News release
17 January 2014
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Powered by a four-point night (2 goals, 2 assists) by Rob Bellamy the Elmira Jackals claimed a 5-3 win over the Fort Wayne Komets at Memorial Coliseum on Friday night. The win was Elmira's second in a row and improved its record to 12-19-4.
For the second night in a row the Jackals were able to jump out to a quick lead on the road. Former Komet Mike Vaskivuo continued his productive week and scored his first goal as a Jackal one night after putting up two assists against Cincinnati. A point shot from another Komet, Nik Pokulok, created mayhem at the Fort Wayne net after the initial save by Komets goalie Ben Meisner. Vaskivou dunked the puck into an open net after Danny Hobbs kept the play alive. The opening score came just two minutes into the contest. Fort Wayne ramped up the pressure and finally produced the tying goal with 2:05 left in the stanza. Kaleigh Schrock sent a wrist shot through a screen that eluded Maxime Clermont and sent the game into the second deadlocked.
Elmira's offense roared to life in the second period and rattled off three goals in a row to open up a 4-1 advantage. Bellamy started the onslaught at 4:13 when he batted home the rebound of a Hobbs backhander with the Jackals on the power play. Only 19 seconds later Jordan Pietrus buried a feed from Ludwig Karlsson on a 2-on-1 to put Elmira in front by a pair. Karlsson found himself on the scoresheet again, this time in the goal column, when he tipped a Bellamy pass over Meisner's blocker at 10:42. Fort Wayne cut into Elmira's momentum, and lead, when Sy Nutkevitch potted a shorthanded goal at 12:48. Late in the second Elmira turned in a crucial penalty kill when it wiped out 1:48 of a Fort Wayne 5-on-3.
Late in the second Clermont was injured in a collision with Mike Embach and couldn't take the ice for the third. Russ Stein came on in relief in his second appearance for the Jackals. Stein was able to get up to game speed right away and make a few key saves to keep Elmira's two-goal lead protected. The biggest stop came early with Fort Wayne on a power play. After stopping the initial shot from straight away, Stein lunged to his left to make an arm save on Brandon Marino from point-blank range. That save kept Elmira ahead by two and eventually, with 1:36 remaining Bellamy picked up his fourth point of the night on an empty-net goal. Fort Wayne didn't go away quietly, though, with former Jackal Matt Carter netting his first as a comet with 29 seconds to play.
Clermont earned the win with 20 saves while Stein stopped 14 of 15 in relief during the third period. The Jackals ended the night 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.