting a record of 14-22-6, with a 3.26 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. In 63 career ECHL games with San Francisco, Las Vegas and Elmira, Fullerton has posted a 23-25-9 record with a 3.08 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Prior to turning pro, Fullerton competed for five seasons at the University of New Brunswick in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). In his CIS career, Fullerton compiled a record of 60-13-0 with a 1.87 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage. He backstopped the University of New Brunswick to University Cup championships in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

Fullerton played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before attending the University of New Brunswick. He logged time with the Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Saint John Sea Dogs. Fullerton racked up a 41-46-1 record with a 3.43 goals-against-average and a .892 save percentage in 95 QMJHL games.

Jackals On The Hunt For A Road Trip Sweep In Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, OH - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, are on the hunt for the three-game sweep on the road tonight in Cincinnati. The Jackals defeated Evansville 4-1 on Wednesday and beat the Cyclones 3-2 last night.

WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (15-9-3) at Cincinnati Cyclones - Florida and
Nashville/NHL & San Antonio and Milwaukee/AHL (9-10-4) 

  

WHAT: Jackals Away Game #13.

WHEN: 7:35 p.m. EST 

WHERE: U.S. Bank Arena -100 Broadway Cincinnati, OH 45202

Tonight the Jackals face Cincinnati for the second of four meetings this season and the second of three at U.S. Bank Arena. Last night the Cyclones stormed out to an early lead with a goal from Josh Shalla 45 seconds into the game. Minutes later, in an attempt to regain momentum, Justin Sawyer challenged Jaynen Rissling to a fight. Kevin Hart also dropped the gloves with Tom Serratore in the opening frame. The Jackals responded with two goals 62 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead. First, Steven Shamanski capitalized on the power-play and Mitch Holmberg followed with his fourth goal in two games as a Jackal. Stephan Vigier tied the game late in the second period and set up an exciting final frame. Brodie Reid scored the game-winner at 6:44 of the third period with a shot from the bottom of the right circle. The Jackals played shutdown defense the rest of the way and received strong goaltending from Travis Fullerton, who made 34 saves in the 3-2. The Jackals are 21-13-6 all-time against Cincinnati.

The Jackals have found tremendous success this season when they have posted at least a trio of tallies. Elmira is 15-0-1 this year in games where they score three or more times. They are 7-0-0 when scoring exactly three goals.

Elmira Edges Past Cincinnati 3-2

CINCINNATI, OH - Brodie Reid scored the game-winning-goal at 6:44 of the third period to propel the Jackals to a 3-2 victory on the road in Cincinnati against the Cyclones.

The Cyclones stormed out to an early 1-0 lead just 45 seconds into the game. Josh Shalla ripped a slapshot from the left side that deflected off of a stick and past Travis Fullerton. Minutes later, in an attempt to regain some of the momentum, Justin Sawyer challenged Jaynen Rissling to a fight and engaged in the fisticuffs. Less than five minutes later Kevin Hart crunched Branden Gracel into the boards and Tom Serratore came in to urge Hart into a fight. Hart obliged Serratore and wrestled him down to the ice. The two fights sparked the Jackals bench and fed into a charged attack. Mike Seidel drew an interference penalty against Brian Nugent and on the ensuing power-play Matt Tassone worked the puck down to the goal-line to Lucas Bloodoff who jammed it on net and the rebound popped out to a waiting Steven Shamanski. The rookie defenseman potted his sixth goal of the season and tied the game. Just a minute and two seconds later Justin Daniels fed Brodie Reid with a pass and as Reid entered the Cincinnati zone he dropped the puck to Mitch Holmberg, who snapped a quick release short-side top-shelf over Rob Madore. Holmberg's fourth goal of the season gave him four goals in four periods as a Jackal.

The Jackals carried their 2-1 into the dressing room and throughout most of the middle frame. However, the Cyclones would break through after 17:56 of scoreless second period hockey. Nugent passed the puck to Stephan Vigier who whistled a shot past Fullerton from inside the Jackals' blueline. Cincinnati earned three power-plays in the period and out-shot Elmira 15-8 in the second stanza, sending the game into the third period tied 2-2.

Reid, who already notched an assist, would prove to be the game's hero at 6:44 of the third period. Cincinnati had a delayed penalty upcoming, giving the Jackals a bonus offensive opportunity while possessing the puck. Reid controlled the puck in the Cyclones' end and blasted a shot into a diving blocker, but he was able to regain possession and get off another shot from the bottom of the right circle, which squeaked past Madore. Seidel and Daniels earned assists on Reid's fifth point in the last two games. The Cyclones pressed in the final 13 minutes, but the Jackals held strong defensively, led by the play of Fullerton.

Fullerton stopped 34 of 36 shots faced for his ninth win and Madore allowed 3 goals on 29 shots faced for the loss.

The Jackals eye a three-game sweep on the road tomorrow night against Cincinnati at 7:35 p.m. EST.

Jackals Visit Cincinnati For First Meeting This Season

CINCINNATI, OH - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, visit Cincinnati for their first matchup against the Cyclones this season.

WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (14-9-3) at Cincinnati Cyclones - Florida and
Nashville/NHL & San Antonio and Milwaukee/AHL (9-9-4)
 
WHAT: Jackals Away Game #12.

WHEN: 7:35 p.m. EST 

WHERE: U.S. Bank Arena -100 Broadway Cincinnati, OH 45202

Tonight the Jackals face Cincinnati for the first of four meetings this season and the first of three at U.S. Bank Arena. Despite going 2-4-1 last season against Cincinnati, Elmira holds a 20-13-6 all-time record against the Cyclones. The last time these two teams met was March 22, 2014. The Jackals scored first but the Cyclones stormed back and defeated Elmira 4-1 at U.S. Bank Arena. Elmira's last win against Cincinnati came on January 16, 2014. Danny Hobbs, Maxim Lamarche, Rob Bellamy, Jean Bourbeau and Ludwig Karlsson scored for the Jackals and Maxime Clermont stopped 25 of 29 shots in the team's 5-4 victory on the road. Veteran defenseman Nick Tuzzolino added two assists in two games last year against Cincinnati as a member of the Fort Wayne Komets.

The Jackals have found tremendous success this season when they have posted at least a trio of tallies. Elmira is 14-0-1 this year in games where they score three or more times. They are 6-0-0 when scoring exactly three goals.

Holmberg's Hat-Trick Leads Elmira Past Evansville

EVANSVILLE, IN - Mitch Holmberg led the Jackals to a 4-1 victory with his first career hat-trick in his team debut tonight at the Ford Center in Evansville.

Holmberg notched his first goal of the night 5:29 into the first period. Brodie Reid made his return to the lineup after two separate call-ups to the AHL and started the scoring play with a pass to Justin Daniels who found Holmberg in front for the backhand marker. Two minutes later Colin Jacobs was hit hard by Kevin Harvey and took his frustration out on Matt Lowry with a check that resulted in a scrap between Jacobs and Lowry. The Jackals out-shot and out-chanced the Icemen through the first 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Evansville tied the game 2:20 into the second period with Colin Murray's third goal of the season. Holmberg registered his second goal of the night at 10:16 of the middle frame to regain the Jackals lead. Daniels entered the offensive zone in a four-on-four situation and found Holmberg at the net for the tip-in tally. In the final minute of the second period Steven Shamanski hit Jim McKenzie and McKenzie got up, challenging Shamanski to a fight. Shamanski got McKenzie's helmet off and landed a few rights before the linesmen stepped in.

Holmberg completed the hat-trick at 5:56 of the third period with a redirect off of Zach Tolkinen's point shot. Reid also added his second assist of the game on Holmberg's third goal. Reid would be the recipient of a tic-tac-toe passing play with Holmberg and Daniels at 13:16 of the third period. Daniels entered the offensive zone on the right side and moved it to Holmberg in the middle who fed Reid on the left side for the one-timer. Less than a minute later Harvey recklessly hit Spencer McAvoy and the Jackals captain, Matt Tassone, stepped in to defend his teammate and fight Harvey. Jacobs mixed it up with Donnie Harris late in the third period for his second fight of the game.

Sam Marotta stopped 22 of 23 shots faced for his sixth win of the season. Chris Driedger allowed four goals on 32 shots for the loss.

The Jackals improved to 12-2-1 all-time against Evansville and 6-0-0 at the Ford Center.

Jackals Visit Evansville For Final Meeting This Season

EVANSVILLE, IN - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, pay their final visit of the season to Evansville to take on the Icemen. Elmira defeated Evansville 3-2 on November 5th in the last meeting at the Ford Center.WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (13-9-3) at Evansville Icemen - Ottawa/NHL & Binghamton/AHL (8-10-3)
 
WHAT: Jackals Away Game #11.

WHEN: 7:15 p.m. CST 

WHERE: Ford Center - 530 Main St Evansville, IN 47708
The Jackals face Evansville for the sixth of six meetings this season and the second of two at the Ford Center. Elmira won the first four meetings against Evansville this year, including a 3-2 win on November 5th at the Ford Center. Former Icemen Mike Seidel scored the eventually game-winner in the Wednesday morning School Day game. Seidel added his second game-winning-goal against Evansville on November 28th. The last meeting resulted in Evansville's first win against Elmira this season. Chris Driedger turned aside all 38 shots he faced and former Jackal Kevin Harvey scored the lone goal of the game to give the Icemen a 1-0 advantage. The Jackals are 11-2-1 all-time against Evansville since the Icemen joined the ECHL in the 2012-13 season. Elmira is also 5-0-0 at the Ford Center in the all-time series.

The Jackals have found tremendous success this season when they have posted at least a trio of tallies. Elmira is 13-0-1 this year in games where they score three or more times. They are 6-0-0 when scoring exactly three goals.

Reid Returns From Adirondack; Bloodoff Activated From IR

EVANSVILLE, IN - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that forward Brodie Reid has been returned from loan to Adirondack of the American Hockey League. Additionally, the team announced today that rookie forward Lucas Bloodoff has been activated from the 21-day IR list.
Reid, 25, rejoins the Jackals after two separate stints in the AHL with St. John's and Adirondack. His first call-up resulted in one game with the IceCaps and before he could return to Elmira he was called up to Adirondack. The Delta, British Columbia native collected five points (three goals, two assists) in 11 games with the Flames. Reid recorded a goal in three straight games from November 18-22, including two power-play goals and one game-winning goal. The 6-foot-1 195-pound forward has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in five games with the Jackals this season. The last game he played with Elmira was on October 26th.

Bloodoff, 25, will make his return to the lineup after missing the last 19 games with an injury. The last game Bloodoff played in was back on October 31st. The 6-foot-2 225-pound forward has registered two points (one goal, one assist) and 14 penalty minutes in six games with Elmira this season. Prior to turning pro, the Castlegar, British Columbia native recorded 99 points (47 goals, 52 assists) in 109 career games for Saint Mary's University (CIS). He posted a career-high 20 goals, 18 assists and 38 points in the 2012-2013 season. That season Bloodoff was named to the AUS First All-Star Team, the CIS All-Canadian First Team and was awarded the Kelly Trophy as the AUS Most Valuable Player as well as the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the CIS Player of the Year.

Jackals Weekly Release 12/15-12/21

ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, finish the second leg of their six-game road trip with visits to Evansville and Cincinnati.

Last Week's Record: 1-2-0
Overall Record: 13-9-3; third place in East Division, fifth place in Eastern Conference

Leaders:
Goals: Matt Tassone (11)
Assists: Steven Shamanski (13)
Points: Matt Tassone, Steven Shamanski & x Taylor Stefishen (18)
+/-: Matt Tassone (+11)
PIMs: Nick Tuzzolino (70)
PPG: Taylor Stefishen (4)
SHG: Matt Tassone, Rob Florentino, x Taylor Stefishen & Mike Seidel (1)
Wins: Travis Fullerton (8)
GAA: Sam Marotta (2.66)
SVP: Sam Marotta (.914)

Previewing the Upcoming Week:

12/17 at Evansville Icemen - 7:15 p.m. CST
Home vs. EVN 3-1-0, Away vs. EVN 1-0-0
The Jackals face Evansville for the sixth of six meetings this season and the second of two at the Ford Center. Elmira won the first four meetings against Evansville this year, including a 3-2 win on November 5th at the Ford Center. Former Icemen Mike Seidel scored the eventually game-winner in the Wednesday morning School Day game. Seidel added his second game-winning-goal against Evansville on November 28th. The last meeting resulted in Evansville's first win against Elmira this season. Chris Driedger turned aside all 38 shots he faced and former Jackal Kevin Harvey scored the lone goal of the game to give the Icemen a 1-0 advantage. The Jackals are 11-2-1 all-time against Evansville since the Icemen joined the ECHL in the 2012-13 season. Elmira is also 5-0-0 at the Ford Center in the all-time series.

12/19 at Cincinnati Cyclones - 7:35 p.m. EST; 12/20 at Cincinnati Cyclones - 7:35 p.m. EST
Home vs. CIN 0-0-0, Away vs. CIN 0-0-0
This weekend the Jackals face Cincinnati for the first two of four meetings this season and the first two of three at U.S. Bank Arena. Despite going 2-4-1 last season against Cincinnati, Elmira holds a 20-13-6 all-time record against the Cyclones. The last time these two teams met was March 22, 2014. The Jackals scored first but the Cyclones stormed back and defeated Elmira 4-1 at U.S. Bank Arena. Elmira's last win against Cincinnati came on January 16, 2014. Danny Hobbs, Maxim Lamarche, Rob Bellamy, Jean Bourbeau and Ludwig Karlsson scored for the Jackals and Maxime Clermont stopped 25 of 29 shots in the team's 5-4 victory on the road. Veteran defenseman Nick Tuzzolino added two assists in two games last year against Cincinnati as a member of the Fort Wayne Komets.

  Recapping Last Week:

12/9 at Orlando: W 3-1

Sam Marotta stopped 40 shots and stonewalled the Solar Bears in the Jackals' 3-1 victory at the Amway Center in Orlando. Justin Sawyer gave the Jackals some juice just 3:37 into the game when he dropped the gloves with Carl Neilsen in a heavyweight bout. Four minutes and nine seconds later Kellan Tochkin scored his first goal as a Jackal with a wrist shot that snuck through the legs of a defender and past Orlando goaltender Kent Patterson. The Jackals continued to press in the first period, even on the penalty kill. Steven Shamanski stole the puck from Mickey Lang, streaked down the right wing side and fed Taylor Stefishen for the short-handed marker. The Jackals added to their lead 3:56 into the second period. Matt Tassone won the draw back to Shamanski who fired a shot on net and Tassone swung through the slot and deposited the rebound for his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

12/10 at Florida: L 2-6

Florida jumped out early with Adam Brace's seventh of the season coming just 12 seconds into the game. The Everblades doubled their lead at the 4:20 mark of the period when Mitch Wahl one-timed a feed from Brace past Travis Fullerton. The Jackals bounced back and cut the Florida lead in half with Matt Tassone's 10th goal of the season 14:14 into the first period. Mike Seidel shoveled the puck into the corner and Taylor Stefishen fed Tassone in the slot for the tally. Florida would add their third goal at 10:34 of the second period. Alex Lavoie took a pass from Cameron Burt and found John McInnis in the slot for his fifth of the year. Less than a minute later Colin Jacobs' cross-ice pass was intercepted by Brace, who fed Wahl for a breakaway and his second goal of the night. McInnis would add his second goal of the night as well at 14:47 of the second period with the man advantage. Tassone notched his second of the night with a redirect off of Steven Shamanski's point shot on the power-play at 11:32 of the third period. However, that would be as close as the Jackals would get to a comeback as Alex Aleardi added his second of the season less than a minute later.

12/11 at Orlando: L 2-5

The home fans did not have to wait long to participate in their Teddy Toss Night. Nick Tuzzolino was whistled for slashing just 16 seconds into the game and on the ensuing power-play Brett Findlay found Ben Rosen backdoor for a power-play goal 1:03 into the game. Orlando added its second power-play goal of the night 9:54 into the second period when Jacob Cepis deposited his own rebound in the slot. The Jackals answered less than three minutes later and cut the Orlando lead back down to one. Justin Daniels worked the puck down low to Kellan Tochkin who found Thomas Nesbitt in the high slot for his fifth of the season. However, less than two minutes later Patrick Watling scored a controversial goal, which appeared to be kicked in. The Solar Bears added another at 17:47 of the second period with Mike Ullrich's breakaway marker. The Jackals came out in the third period and quickly cut the Solar Bears' lead down to two. Daniels swung down the right side and deposited the loose change past Orlando netminder Garret Sparks for his second of the season. Elmira pressed but could not cut any deeper into Orlando's lead.

Quick Hits:

* Elmira is tied for the league-lead with nine home wins.

* Elmira is 10-2-2 when scoring first.

* Sam Marotta is third among rookie goalies with a 2.66 GAA and second with a .914 SV%.

* Steven Shamanski leads all rookie defensemen with five goals and 18 points. He is tied for second among all defensemen with nine power-play points.

* Elmira is 13-0-1 when scoring three or more goals.

* Jackals captain Matt Tassone leads the team with 11 goals and is tied for the team-lead with 18 points, despite playing in just 15 of the team's 25 games. Tassone leads the Jackals with a 25.0% shooting percentage (11-for-44).

* Elmira is second in the league with 22.28 penalty minutes per game.

Jackals Add Holmberg; Send Tochkin to Rapid City

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that forward Mitch Holmberg has been assigned to Elmira by the Utica Comets. Additionally, the team announced that they have sent forward Kellan Tochkin to Rapid City to complete a trade from December 6th.
Holmberg, 21, joins the Jackals in his first professional season. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native was acquired by the Utica Comets in November as a part of the Kellan Lain/Will Acton trade. Holmberg has not appeared in any games with the Comets this season after starting the 2014-15 campaign with the Bakersfield Condors. In eight games with Bakersfield this season, Holmberg added one assist. The 5-foot-10 180-pound forward recorded an assist in his professional debut last season with the Oklahoma City Barons. Last season Holmberg was awarded the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the Western Hockey League's leading scorer with 118 points. He led the WHL with 62 goals and was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team. Holmberg collected 296 points (147 goals, 149 assists) in 314 WHL games with the Spokane Chiefs.

Tochkin, 23, recorded five points (one goal, four assists) in six games for the Jackals since he was acquired from the Missouri Mavericks on December 1 in exchange for defenseman Patch Alber. This season, Tochkin has posted 12 combined points (five goals, seven assists) in 20 games split between Elmira and Missouri. The Abbotsford, British Columbia native spent his first two pro seasons split between Florida and Evansville of the ECHL and Missouri, when the club was in the CHL. He recorded 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists) in 55 games last season in his first ECHL season. The previous year Tochkin notched 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 56 games for Missouri in the CHL. The 5-foot-11 180-pound forward played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with Everett, Medicine Hat and Prince Albert. Tochkin posted 243 points (91 goals, 152 assists) in 256 WHL games.

Jackals Outdone in Orlando, 5-2

ORLANDO, FL - The Jackals finished their Florida swing and stretch of six games in seven nights with a 5-2 defeat in Orlando.

The home fans did not have to wait long to participate in their Teddy Toss Night. Nick Tuzzolino was whistled for slashing just 16 seconds into the game and on the ensuing power-play Brett Findlay found Ben Rosen backdoor for a power-play goal 1:03 into the game. Despite having three penalty kills and no power-plays in the first period, the Jackals out-shot the Solar Bears 12-5.

Orlando added its second power-play goal of the night 9:54 into the second period when Jacob Cepis deposited his own rebound in the slot. The Jackals answered less than three minutes later and cut the Orlando lead back down to one. Justin Daniels worked the puck down low to Kellan Tochkin who found Thomas Nesbitt in the high slot for his fifth of the season. However, less than two minutes later Patrick Watling scored a controversial goal, which appeared to be kicked in. The Solar Bears added another at 17:47 of the second period with Mike Ullrich's breakaway marker.

The Jackals came out in the third period and quickly cut the Solar Bears' lead down to two. Daniels swung down the right side and deposited the loose change past Orlando netminder Garret Sparks for his second of the season. Mike Bergin and Kellan Tochkin earned assists on Daniels' tally. Elmira pressed but could not cut any deeper into Orlando's lead. Ullrich added his second of the night at 12:08 of the third period to extend Orlando's lead to 5-2. Just 14 seconds later Ryan Hand dropped the gloves with Carl Neilsen and landed some strong rights against his counterpart. The rough stuff continued 36 seconds later when Justin Sawyer and Stefan Della Rovere were handed 10-minute misconducts. Then, Zach Tolkinen and Brock Montgomery mixed it up 30 seconds later. Matt Tassone and Jake Parenteau dropped the gloves with 1:03 left in the third period and Tassone quickly dropped Parenteau.

Marotta stopped 31 of 36 shots faced but was handed the loss. Sparks stopped 30 of 32 and earned the win.

Stefishen Loaned To Texas

ORLANDO, FL - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that rookie forward Taylor Stefishen has been loaned to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

Stefishen, 24, has recorded seven goals and 18 points prior to his first AHL call-up. The rookie forward heads to Texas tied atop the Jackals' point-leaders and ranks second in assists with 11. Stefishen is tied for second among ECHL rookies with four power-play goals and is tied for ninth among all first-year players in points.

Prior to turning pro, Stefishen played three seasons in the CIS with the University of Calgary. Last year he served as an alternate captain and led the team with 25 assists. The North Vancouver, BC native finished tied for second on the team with 32 points in 26 games. In 79 CIS games, the 6-foot 190-pound forward notched 24 goals and 53 assists. Stefishen played one season in the Western Hockey League with the Prince George Cougars. He recorded 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 68 games. Stefishen skated at Ohio State University the previous two seasons (2008-10), logging 21 points in 42 games. He was drafted by the Nashville Predators with the 136th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Jackals Finish Florida Road Trip Tonight In Orlando

ORLANDO, FL - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, finish their Florida road trip tonight with their final visit to the Amway Center.

 
WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (13-8-3) at Orlando Solar Bears - Toronto/NHL & Toronto/AHL (11-11-2)
 
WHAT: Jackals Away Game #10.

WHEN: 7:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: Amway Center - 8701 Maitland Summit Blvd. Orlando, FL 32810

The Jackals face the Solar Bears tonight for the final meeting this season and the second at the Amway Center. These two East Division foes played just two days ago in their first season meeting. The Jackals jumped on Orlando, which was returning from a month-long road trip, and potted two goals in the first period. Kellan Tochkin buried his first as a Jackal and Taylor Stefishen scored a shorthanded marker in the opening stanza. Jackals captain Matt Tassone added another goal early in the second period, which chased Orlando netminder, Kent Patterson, from the game. The Solar Bears added one in the second frame and pressed in the third, out-shooting the Jackals 17-2. However, Sam Marotta stonewalled the Solar Bears and denied 40 of 41 shots faced for the victory.

Jackals captain Matt Tassone leads the team with 11 goals and is tied for the team-lead with 18 points, despite playing in just 14 of the team's 24 games. Tassone is third in the league with a 28.9% shooting percentage (11-for-38). The St. Albert, Alberta native has goals in three consecutive games.

Jackals Fall To Florida, 6-2

 ESTERO, FL - December 10, 2014 - Tonight the Jackals paid their only visit of the season to Germain Arena and stumbled against the Everblades, 6-2.
Florida jumped out early with Adam Brace's seventh of the season coming just 12 seconds into the game. The Everblades doubled their lead at the 4:20 mark of the period when Mitch Wahl one-timed a feed from Brace past Travis Fullerton. The Jackals bounced back and cut the Florida lead in half with Matt Tassone's 10th goal of the season 14:14 into the first period. Mike Seidel shoveled the puck into the corner and Taylor Stefishen fed Tassone in the slot for the tally.

The Everblades generated multiple scoring chances early in the second period but Fullerton made multiple exceptional saves to keep the Jackals within one. However, Florida would eventually add their third goal at 10:34 of the second period. Alex Lavoie took a pass from Cameron Burt and found John McInnis in the slot for his fifth of the year. Less than a minute later Colin Jacobs' cross-ice pass was intercepted by Brace, who fed Wahl for a breakaway and his second goal of the night. McInnis would add his second goal of the night as well at 14:47 of the second period with the man advantage.

Tassone notched his second of the night with a redirect off of Steven Shamanski's point shot on the power-play at 11:32 of the third period. However, that would be as close as the Jackals would get to a comeback as Alex Aleardi added his second of the season less than a minute later.

Fullerton stopped 27 of 33 shots faced but was handed the loss as Allen York turned aside 17 of 19 shots for the win. Each team went 1-for-2 on the power-play.

Jackals Pay Their Only Visit To Germain Arena Tonight

ESTERO, FL - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, pay their only visit of the season to Germain Arena tonight in a clash among the top two teams in the East Division.

  

WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (13-7-3) at Florida Everblades - Carolina & Tampa Bay/NHL & Charlotte & Syracuse/AHL (14-3-1) 

  

WHAT: Jackals Away Game #9.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. EST

WHERE: Germain Arena - 11000 Everblades Parkway Estero, FL 33928

Tonight marks the first of four meetings this season between the Jackals and Everblades and the only matchup at Germain Arena. Elmira holds a 7-8-0 record against the Everblades and can even the all-time series tonight with a road win. Last time these two foes met was December 11, 2013 at First Arena. Florida won the low-scoring 2-1 affair behind Trevor Cann's strong performance in net. Cann, who currently plays for the Brampton Beast, stopped 22 of 23 shots faced for the win. Maxime Clermont, who currently plays for the Orlando Solar Bears, played well in net for the Jackals, turning aside 21 of 23 shots faced. Jakub Culek, who splits his time between Binghamton (AHL) and the Evansville Icemen, scored the lone Jackals goal.

Steven Shamanski leads all Jackals defenseman as well as all rookie blueliners with five goals and 17 points. The Carberry, MB is tied for second among all ECHL defensemen in points and sits one goal behind the league-leaders.

Jackals Stifle The Solar Bears, 3-1

 ORLANDO, FL - Sam Marotta stopped 40 shots and stonewalled the Solar Bears in the Jackals' 3-1 victory at the Amway Center in Orlando.
Justin Sawyer gave the Jackals some juice just 3:37 into the game when he dropped the gloves with Carl Neilsen in a heavyweight bout. Four minutes and nine seconds later Kellan Tochkin scored his first goal as a Jackal with a wrist shot that snuck through the legs of a defender and past Orlando goaltender Kent Patterson. The Jackals continued to press in the first period, even on the penalty kill. Steven Shamanski stole the puck from Mickey Lang, streaked down the right wing side and fed Taylor Stefishen for the short-handed marker. Matt Tassone also earned an assist on Stefishen's seventh of the season.

The Jackals added to their lead 3:56 into the second period. Tassone won the draw back to Shamanski who fired a shot on net and Tassone swung through the slot and deposited the rebound for his team-leading ninth goal of the season. Orlando did get on the board at 11:46 of the second period with Brady Vail's first goal of the season. Sam Marotta shut the door from that point on and stifled the Solar Bears' attack.

Orlando came out pressing in the third period and out-shot the Jackals 17-2 but Marotta provided a stellar performance and out-shined the Solar Bears. Marotta made 40 saves on 41 shots for the win. Patterson was pulled after giving up three goals on 18 shots and was handed the loss. Garret Sparks stopped all seven shots he faced in relief duty.

Jackals Visit Orlando In Florida Swing

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, visit Orlando to kick-off their mid-week three-in-three in the Sunshine State. 
WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (12-7-3) at Orlando Solar Bears - Toronto/NHL & Toronto/AHL (11-10-2)
 
WHAT: Jackals Away Game #8.

WHEN: 7:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: Amway Center - 8701 Maitland Summit Blvd. Orlando, FL 32810

The Jackals face the Orlando Solar Bears tonight for the first of two meetings this season, with both matchups coming this week at the Amway Center. The Jackals and Solar Bears have met just five times previously and Elmira holds the one game advantage, 3-2-0. Last season these two foes played twice with each team winning once. The last meeting resulted in a 5-1 Jackals victory on April 4, 2014. Five different Jackals scored, including current Elmira forward Ryan Rashid who registered a goal and an assist. Fellow Jackals forward Colin Jacobs added two assists in the April 4th meeting. This season the new-look Jackals and the Solar Bears are in the same division, which provides additional importance to the two meetings.

Elmira has gotten out of the blocks quickly in games this season and has found success from its fast starts. The Jackals are 9-2-2 when scoring first this season.

Jackals Silence Thunder, 5-1

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals snapped their three-game skid tonight with a 5-1 victory in their first ever meeting against the Wichita Thunder.
It did not take long for the Jackals to get on the board once the puck was dropped. Jackals captain Matt Tassone knuckleballed a one-timer that fooled Thunder netminder Tyler Bunz just 59 seconds into the game. Mike Seidel and Nick Tuzzolino added the assists on Tassone's eighth of the year.

The Jackals came out surging in the second period and scored again within the period's first minute. Steven Shamanski buried his fifth of the season just 44 seconds into the middle frame with Justin Daniels earning the lone assist. Todd Hosmer cut the Jackals' lead to one at 10:43 of the second period with a power-play goal assisted by Dan Milan and Erick Lizon. But, the Jackals would answer quickly and regain their two-goal lead courtesy of Mike Seidel at 13:42 of the middle frame. Zach Tolkinen played the puck up the wall and found Seidel streaming down the left wing side for a breakaway tally.

Thomas Nesbitt kept the Jackals' motor moving in the third period and added their fourth goal on the power-play at 8:54 of the period. Kevin Hart and Kellan Tochkin assisted Nesbitt's fourth of the year. Daniels added his first goal as a Jackal this season at 12:16 when he redirected Tolkinen's point shot to put Elmira up 5-1. Nesbitt also added an assist on Daniels' marker. With the game out of reach, the Thunder began to pick up the jawing and post-whistle play. Eventually, tempers flared at 13:10 of the third period and the First Arena fans witnessed a line brawl, which was reminiscent of the UHL days. Even the goalies wanted to get into the action as each skater paired off with a dance partner. Travis Fullerton skated down to challenge Tyler Bunz who got involved with the fighting that was already occurring and the two goalies met at center ice but the linesmen sprinted in to break it up. When the game ended there were 188 combined penalty minutes, 10 fighting majors, seven game misconducts and four misconducts.

Fullerton stopped 23 of 24 shots faced for the win and Sam Marotta stopped all four shots he faced in relief duty. Bunz stopped 16 of 21 shots and was handed the loss. Tim Boron stopped the one shot he faced after Bunz was sent off.

Jackals Host Wichita For First Ever Meeting

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, host the Wichita Thunder for the first ever meeting between these two teams.  WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (11-7-3) vs. Wichita Thunder - Independent/NHL & Independent/AHL (9-7-4)
 
WHAT: Jackals Home Game #15.

WHEN: 4:05 p.m. EST

WHERE: First Arena - 155 N. Main St. Elmira, NY 14901
Tonight marks the first ever meeting between the Jackals and the Thunder. It will also be the only meeting this season between Elmira and Wichita. The Thunder are in their first season in the ECHL after they spent the last 22 years in the CHL. The Jackals have been a member of the ECHL since the 2007-08 season, after playing the previous seven seasons in the UHL. Jackals captain Matt Tassone and newly acquired forward Justin Sawyer are the lone members of the Jackals team who has an a previous encounter with the Thunder. Tassone had a brief stint in Wichita during the 2012-13 campaign, posting two goals in three games. Sawyer played 64 games for the Thunder in the 2011-12 season and recorded nine points and 151 penalty minutes.

Elmira has gotten out of the blocks quickly in games this season and has found success from its fast starts. The Jackals are 8-2-2 when scoring first this season.

Jackals Fall To Toledo, 6-2

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals were not able to cool down the red-hot power-play of the Toledo Walleye and fell 6-2 tonight at First Arena. The Walleye entered the game with the best power-play unit in the ECHL and added to it with a 4-for-5 performance with the man advantage.
The Walleye power-play got started at 11:48 of the first period with Alden Hirschfeld's fourth of the season from Troy Schwab and Joel Chouinard. Martin Frk added to the Toledo lead before the first intermission with a one-time missile on the power-play for his fifth of the season. Schwab and Hirschfeld assisted Frk's tally.

The Walleye added two more power-play goals in the second period to jump out to a 4-0 advantage. First, Tyler Barnes capitalized with the man advantage at 9:56 of the second period with his eighth tally of the year. Chouinard and Frk earned the assists on Barnes' goal. Less than a minute later Anthony Luciani buried his 12th of the season on the power-play from Shane Sims and Marek Tvrdon. The Jackals battled back in the second half of the frame with goals from Steven Shamanski and Ryan Rashid. Shamanski got the Jackals on the board at 13:56 of the middle frame with his fourth of the season. Ryan Hand was credited with an assist, which was his first with the Jackals. Rashid redirected Zach Tolkinen's point shot at 17:19 to cut the Walleye lead to two. Kellan Tochkin also added an assist in his second game with the Jackals.

However, closing the deficit to two would be the closest the Jackals would come to a comeback. Shane Berschbach netted his fourth of the season at 8:17 to extend the Toledo lead back to three goals. Scott Czarnowczan buried his first of the year at 11:23 assisted by Tvrdon and Barnes to seal the Walleye win.

Sam Marotta stopped 20 of 26 shots faced but was handed the loss. Jeff Lerg stopped 14 of 16 shots faced for the win. The Jackals went 0-for-2 with the man advantage and the Walleye went 4-for-5 on the power-play.

Jackals Host Toledo In Home For The Holidays Headliner

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, host the Toledo Walleye in the Home For The Holidays headline game tonight at First Arena. The hockey-heavy day begins with Elmira Jackals Youth Hockey in the morning and continues with the Elmira College men's team at 3:00 p.m. before the Jackals and Walleye battle at 7:05 p.m.  

WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (11-6-3) vs. Toledo Walleye - Detroit/NHL & Grand Rapids/AHL (13-3-1) 

  

WHAT: Jackals Home Game #14.

WHEN: 7:05 p.m. EST

WHERE: First Arena - 155 N. Main St. Elmira, NY 14901
The Jackals host Toledo for the first of five meetings this season, and the first of four at First Arena. Elmira saw the Walleye one time last season and defeated them 4-2 at the Huntington Center. The Jackals are 9-6-2 all-time against Toledo and are 2-1-1 on home ice. The last time these teams met at First Arena was March 10, 2012. This year will mark the first time Elmira will host Toledo for more than two games in a single season. Both teams are off the strong starts this season, with the Jackals sitting at 11-5-3 and the Walleye at 12-3-1. The Jackals are 8-3-1 at home and the Walleye have a 5-1-0 record on the road.

The Jackals have capitalized 15 times with the man advantage this season. First-year players have scored ten of their 15 power-play goals. Taylor Stefishen leads the team with four power-play goals, which ties him for second in the league among rookies.

Jackals Stung By Stingrays, 5-0

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals were stung by the South Carolina Stingrays tonight and dropped their lone meeting, 5-0.
Former Reading Royal, Brock Higgs, gave the Stingrays a 1-0 lead 13:24 into the first period. The point shot hit Nick Tuzzolino up high and dropped to the ice in the slot for Higgs to deposit for his second of the season.

The Stingrays potted four goals in the second period to build an insurmountable lead. Joe Devin was the beneficiary of a power-play goal 5:00 into the second period to extend South Carolina's lead to 2-0. Just 3:03 later Derek DeBlois netted his third of the season and added another Stingrays' tally. Garrett Haar scored on the man advantage at 12:47 of the second period to put South Carolina up 4-0. Wayne Simpson finished off the scoring at 15:28 of the second period with his sixth of the season and third point of the night. Simpson finished with three points (one goal, two assists) and Branden Gracel and Haar added multi-point efforts.

The frustration boiled over in the third period, which resulted in fights between Taylor Stefishen and Scott Ford as well as Ryan Hand and Anthony Collins.

Sam Marotta stopped 11 of 14 shots faced and was pulled in the second period for Travis Fullerton who stopped 10 of 12 shots faced. Marotta was handed the loss. Stingrays' netminder Jeff Jakaitis stopped all 17 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.

Jackals Host The Stingrays In Their Lone Meeting This Season

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, host the South Carolina Stingrays for their lone matchup this season. Former Jackals Rob Bellamy and Andrew Rowe make their return to Elmira.

  

WHO: Elmira Jackals - Buffalo/NHL & Rochester/AHL (11-5-3) vs. South Carolina Stingrays - Washington & Boston/NHL & Hershey & Providence/AHL (7-9-4) 

  

WHAT: Jackals Home Game #13. Elmira embarks on its first of six games in seven nights. Tonight is the third of five consecutive home games for the Jackals.

WHEN: 7:05 p.m. EST

WHERE: First Arena - 155 N. Main St. Elmira, NY 14901

The Jackals host South Carolina for the lone matchup of the season between these two East Divisions foes. Friday will mark just the 21st meeting all-time between the Jackals and Stingrays. Elmira is 7-10-3 all-time against South Carolina, including a 4-5-2 mark at First Arena. Last season these two teams met twice in Elmira and the Jackals earned at least one point in both games, finishing with a 1-0-1 record. This season, the new-look Jackals will dress an entirely different roster from their last meeting with South Carolina on March 2, 2014. Elmira is led by first-year head coach Jamie Russell and a lineup of rookies, which has seen ten first-year players notch at least one point.

Sam Marotta leads all rookie netminders with a 1.95 goals-against-average and a .934 save percentage. His SV% is tied for first and his GAA ranks third in the league among all goalies.

Jackals Add 6-foot-6 240-pound Justin Sawyer

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that they have acquired forward Justin Sawyer from the Rapid City Rush in exchange for future considerations. Additionally, the Jackals announced that they have signed forward Ryan Hand to a Standard Player Contract.

Sawyer, 29, brings a physically imposing presence to the Jackals lineup. The 6-foot-6 240-pound skater appeared in two games with Rapid City this season and collected 12 penalty minutes. The 10th-year pro from Oshawa, Ontario has played 485 professional games in North America split between Rapid City, Wichita, Odessa, Bloomington, Oklahoma City, Stockton, Columbia and Toronto in the IHL, CHL, ECHL and AHL. Sawyer has recorded 73 points (16 goals, 57 assists) and 1675 penalty minutes in his pro career in North America. He also added one goal and 80 penalty minutes in 11 EIHL games with Cardiff. 

Hand, 29, joins the Jackals after starting the season with the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League. In eight games this season, Hand has amassed one assist and 49 penalty minutes for Fayetteville. The 6-foot-2 215-pound forward is in his seventh professional season and sixth in North America. Hand has recorded 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) and 589 penalty minutes in 201 pro games in North America combined between Laredo, Rapid City, Utah, Reading, Wichita, Huntsville, Allen, Fort Worth and Fayetteville in the SPHL, CHL and ECHL. He also added 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) and 266 penalty minutes in 54 EIHL games. 

Jackals Weekly Release 12/1-12/7

ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, enter the first week of December with the most home wins in the league. The Jackals, who are 8-3-2 at home, face three different opponents in three nights this weekend.

Last Week's Record: 2-1-0
Overall Record: 11-5-3; second place in East Division, fourth place in Eastern Conference

Leaders:
Goals: x Allan McPherson (8)
Assists: Taylor Stefishen & Steven Shamanski (10)
Points: Taylor Stefishen (16)
+/-: Matt Tassone (+8)
PIMs: Nick Tuzzolino (54)
PPG: Taylor Stefishen (4)
SHG: Matt Tassone, Rob Florentino & Mike Seidel (1)
Wins: Travis Fullerton (7)
GAA: Sam Marotta (1.95)
SVP: Sam Marotta (.934)


Previewing the Upcoming Week:

12/5 vs. South Carolina Stingrays - 7:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. SC 0-0-0, Away vs. SC 0-0-0
The Jackals host South Carolina for the lone matchup of the season between these two East Divisions foes. Friday will mark just the 21st meeting all-time between the Jackals and Stingrays. Elmira is 7-10-3 all-time against South Carolina, including a 4-5-2 mark at First Arena. Last season these two teams met twice in Elmira and the Jackals earned at least one point in both games, finishing with a 1-0-1 record. This season, the new-look Jackals will dress an entirely different roster from their last meeting with South Carolina on March 2, 2014. Elmira is led by first-year head coach Jamie Russell and a lineup of rookies, which has seen ten first-year players notch at least one point.

12/6 vs. Toledo Walleye - 7:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. TOL 0-0-0, Away vs. TOL 0-0-0
The Jackals host Toledo for the first of five meetings this season, and the first of four at First Arena. Elmira saw the Walleye one time last season and defeated them 4-2 at the Huntington Center. The Jackals are 9-6-2 all-time against Toledo and are 2-1-1 on home ice. The last time these teams met at First Arena was March 10, 2012. This year will mark the first time Elmira will host Toledo for more than two games in a single season. Both teams are off the strong starts this season, with the Jackals sitting at 11-5-3 and the Walleye at 12-3-1. The Jackals are 8-3-1 at home and the Walleye have a 5-1-0 record on the road.  

12/7 vs. Wichita Thunder - 4:05 p.m. EST
Home vs. WIC 0-0-0, Away vs. WIC 0-0-0 
This marks the first ever meeting between the Jackals and the Thunder. It will also be the only meeting this season between Elmira and Wichita. The Thunder are in their first season in the ECHL after they spent the last 22 years in the CHL. The Jackals have been a member of the ECHL since the 2007-08 season, after playing the previous seven seasons in the UHL. Jackals captain Matt Tassone is the lone member of the Jackals team who has an a previous encounter with the Thunder. He had a brief stint in Wichita during the 2012-13 campaign, posting two goals in three games.

Recapping Last Week:
11/26 at Reading: W 4-3
The Jackals earned their first shootout victory of the season in a 4-3 win against the Reading Royals at Santander Arena. Adam Comrie gave Reading the game's first goal 9:36 into the opening period. 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. 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. Reading would score again on the power-play at 18:44 of the second period to take a 3-2 lead. The Jackals captain, Matt Tassone, made his return to action tonight and buried the game-tying-goal at 5:09 of the third period. 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.

 11/28 vs. Evansville: W 3-2

Former Icemen Mike Seidel scored the game-winning-goal 1:07 into overtime to propel the Jackals to a 3-2 victory over the Evansville Icemen. Team captain Matt Tassone got the Jackals on the board 2:37 into the first period with a redirect off of Justin Daniel's centering feed. Daniels added another helper at 13:57 of the opening frame when he sprung Allan McPherson through the neutral zone for a breakaway goal. Andre Bouvet-Morrissette cut the Jackals lead in half just 1:17 into the third period with a shot that snuck past Marotta. Former Jackal Danny Hobbs tied the game at 5:33 of the third period on the power-play with a blast from inside the blueline. Neither team notched the go-ahead-goal in the remainder of the third period, so they headed to overtime. Kennedy attempted to stick-handle through Tassone at the Evansville blueline and coughed it up to Seidel who streaked in alone and netted the game-winner past Komm.

11/29 vs. Evansville: L 1-0

Jackals goaltender Sam Marotta stopped 20 of 21 shots faced but was out-dueled by Evansville netminder Chris Driedger, who stopped all 38 shots he faced for the Icemen's 1-0 win. Former Jackal Kevin Harvey scored the lone goal in tonight's game at 10:48 of the first period. The Jackals out-shot the Icemen 38-21, but could not put one past Driedger. Tempers flared in the second period when Justin Kea dropped the gloves with Myles Bell at 9:45 of the middle frame. Less than a minute later, Guillaume Lepine caught Rob Florentino up high with an elbow and Steven Shamanski came in to defend his teammate. During the ensuing skirmish Nick Tuzzolino dropped the gloves with Matt Lowry and both players were handed game misconducts in addition to fighting majors for a secondary altercation. The Jackals pressed in the third period and out-shot the Icemen 19-5 in the final 20 minutes but were thwarted by Driedger. Justin Daniels was awarded a penalty shot at 16:28 of the third period but wasn't able to capitalize on the opportunity.

Quick Hits:

* Sam Marotta is tied for second in the league with a .934 SV%. He is fourth in the league with a 1.95 GAA.

* Matt Tassone is third in the league with a 29.2% shooting percentage (7-for-24).

* Steven Shamanski leads rookie defenseman with eight power-play points and six power-play assists.

* Elmira leads the league with eight home wins.

* Taylor Stefishen is second among rookies with fourth power-play goals.

* Nick Tuzzolino and Zach Tolkinen rank first and second in shots on goal among all blueliners.

* Elmira is 8-2-2 when scoring first.

Jackals Acquire Forward Kellan Tochkin From Missouri

ELMIRA, NY - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, announced today that they have acquired forward Kellan Tochkin from Missouri in exchange for defenseman Patch Alber.

Tochkin, 23, joins the Jackals in his third professional season. This season Tochkin has posted seven points (four goals, three assists) in 14 games for the Mavericks. The Abbotsford, British Columbia native spent his first two pro seasons split between Florida and Evansville of the ECHL and Missouri, when the club was in the CHL. He recorded 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists) in 55 games last season in his first ECHL season. The previous year Tochkin notched 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 56 games for Missouri in the CHL. The 5-foot-11 180-pound forward played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with Everett, Medicine Hat and Prince Albert. Tochkin posted 243 points (91 goals, 152 assists) in 256 WHL games. 

Alber, 25, played all 84 professional games for Elmira. The 5-foot-10 170-pound defenseman has recorded six assists in 19 games this season. The Clifton Park, New York native finished second among team blueliners last season with six goals and 18 points in 65 games. Prior to turning pro, Alber played 113 NCAA games at Boston College and was a part of three Hockey East Championships (2010, 2011, 2012) and two National Championships (2010, 2012).