News release
17 December 2004
Danbury, CT Twice during the game, and twice more in the shootout, the Elmira Jackals had the lead, but the Danbury Trashers never let up, coming back to win 6-5 Friday night.
Jason Sessa helped the Jackals explode out of the gates by scoring twice in the first period. First he buried a slap shot at 11:38, assisted by Corey Foster and Simon Poirier; then he notched his second at 14:08 from Bryan Cummings and Derek Campbell to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Danbury not only grabbed the momentum in the second period, they took it and ran away with it. The Trashers scored 4 straight goals in the middle frame to turn a 180 on this game. First Mike Bayrack got Danbury on the board at 3:41, then Jeff Daw scored a short handed goal at 10:24 to bring the game level. Bayracks second of the period at 13:12 put the self-proclaimed Bad Boys of Hockey into the lead, and 56 seconds later it was 4-2 Trashers courtesy of a goal by Brian Herbert. Elmira stopped the bleeding late in the period when Jamie Thompson tipped home a Corey Foster blast from the point at 19:51 for the first power play goal of the contest.
In the final period the Jackals again surged into the lead. In keeping with the theme of Two, Jeff Antonovich scored a pair of power play goals to make it 5-4 Elmira. First he lit the lamp just 16 seconds after the opening face off, assisted by Foster and Darren Van Oene, and then scored his second at 6:52 from Thompson and Poirier. Danbury responded with their second short handed goal of the night at 7:12 when defenseman Mario Larocque send a thundering drive into the net off a quick face off to equalize at five.
The shootout proved to be an event of record proportions. Jason Sessa scored to lead off the first round, but was leveled by Bruce Richardson in the 3rd round for Danbury. The next ELEVEN rounds went by without a goal as both net minders put on a breakaway clinic for the 2,310 fans at the Danbury Ice Arena. Elmira went ahead 2-1 when George Pujacs scored in the 15th round, but Blake Bellefeuille kept Danbury in the game with his own successful goal. The tenders stopped the next 9 attempts before Bayrack ended the marathon shootout by scoring in the 20th round for Danbury.
Scott Stirling stopped 19-of-24 shots, 18-of-20 in the shootout for the win; Greg Hewitt made an amazing 43 saves on 48 Danbury shots, 17-of-20 in the overtime session.
The Jackals will look for revenge Saturday night at 7 pm as they again go full-tilt with the Trashers at the Danbury Ice Arena. Elmira will finish off the weekend on Sunday December 19th at 5 pm as they host the Flint Generals at the First Arena.