By Mason Lyttle
LAST WEEK…
Friday, December 2: Janesville Jets 3, Springfield Jr. Blues 2
Shots: Jets 32, Jr. Blues 25
PP: Jets 1-6, Blues 0-2
The Janesville Jets (18-5-0-2) never trailed despite never building a multiple goal lead, and scored last in a yo-yo contest for a road win over the Springfield Jr. Blues (12-12-0-1), ending their seven-game win streak on Friday night, 3-2.
Janesville struck early in this chapter of the rivalry with a breakaway goal from NHL Central Scouting prospect Jakov Novak (1:06 1st), who converted the chance for his sixth goal of the season. Later, Springfield’s Christian Simeone (10:16 1st) put home a loose puck in front of goaltender Derek Schaedig to tie the game. Late in the period, Jr. Blues defenseman Mark Leach was assessed a 4-minute double minor and an ejection for checking from behind when he put Novak into the end boards.
The Jets entered the second period with nearly four whole minutes on the man advantage, and kept their power play hot streak alive with a beautiful goal from Adrian Holesinsky (2:48 2nd), who dangled a Springfield penalty killer and roofed his ninth goal of the season. Springfield again tied it with a power play goal from Jordan Muzzillo (15:59 2nd).
Tied in the third period, the Jets kept their foot on the gas with 12 shots in the final frame, but it wasn’t until late that Peter Bates (16:09 3rd) would break the third and final tie of the game, putting home a rebound from Colin Felix and securing the win for Janesville.
After a stretch of good goaltending from Jake Barczewski, the Jets went to Derek Schaedig (9-3-0-2) for Friday’s win, and he delivered, stopping 23 of 25 Springfield chances. In the losing net was San Jose Sharks 2015 3rd round draft pick Mike Robinson (2-1-0-0), who saved 29 of 32 shots.
Saturday, December 3: Janesville Jets 4, Springfield Jr. Blues 3 (OT)
Shots: Jets 54, Jr. Blues 41
PP: Jets 1-2, Jr. Blues 3-5
The Janesville Jets (19-5-0-2) rallied and completed a comeback in an overtime thriller victory over the Springfield Jr. Blues on Saturday, 4-3, to cap a road sweep of their division rivals.
Adrian Holesinsky (5:03 1st) scored his second power play goal in as many nights when he put the Jets up early. Springfield answered with an extra man tally of their own, as Swiss forward Fabio Hollenstein (9:47 1st) knotted it at 1-1. Barely one minute later, however, Cole Paskus (11:00 1st) regained the lead for Janesville with a blistering shot off the faceoff win from Michael Maloney.
Midway through the middle frame, a scrum in front of Springfield’s bench resulted in a roughing minor for Jr. Blues forward Patrick Smyth, but a double minor and a 10-minute continuing altercation misconduct for Jets defenseman Alec Semandel. On the penalty kill, an errant stick from Kip Hoffmann gave Springfield a 5-on-3. Friday’s back-and-forth antics looked to continue when defenseman Jack Nickels (12:23 2nd) tied the game, but 12 seconds later, still on the power play, forward Braden Brown (12:35 2nd) ended Derek Schaedig’s night with a fluttering backhand goal. Springfield carried a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.
Pressing and desperately looking for the equalizer, Janesville got a break when Friday night’s hero, Peter Bates (14:17 3rd), scored one of the oddest goals of the season. Bates dumped a puck in on Springfield goaltender Mike Robinson, who mishandled it and inadvertently kicked in the game-tying goal with a little more than five minutes to play in the match.
In the electric play of three-on-three overtime, the two teams traded chances and odd man rushes. Late in the five minute period, the Jets pressed, and forward Joey Abate made a nice play on a Springfield defender without a stick. Abate moved to the slot, shot low, and left an easy rebound for Frankie Sullivan (4:03 OT) to bury for the game winner.
Mike Robinson (2-1-1-0) played heroically despite the loss, making 50 saves on 54 pucks directed his way. Schaedig was pulled after the third goal against, ending his night at 16 saves on 19 shots. Jake Barczewski (10-2-0-1) collected the win and was perfect in relief, turning away each of the 22 shots he saw.
Midwest Division Recap
With the Jets’ sweep, the Minnesota Magicians needed a similar result to keep Janesville within a weekend’s reach for the top spot in the division, but split their series with the third-place Coulee Region Chill. The Springfield Jr. Blues’ point on Saturday moved them to within two points of Coulee, and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs’ inactive weekend kept them in fifth place, nine points behind Springfield. The Kenai River Brown Bears were swept in a visit to Topeka.
Midwest Division Standings:
| Place | Team | Record | Pts |
| 1 | Janesville Jets | 19-5-0-2 | 40 |
| 2 | MN Magicians | 16-9-2-0 | 34 |
| 3 | Coulee Region Chill | 13-7-2-0 | 28 |
| 4 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 12-12-1-1 | 26 |
| 5 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 7-14-2-1 | 17 |
| 6 | Kenai River Brown Bears | 4-18-2-0 | 10 |
THIS WEEK…
Friday, December 9, 2016 vs. Minnesota Magicians – 7:00 p.m. CST
Saturday, December 10, 2016 vs. Minnesota Magicians – 7:00 p.m. CST
The Jets return home, where they will play their final two series before the holiday break. This weekend features a showdown with the top two teams in the Midwest Division on the ticket as head coach Scott Meyer’s Minnesota Magicians come to town. The Magicians are 8-5-0-0 since their last visit to Janesville, a split series over the Jets’ Pink in the Rink weekend. Mitchel Slattery leads the Magicians in scoring with 25 points in 22 games, and shares the team lead in goals with Will Hammer at 10 each. Moscow native Ivan Prosvetov carries the workload in the crease and boasts a .923 save percentage in his 16 appearances. Both games will be broadcast live on www.hockeytv.com.
PROMOTIONS & EVENTS…
Friday night, the Jets are working with the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau as part of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s “The Big Bundle Up” campaign. The Big Bundle Up is a statewide collection program running through January 2, 2017. To benefit the Big Bundle Up Campaign, the Jets are hosting a Coat Drive for Friday’s game. All fans who bring in a new or gently used winter clothing item will receive $1 off their ticket.
Saturday night is the Jets’ first Youth Hockey Night and the first Skate with the Jets of the season. Youth Hockey Night uses specially extended intermissions to showcase area youth hockey teams and give kids a chance to share a playing surface with the Jets. After the game, the Jets will continue to share the ice, as players will return from the locker room to skate with the fans. All skate rentals are free after Saturday’s game, courtesy of Mercyhealth, proud sponsor of Skate with the Jets.
JETS BITS…
Frankie Sullivan’s overtime heroics earned him the Bauer Midwest Division 2nd Star of the Week Award…Peter Bates, who earned an Honorable Mention for the same award, extended his goal streak to four games with the tying marker Saturday…Four Jets (Holesinsky, Maloney, Dodero, Bates) compose the top 10 scorers in the NAHL… Jake Barczewski’s performance Saturday boosted his save percentage to .919, good for seventh place among qualified goaltenders in the league…Barczewski has just one loss in his last nine appearances dating back to October 28th…the Jets’ 29.1% power play percentage and 30 power play goals each lead the NAHL.