News release
14 December 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira Jackals used two goals from Chaz Johnson and stout defense to claim a 4-1 win over the Orlando Solar Bears at First Arena on Friday night. The win improved Elmira to 11-10-2 on the season.
Elmira came into the game with an 8-1-0 record when scoring the first goal at home and the Jackals put themselves into a good position to win when Chaz Johnson lit the lamp 6:07 in. His third goal of the campaign came on the power play on a snap shot from between the circles off of a set up by Louie Caporusso and Jack Downing. The assist extended Caporusso's assist and point streak to seven games. The Jackals peppered Orlando goalie Hannu Toivonen with 20 first-period shots in an attempt to pad the lead but were unable to do so. Orlando responded with nine shots against Marc Cheverie but the Jackals netminder was perfect in the first.
Elmira rattled off a pair of even strength goals in the second period to build its lead up to 3-0 before Orlando got on the board. Andrew Rowe made a nifty deke on Toivonen at the edge of the crease and lifted a backhander top shelf for his ninth goal of the season at 11:10. Jordan Pietrus picked up his first of two points on the night with the primary helper and Rob Bellamy grabbed his first of two assists with the secondary. Next up was Johnson for his second of the night just 4:10 after Rowe's tally. This time he snapped a shot from low on the left wing past Toivonen and earned his first two-goal game of the season. Assists went to Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel and Kevin Harvey. Orlando responded with a power play goal from Ryan Reaves who deflected a slap shot from Bryce Lampman past Cheverie. Elmira held a 12-9 shot advantage in the second.
The Jackals never let an Orlando comeback materialize in the third thanks to Pietrus providing his fourth goal of the season at 7:10. It broke a month-long goal drought for the second-year Jackal and his linemate Bellamy provided the lone assist. The Solar Bears were at their busiest offensively in the third with 10 shots against Cheverie, but none of them crossed the goal line. The Jackals countered with 14 shots on Toivonen but only needed the one from Pietrus to seal the win.
Cheverie stopped 27 shots in earning his eighth win of the season. Elmira was 1-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.