ELMIRA, NY – The Elmira Jackals didn’t win a league most 45 games during the regular season because they were lucky. They did it by playing solid on both ends of the ice. On 
Saturday night the Jackals played both ways with a 3-0 shutout win over the Reading Royals in Game Four of the ECHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals pushing the series to a fifth and deciding game Monday night in Elmira.
Neither team scored in the first two periods of the game. For the first time in the series the Royals outshot the Jackals in more than one period but after the first period you wouldn’t have thought that would have happened after being outshot 11-5 in the first period. The Royals turned the table the next two periods outshooting Elmira 23-17 the rest of the game. Both teams once again went scoreless on the power play going a combined 0-7. Only in Game Two has either team scored on the power play (2-3). Matt Campanale broke the ice 7:34 into the third with a low wrist shot and the Jackals never looked back. Elmira didn’t score again until the last minute of the game with the Royals pulling goaltender Mark Owuya for an extra man putting the game away for the Jackals. The Royals are affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League while the Jackals are affiliated with the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks. The series resumes Monday night in Elmira for Game Five. If Reading wins the game they will face the Kalamazoo Wings in the second round of the playoffs, but if Elmira wins their next opponent could be the South Carolina Stingrays if they finish off the Gwinnett Gladiators in their series, otherwise the Jackals will face the Florida Everblades. Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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