News release
20 January 2015
ELMIRA, N.Y. - January 20, 2015 - The Elmira Jackals, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and AHL's Rochester Americans, pay their first ever visit north of the border for three games against the Brampton Beast.
Overall Record: 19-15-5; fourth place in East Division, sixth place in Eastern Conference
Assists: Steven Shamanski & Justin Daniels (16)
PPG: x Matt Tassone, Steven Shamanski & Taylor Stefishen (4)
SHG: x Matt Tassone, Taylor Stefishen, Ryan Rashid, Andrew Conboy & Mike Seidel (1)
1/23 at Brampton - 7:30 p.m.; 1/24 at Brampton - 7:00 p.m.; 1/25 at Brampton - 2:00 p.m.
The Jackals travel north to Brampton, Ontario for their first ever meeting in Brampton. Friday's game marks the fourth meeting this season between the Jackals and Beast. Elmira swept the three games played this season at First Arena. Thomas Nesbitt scored 57 seconds into the last meeting on January 9th and the Jackals notched three more goals in the second period and cruised to a 4-1 victory. The previous meeting on November 1st resulted in a 5-3 Jackals win courtesy of four-point nights from Taylor Stefishen, Matt Tassone and Brayden Irwin. Also, Sam Marotta made 29 saves in his professional debut to earn his first win. Elmira's first ever meeting against Brampton resulted in a 3-2 overtime Jackals victory on October 31st.
The Jackals jumped ahead 3-0 in the first period against the Reading Royals and cruised to a 4-2 victory over their East Division rival. Mike Seidel and Taylor Stefishen made their returns to the Jackals' lineup tonight and provided an offensive boost right off the bat. Less than seven minutes into regulation, Seidel weaved into the offensive zone, slipped past a defender on the backhand and moved the puck to the forehand for a top-shelf shot past Royals' netminder Connor Knapp. Riley Wetmore and Andrew Conboy earned the assists on Seidel's eighth goal of the season. Just a mere 42 seconds later the Jackals would double their lead. Ryan Rashid continued his hot streak and buried for the third straight game with a redirect off of Taylor Stefishen's centering feed for his eighth goal of the year. Andrew Conboy would increase the Jackals' lead to three at 12:25 of the first period with an unassisted short-handed tally. Elmira would reestablish its three-goal lead at 8:14 of the third period with Steven Shamanski's ninth goal of the season. Keith Buehler chipped the puck out of the Jackals' end along the wall to Thomas Nesbitt, who was swinging through the zone. Nesbitt carried the puck down the left-wing side with speed and dished a backhand feed to Shamanski who deposited the puck past Joe Howe, who replaced Knapp in the first period, with a silky backhand move.
After jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period last night, the Jackals would concede the game's opening marker to a former player. Maxim Lamarche put the Royals on the board with his second goal of the season at 8:05 of the first period. The Jackals stormed out in the second period and flipped the script on the Royals. Thomas Nesbitt was the beneficiary of a beautiful backdoor feed from Ryan Rashid on a two-on-one rush. Rashid blocked a point shot at the Jackals' blue line and hustled down the left-wing side with the puck before passing it over to Nesbitt for his seventh goal of the season. Just 30 seconds later Colin Jacobs entered the Royals' zone and dropped the puck to Mitch Holmberg at the top of the right circle who whistled a wrist shot top-shelf past Connor Knapp. Holmberg's fifth goal of the season swung the momentum to the Jackals' side. Later in the second period, Mike Seidel snuck behind the defense, broke in from the blueline and buried on the breakaway to increase the Jackals lead to two. Seidel's ninth goal of the season, and second in as many nights, was assisted by Riley Wetmore and Justin Daniels. The Jackals tightened up defensively in the third period, but a bad bounce and a controversial call caused a turn in the contest. At 6:41 of the final regulation frame, Sean Wiles slipped behind the Jackals' defense, but could not corral the puck and lost it into the corner. As he went into the corner, Wiles threw the puck back towards the slot, which bounced off of Kevin Hart and into the Jackals' net. The Royals upped their press with the Jackals' lead cut down to one and a controversial goal call at 14:06 would alter the outcome. Olivier Labelle played a bouncing puck in the slot off of his skate and past Travis Fullerton, which was signaled a goal by the referees. After a short conversation between the referees, as a video replay showed a kicking motion on the scoreboard, the call stood and the game was tied 3-3. Neither team would score the game-winner in the remainder of regulation, nor the five-minute overtime frame, so the game would go to a shootout. Pat Mullane and Sean Wiles scored for the Royals and Knapp stopped all four shooters he faced to seal the Royals' comeback win.
The Jackals jumped ahead of the Royals with a power-play goal on their first man advantage at 9:41 of the first period. Nesbitt received a feed from Taylor Stefishen while stationed on the goal-line, then worked it to Kevin Hart at the point, and received a return pass at the top of the circle before firing a wrist shot past Connor Knapp. Nesbitt's eighth goal of the season extends his point streak to six games. Three minutes later the Royals would respond on their own first power-play opportunity. Mike Marcou beat Travis Fullerton with a slap shot from the point for his fourth goal of the season. Zach Davies and Ryan Cruthers earned the assists on Marcou's power-play goal. Reading would strike once more in the opening frame when Ian Watters collected a turnover in the Jackals' end and found Olivier Labelle in the high slot for a quick snap shot over the shoulder of Fullerton. Despite getting out-shot 13-6 in the second period, the Jackals would notch the lone goal in the frame. Ryan Rashid and Nesbitt established control deep in Reading's end and Nesbitt found Keith Buehler streaking into the slot. Buehler sniped it top-shelf with a quick shot past Knapp's glove for his second goal of the season. Rashid's helper extended his point streak to five games. The game went to the third period tied 2-2 and remained knotted until 12:17 of the frame when Olivier Labelle recorded his second goal of the night on the power-play. Pat Mullane and Maxim Lamarche assisted Labelle's team-leading 14th goal of the season. The Jackals pushed for the tying goal, but Matt Hatch's fifth marker of the season at 18:43 provided Reading with the cushion it needed.