Elmira Earns Point In Shootout Loss At Greenville

GREENVILLE, SC - Elmira embarked on the final leg of its four-game road trip and earned a point in a 3-2 shootout loss at Greenville. The Jackals earned five of a possible eight points on their southern swing.
In the first period, the Jackals out-shot the Road Warriors 10-9 despite taking three penalties to Greenville's zero. Elmira's penalty kill was stellar, especially during an early 5-on-3, which lasted for 1:06 in the opening frame. The Jackals were rewarded for strong penalty killing at 13:28 when the captain Matt Tassone found the loose puck off of Nick Tuzzolino's point shot and deposited it for his team-leading 14th goal of the season. Thomas Nesbitt also earned an assist on Tassone's opening marker.

The Jackals opened the second period on the power-play, but could not take advantage of the opportunity with the man advantage. Seconds after killing another penalty, the Jackals were adjusting their unit on the ice and gave up two breakaways to the Road Warriors. Emerson Clark scored on Greenville's second breakaway and tied the game 1-1 4:52 into the middle frame. Samuel Noreau and Scott Arnold earned assists on Clark's 11th goal of the year. The Jackals out-shot the Road Warriors again in the second period, 11-7, but went into the intermission tied 1-1.

Elmira earned a power-play 56 seconds into the third period, but could not capitalize with the man advantage. As the game remained tied past the halfway mark of the final regulation frame, Mitch Holmberg and Colin Jacobs would rise to the occasion. Holmberg picked up the puck with space in the Jackals' end due to a delayed offsides call against Greenville. He weaved out of his own zone, through the neutral zone and into the Road Warriors' end on the left wing side where he made a nifty move to the backhand and dropped a pass in the slot for Jacobs, who was streaking into the zone. Jacobs slammed the puck past Greenville goaltender Garrett Bartus to put the Jackals ahead 2-1 11:42 into the third period. Justin Daniels also added an assist on Jacobs' fourth goal of the season. With less than three minutes remaining in regulation the Road Warriors turned up the pressure and desperately battled for the tying goal. As a scrum ensued in front of the Jackals net Tyler Brown poked the puck past Fullerton and a host of Jackals to tie the game 2-2 with 2:53 remaining. Sixty minutes would not be enough to decide a winner, so the game would go to overtime.

Each team had its chances in the extra frame, but neither one could score the game-winner. After 65 minutes, the game would go to the shootout. Colin Jacobs scored in the first round for the Jackals and Nick Tuzzolino would score in the sixth round to keep the shootout going, but in the eighth round Michael St. Croix would score, giving Greenville the 3-2 win.

Fullerton turned aside 32 of 34 shots faced and five more in the shootout but was handed the hard-fought shootout loss. Bartus allowed two goals on 31 shots, but stopped six of eight shots in the shootout for the win.