News release
20 October 2004
Elmira, NY The Elmira Jackals moved the 3-0 on the fresh 2004-05 season with a 4-3 shootout win over the Adirondack Frostbite Wednesday night at the First Arena.
For the first time this season, the Jackals did not score first. Adirondack grabbed the lead with at power play goal from Justin Kelly merely 1:48 into the first period, marking the first time this year that Elmira has trailed in a regular season game. But the Jackals struck back late in the period, when Carl Drakensjo put together an unbelievable individual display as he stole the puck from Bruce Gardiner on a solo fore check and beat Derek Gustafson for a shorthanded goal to tie the game. The goal was Drakensjos second of the season and it tied him with Rob Guinn for 10th on the Jackals All-Time Scoring chart with 78 points.
Elmira turned the tides in the second period, scoring twice to take a 3-1 lead into the final break. First Greg Koehler started his goal scoring account at 4:14 from Jamie Thompson and Drakensjo to give Elmira its first lead of the night. Then red-hot Jason Sessa tallied his 5th of the year on the power play from Koehler and Thompson at 9:37.
In the final frame, Adirondack would equalize in the span of 70 seconds. Frank Littlejohn blasted a quick turn-around shot from the hash marks from Kelly and Sylvain Cloutier at 5:20 to make it 3-2. Then David Burgess was sent free by Scott Drevitch and the winger beat Greg Hewitt to draw level.
In the shootout, Sessa and Cloutier each scored for their respective clubs, but Hewitt stopped 4-of-5 and Eddy Lowe buried his 5th round attempt to send the fans home happy. Hewitt finished with 40 saves on 43 shots in regulation for his third win; while Gustafson was 14-for-17 and 3-of-5 in the shootout to earn Adirondacks first point of the season.
The Jackals return to action for three straight games this weekend at the First Arena, starting on Friday night with the Danbury Trashers at 7:30 pm.