News release
4 January 2014
ELMIRA, NY - January 4, 2014 - The Elmira Jackals worked overtime for the second time in as many nights against the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday night at First Arena. This time around fortunes were on their side as they claimed a 4-3 win over the Nailers and snapped their seven-game losing skid. The win improved Elmira to 10-16-4 on the season.
Elmira's night got off to a rocky start when the visitors grabbed the early 1-0 lead. Jack McClellan worked off of the rush and put a wrist shot past a screened Scott Greenham for his seventh goal of the season. The Jackals didn't take long to respond and it was a fresh face providing the answer. Andrew Harrison was called up today from Watertown of the Federal Hockey League and notched the tying score 5:10 after McClellan's tally. Elmira outshot Wheeling 14-5, but Nailers starter Mathieu Corbeil worked hard to keep the game even.
It was Scott Greenham's turn to face a lot of rubber in the second and he was able to shrug off 13 of the 14 that the Nailers sent his way. And, with Elmira's offense continuing to surge, that work afforded Elmira its first lead of the night. Matt Carter caught a Christian Ouellet pass while streaking to the net and lifted a wrist shot over Corbeil for a 2-1 lead, and then Jordan Pietrus nudged it up one more with his fifth of the year from a tough angel just over five minutes after Carter's tally. Wheeling's Max MacKay cut Elmira's lead in half with his fifth of the year at 12:14.
Spurred on by the late MacKay marker, the Nailers battled back to earn the equalizer at 7:51 of the third courtesy Tyler Fernandez. The Nailers forward reached the rebound of a point shot by Paul Cianfrini and lobbed it over Greenham. That goal proved to be a big one for the Nailers as it allowed them to pick up a point for making it to overtime.
In the extra session the Jackals were hampered by an early tripping minor to Pietrus, but MacKay was whistled for slashing seconds later and the teams were left to skate three-on-three. On the ensuing faceoff Jakub Culek won control of the puck, skated himself free low on the right wing, and beat Corbeil along the ice for the winning score.
Greenham picked up his sixth win of the season with 31 saves. Elmira went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play.