News release
12 December 2005
Jackals Start A Two-Game Win-Column Workout
Road Games Continue With Eastern Michigan Weekend
2005-06 Record: 6-16-3 15 points (2-7-1 home, 4-9-2 road), Fifth Place, Eastern Division
Week 9 Schedule: (All games are broadcasted LIVE on Wheels AM-820 WWLZ)
Friday, December 16 7:30 pm @ Port Huron Flags (10-10-4, 24 pts) Fourth Place, Eastern Division
Saturday, December 17 7:30 pm @ Flint Generals (10-10-3, 23 pts) Fifth Place, Eastern Division
Elmira, NY The Fort Wayne Komets scored the first four goals of the game on their way to a 5-2 win over the Elmira Jackals Wednesday night at the First Arena.
Fort Wayne came out of the gate playing like the Komets of the last few years (a dominant team in the Western Division) very unlike their 5-11-2 record coming into the game. Mark Smith led the way for the Komets with two goals in the first period. He opened the scoring at 4:21 on a deflection goal. Three minutes later Jonathan Goodwin sent Smith free down the left wing on a partial breakaway and the Komets leading goal scorer capitalized for a 2-0 lead at 7:32.
In the second period Fort Wayne picked up right where they left off. Matt Hunter blasted a shot just inside the far post at 7:03 for a three goal lead. Defenseman Guy Dupuis made it 4-0 Komets with a power play goal at 12:27, a one-timer that hit off the far post, then the cross-bar before crossing the goal line. Chris Chaput put Elmira on the board at 17:21 when he banged in a rebound from a John Donnelly shot, Donnelly and Kevin Cooper assisted on the goal. But less than a minute later Hunter would earn a penalty shot, the third in the UHL this season. Hunter faked out goaltender Ryan McIntosh to make it 5-1 at 18:18. Coincidentally all three penalty shots in the UHL this season have been successful goals.
In the third period Elmira quickly cut the lead to three when John Jarram cranked a one-timer from the top of the point off the near post and in for his first goal of the season, a power play goal at 4:23, assisted by Mike Dombkiewicz and Chaput. But that would be the final goal of the game as Fort Wayne cruised to a 5-2 win.
Kevin St. Pierre got the win by making 20 saves on 22 shots, while Ryan McIntosh stopped 36-of-41 in the loss.
Richmond, VA The Elmira Jackals continued their struggles in the state of Virginia as they were beaten 7-4 by the Richmond Riverdogs Friday night at the Richmond Coliseum.
Richmond jumped out early on the Jackals in the first period as John DiPace scored a power play goal at 1:38 that went off the post on its way into the net. Chris Chaput came back with a power play goal of his own at 6:36 from Kontantin Kalmikov and Florian Iberer. Chaputs goal was a tap-in created by a beautiful back-door pass by Kalmikov to tie the score. Richmond surged in front again as DiPace stole a loose puck and beat Ryan McIntosh again for an unassisted goal at 7:58. Bobby Kukulka made it 3-1 at 11:16 as he was sent in on a breakaway by Jason Cassels. Elmira got one back at 14:20 when newcomer Jason Sessa made an immediate impact, blasting home a power play goal from Trevor Burgess and John Donnelly to make it 3-2 after one period of play.
In the second period it was Richmonds counterattack which continued to plague the Jackals. Mike Oliveira scored a short-handed goal at 6:17 on a breakaway and Dennis Mullen then came out of the penalty box at 7:09 and scored on his breakaway and all of a sudden it was 5-2 Richmond. Elmiras woes continued when Joey Bastien scored a short-handed goal at 10:33 for a 4-goal lead, Richmonds second short hander of the period. Jason Sessa cranked in his second power play goal of the game at 11:36 from Kevin Cooper and Mike Dombkiewicz and Chris Chaput brought Elmira back to within 2 goals with a strike at 17:58 from Kalmikov and Donnelly to make it 6-4 Richmond after two.
In the third period, Richmond would put the nail in the coffin at 9:01 when Oliveira scored his second goal of the game to finish off the Jackals 7-4.
Doug Groenestege earned another win against Elmira by stopping 40-of-44 in the game. Ryan McIntosh started for the Jackals making 4 saves on 7 shots before being lifted after 11 minutes. Nick Boucher played the final 49 minutes and was credited with the loss while making 23 saves on 27 shots.
12/10/05 Elmira 4 @ Roanoke 3 Shootout (3-1)
Roanoke, VA The Elmira Jackals shrugged the proverbial monkey off their backs as they broke a 10-game winless streak by beating the Roanoke Valley Vipers 4-3 in a shootout Saturday night at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Elmiras leading goal scorer, Jarrett Konkle, put the Jackals in front with a goal at 4:31 of the opening period, assisted by Jason Sessa and Carl Drakensjo. But Roanoke would strike back at 13:23 with the equalizer from L.P. Martin. The Vipers out-shot the Jackals 12-4 in the period but found a 1-1 score after twenty minutes.
In the second period, Martin gave Roanoke their first lead with his second goal of the game a mere 34 seconds into the middle frame. But Elmiras newest edition, Jason Sessa would pull the Jackals back level at 11:11 as he scored a highlight-reel power play goal. Sessa back-checked Steve Crusco at the red line, maneuvered around one Vipers penalty killer, toe-dragged the puck through the legs of another defender, and then faked out goaltender Jamie Hodson for an unassisted goal.
In the third period Roanoke again wasted no time regaining the lead as Jan Jas scored a power play goal 23 seconds into the final frame. But Elmira again would answer the bell. Sessa scored his fourth goal in two games since returned to the Jackals, another power play goal, this time at 6:07 from John Donnelly and Trevor Burgess and the scored was tied at three.
After some great chances from both sides the game went to a shootout. Armed with some new offensive weapons, Elmira took the lead in Round 2 when their shootout specialist, Sean Regan weaved around Hodson for a 1-0 lead. Konstantin Kalmikov made it 2-0 Jackals in round three, but Roanokes top scorer David Beauregard beat Nick Boucher for a 2-1 score after three rounds. In round 5 Craig MacDonald avoided a poke-check of Hodson, pulled the puck to his back-hand and snapped the puck into the net, sending his teammates hurtling over the boards to celebrate their first win in December.
Nick Boucher earned his third win of the season by stopping 27-of-30 in goal for the Jackals, adding 3 saves on 4 shootout attempts. Jamie Hodson looked strong during regulation, making 20 saves on 23 shots, but he denied just 2-of-5 in the shootout and took the loss. Elmira finished with 24 shots in the game and went 2-for-8 on the power play. Roanoke had 30 shots on goal and was 1-for-8 with the man-advantage.
Richmond, VA The Elmira Jackals won their second straight game, and their first at the Richmond Coliseum this year, as they knocked off the Richmond Riverdogs 3-2 Sunday afternoon.
Fresh off their first win in 11 games, the Jackals took the lead late in the opening period thanks to their increasingly effective special teams. After killing off two penalties earlier in the period, Elmira cashed in on their first power play of the game. Chris Chaput took a clever pass from Konstantin Kalmikov and slid a backhand shot behind Richmond goalie Doug Groenestege at 16:22 giving the Jackals a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes.
In the second period it became clear that this game would be a special teams battle. Elmira scored their second power play goal of the game when Sam Paolini collected a rebound from a Kalmikov shot, and neatly scored his 7th goal of the season at 7:31. Richmond got on the board with a power play goal from John DiPace at 12:24 and then a minute and eleven seconds later the Riverdogs tied the game with their second power play goal, this time from a J.J. Wrobel slap shot. Late in the period Elmira regained the lead with their third power play goal of the game. Mike Dombkiewicz blasted a slap shot from the blue line that sizzled into the back of the net at 18:53 assisted by Trevor Burgess and Jason for a 3-2 lead after two. Richmond out-shot the Jackals 18-9 in the second period, but couldnt hold off Elmiras potent power play.
In the third period, the Jackals defended well and held off Richmond, for a clutch 3-2 win.
Ryan McIntosh earned his 3rd win of the season, making 31 saves on 33 shots, while exacting revenge against his former club. Doug Groenestege took the loss, while stopping 25-of-28. The difference in the game: Elmira finished 3-for-5 on the power play, while Richmond was 2-for-7. The Riverdogs out-shot the Jackals 33-28 in the game.
JACKALS PLAYER AND GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK: (WEEK 8)
Jason Sessa RW 3 GP, 4 goals, 2 assist, 6 pts, -4, 4 PIMs
Jason Sessa returned to the Elmira Jackals and picked up right where he left off, scoring 4 goals in three games. The teams leading goal scorer last season (34 goals in 66 games), the Long Island, NY native scored two goals in each of his first two games since re-signing with the club. Sessa had 2 goals in his debut against Richmond on Friday. Then he had two more goals and an assist Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win over Roanoke. He added another assist Sunday in Elmiras 4-3 win over Richmond, only the second time Elmira has won two straight games this year.
Nick Boucher G 3 GP, 1-2-0, 4.21 GAA, 0.878 SV%, 86 saves
Nick Boucher earned his third win of the season as he helped the Jackals get back to winning ways. Boucher stopped 36-of-41 in a 5-2 loss Wednesday to Fort Wayne, he came on in relief of Ryan McIntosh Friday to make 23 saves in a 7-4 loss to Richmond, but then he stepped it up a notch, making 27 saves on 30 shots and blocking 3-of-4 in the shootout to beat Roanoke 4-3 Saturday, snapping a 10-game Elmira winless streak. For the week Boucher had a 4.21 GAA and a 0.878 save percentage.
THATS TWO IN A ROW The Elmira Jackals snapped a 10-game winless streak (0-7-3) by beating Roanoke 4-3 Saturday night. Then with a 3-2 win Sunday in Richmond the Jackals won their second straight for only the second time this season.
A GAME WINNER! D Mike Dombkiewiczs go-ahead power play goal in Richmond Sunday was the Jackals first Game-Winning Goal since November 12 against the Riverdogs in Elmira. Due to 2 shootout wins, it was only the 4th game-winning goal of the season for Elmira.
DANGEROUS ADVANTAGES The Jackals power play units have started to reach lethal levels. Elmira scored 9 power play goals in 28 chances (32.1%) during the 4-game week (12 total goals). For the season the Jackals as a team have now scored 32 power play goals, 4th best in the UHL. They are 5th and rising in PP percentage (18.4%).
NEW AGE OF DISCIPLINE The Jackals, who still lead the UHL in minor penalties received (224), had just 2 minors on Friday against Richmond. Elmira had only 9 minutes in the game, dropping their season average to 27.5 minutes per game, now 9th in the UHL, down 6 places from the 3rd place spot last month.
NO MINOR FEAT Captain Trevor Burgess and fellow defenseman Chris Mann are tied for the UHL lead in minor penalties with 29. As a team Elmira has 224 (1st in the league) and between the two blue-liners they account for 58 of them, or about one-fourth of the teams sin-bin reservations.
NEW HORSE OUT IN FRONT After 7 weeks as the team leader in scoring, Jarrett Konkle has been surpassed by his fellow rookie Chris Chaput. Chaput leads the Jackals in scoring with 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists) in 25 games played. He currently has a 9-game Home point-scoring streak going, having scored 15 points at the First Arena since November 2 (meaning he has scored at least one point in all but one of the Jackals 10 home games.
Shooting Percentage: Jason Sessa (20.0%)