News release
3 March 2013
Sunday, March 03, 2013GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Elmira Jackals closed out this weekend's three-in-three in Greenville with a 3-2 win over the Road Warriors. The Jackals earned seven of eight standings points this week and improved their record to 32-20-7.
Elmira generated only seven shots in the opening 20 minutes, but the Jackals made the most of their best chance and used it to grab a 1-0 lead. Working a three-on-two rush from the blue line in, the Jackals worked the puck from Chaz Johnson to Andrew Rowe to Matt Carter for a one-timer that beat Scott Stajcer. It was Carter's fifth of the season, third as a Jackal. Ian Keserich, who started his third game in as many days, swatted away 16 shots in the stanza to make Carter's goal stand up.
The second belonged to Greenville early on as a power play goal from Marc-Olivier Vallerand knotted the score at one. The scoring slowed after that goal, but the Jackals began to assert themselves in the attack zone. After some poking and prodding, a fortuitous bounce left Kevin Harvey alone on the doorstep. After settling down the bouncing puck he put a shot over Stajcer's shoulder for his 10th goal and a 2-1 Elmira lead at 17:37. Greenville bounced back, though, with a goal from Sean Berkstresser in the final minute to tie the game heading into the third.
Keserich had to be strong again as Greenville tested him with 12 shots in the final stanza. The Jackals managed seven in the same time, and one proved to be more valuable than the others. After grabbing a loose puck at center, Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel carried deep into Greenville ice on the right wing. He drove out of the corner to the netfront, fought off a check, and wristed the puck past Stajcer for his first power play goal of the season. Greenville went desperate and pulled Stajcer for the extra attacker in the final minute, but Keserich stopped a pair of shots from point blank range and held the lead.
Keserich was 34 of 36 on save opportunities to earn his fifth win of the season. Elmira went 1-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.