The Elmira Jackals are an ice hockey team that play in the ECHL. Their home games are played in First Arena in Elmira, New York and they refer to themselves as "the beasts of the east". Their mascot is named Blade, and they were originally part of the United Hockey League.

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The UHL Years

The Jackals were born as a member of the United Hockey League before the 2000-2001 season, as an affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Eventually, they severed ties with the Blue Jackets and became an independent operation for the rest of their years in the league. During their tenure in the UHL, their average attendance was 3,308 per game, which included 31 sellouts. The largest crowd was a standing-room-only of 4,126 on October 13, 2006.

Playoff History

The team made a splash in their first season by immediately making the playoffs. Improving dramatically in the off-season, the Jackals won the Eastern Conference for the first time, in just their second season. They even got as far as playing the Muskegon Fury in the Colonial Cup finals, but lost in a hard fought 6 game series. They returned to the playoffs in 2003, but didn't get the chance to play for The Cup again until the 2004 season when they again faced the Muskegon Fury. After being swept in the 2004 Colonial Cup series, they never returned to the playoffs in the UHL.

The Final Year

Their final season in the league, was especially disappointing. They hired a new head coach who'd proven successful elsewhere and signed a few solid players, giving the team hope for a return to the playoffs. The season brought three head coaching changes, after the first one suffered a mini-stroke. There were also some injuries to key players. One of which, limited top ranked goalie Shawn Degagne to only 4 games.

Despite finishing in last place, there were some bright spots. Star forward Frank Littlejohn scored a franchise record 42 goals. The fans were very supportive of the team, averaging 3,427 per game during the season in an arena that only seats 4,000. Then on April 14, 2007, ownership announced they would be leaving the UHL for the North Division of the ECHL. ^[1]

ECHL

The Elmira Jackals joined the ECHL in the summer of 2007 with a new logo and jerseys. They are a member of the North division.

Returning from a loss in Cincinnati, the team bus was involved in crash on Interstate 90 in Pennsylvania early in the morning of November 29, 2007. Several players sustained minor injuries. The Jackals suffered their worst loss in their first year. They lost to Johnstown 9-3. On March 9, 2008 after three seasons of being out of playoff contention in the United Hockey League, the Elmira Jackals qualified for the East Coast Hockey League playoffs. ^[2]

For the 2007-08 season, the Jackals were the affiliate of the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL). During the 2008-09 season, the Jackals will be affilliated with the Binghamton Senators (AHL) and Ottawa Senators (NHL).

Season-by-season record

The complete seasonal records throughout team history.

Season	W	L	SOL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
2000-01	32	33	9	73	260	289	2015	2nd, Northeast	Lost in 1st round
2001-02	45	21	8	98	260	216	2523	1st, East	Lost in Finals 4 games to 2
2002-03	41	28	7	89	257	254	2250	3rd, Eastern	Lost in 2nd round 4 games to 0
2003-04	33	34	9	75	238	256	1670	4th, Eastern	Lost in Finals 4 games to 0
2004-05	24	51	5	53	224	310	1686	4th, Eastern	Did not qualify
2005-06	27	42	7	61	231	300	1815	4th, Eastern	Did not qualify
2006-07	30	45	1	61	217	287	2087	5th, Eastern	Did not qualify
2007-08	41	24	7	89	245	219	1840	2nd, American	Lost in 1st round 4 games to 2
Totals	263	278	53	599	1932	2131	14135	-	-

Current roster

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References

1. ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League
2. Bus carrying New York minor league hockey team crashes on Pennsylvania highway - NHL - Yahoo! Sports