Jets Report: 11/8

Nov 8, 2016

LAST WEEK…

Friday, November 4: Janesville Jets 3, Fairbanks Ice Dogs 2
Shots: Jets 20, Ice Dogs 28
PP: Jets 2-4, Ice Dogs 2-7

The Janesville Jets (11-4-0-1) leaned on special teams play to outlast the defending Robertson Cup Champions, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs (7-6-2-1) in a physical tilt on Friday night, 3-2. The Jets wore specialty camouflage jerseys to commemorate their Salute to Service weekend, benefiting Vets Roll and Rock Valley Community Programs.

Janesville’s Joey Abate (9:09 1st) was credited with a power play goal midway through the first after a failed jam play led to a loose puck on the doorstep. With Fairbanks collapsing to clear, Abate poked at goaltender CJ Boothe, pushing the puck past the goal line for the Jets’ early lead, which they never surrendered. Abate ended the period in the penalty box with a high sticking minor drawn at 18:01. Jack Gates joined him a minute later, forcing Janesville to kill a two-man advantage over the period’s final 60 seconds.

Whistles abounded in the game’s middle frame. After the Jets killed Fairbanks’ extended five-on-three, Janesville struck on their own power play off the stick of Michael Maloney (8:02 2nd). Fairbanks added their own tally with the man advantage when big Swedish forward Hampus Eriksson (10:50 2nd) cut the Jets’ lead to one, but captain Adam Roeder (14:41 2nd) got it back just four minutes later. A scrum late in the period resulted in a 10-minute misconduct penalty to Kip Hoffmann and a 20-minute game misconduct to Fairbanks’ Marc Sullivan for removal of an opposing player’s helmet. While the ensuing 38 penalty minutes cancelled out for five-on-five play, the physicality and chippiness lingered.

Trying to cut into a 3-1 lead, the Ice Dogs pressured Janesville and peppered Jake Barczewski with 11 shots in the final 20 minutes. Barczewski and the Jets’ defense stood tall but allowed a power play goal with less than three minutes to play, making for a tight finish. The Jets held off the last breath efforts of the Ice Dogs to preserve a 3-2 win, but the game ended with more flared tempers, with an altercation between Hoffmann and Fairbanks’ Benton Maass.

CJ Boothe (3-5-0-1) registered the loss in Fairbanks’ net with 17 saves on 20 shots, while Jake Barczewski (4-1-0-0) allowed just two goals on 28 shots for the win, the third straight game in which he’s allowed two or fewer goals.
Saturday, November 5: Janesville Jets 6, Fairbanks Ice Dogs 2
Shots: Jets 31, Ice Dogs 19

PP: Jets 2-7, Ice Dogs 2-5

The Janesville Jets (12-4-0-1) scored twice in each frame as seven different forwards registered a multi-point night in a 6-2 win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs (7-7-2-1), finishing the sweep over the defending league champions.

On the heels of three tightly-called games, it appeared that Saturday’s match might follow suit, as Janesville’s Keegan Miller was assessed a hooking minor just 61 seconds into the game. Fairbanks capitalized on the man advantage attempt on a goal from Hunter Wendt (1:21 2nd). Five minutes later, third-year veteran Cullen Munson (7:01 1st) put a slapshot home to tie the game. In the period’s dying seconds, Adrian Holesinsky (19:23 1st) buried his own rebound to double the lead.

Janesville poured on the shots in the second period, firing 19 pucks on Ice Dogs goaltender Joshua Sarlo. On the power play, Jakov Novak (8:50 2nd) redirected a bullet pass from Michael Maloney for his fourth of the season. Maloney (16:16 2nd) added his own power play goal later. His 10th of the season was also his eighth on the power play, a metric which leads the league by two.

Answering a loud crowd cheering “we want Culver’s!”, Peter Bates (7:32 3rd) finished a nice partial breakaway for the Jets’ fifth goal of the night and earned everyone in attendance, including more than 75 veterans, a free Culver’s value basket. Three minutes later, Fairbanks finally answered with a power play goal from Daniel Haider (10:58 3rd). Jakov Novak (12:43 3rd) added his second of the night with the punctuating goal.

Fairbanks’ Joshua Sarlo (4-4-0-0) turned away 25 of 31 shots in the loss, while it was again Jake Barczewski (5-1-0-1) in the winner’s crease, making 17 saves on 19 shots. The win is Barczewski’s third in a row, and the fourth straight game in which he’s allowed two or fewer goals against.

Midwest Division Recap

The Coulee Region Chill picked up a big four points and increased their lead over Fairbanks with a home sweep of the Kenai River Brown Bears, 6-3 and 2-1. The Springfield Jr. Blues dropped Friday night’s game, 5-2, in Richfield, but bounced back and split the series with a 2-1 win over the second-place Minnesota Magicians. The Magicians’ loss on Friday, coupled with Janesville’s sweep, extended the Jets’ division lead to three points.

Midwest Division Standings:

Place Team Record Pts
1 Janesville Jets 12-4-0-1 25
2 MN Magicians 10-6-2-0 22
3 Coulee Region Chill 10-4-1-0 21
4 Fairbanks Ice Dogs 7-7-2-1 17
5 Springfield Jr. Blues 6-11-0-1 13
6 Kenai River Brown Bears 1-12-2-0 4

 

THIS WEEK…

Friday, November 11, 2016 @ Kenai River Brown Bears – 10:30 p.m. CST

Saturday, November 12, 2016 @ Kenai River Brown Bears – 10:30 p.m. CST

The Jets fly to Alaska on Wednesday for their first and only trip to the Last Frontier this season. This weekend’s series is against Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska, and next week, the Jets will travel north to Fairbanks. Last season, over two trips, the Jets played out a 6-1-1 record against the two divisional opponents, including a four-game sweep in their November trip. All games will be broadcast live on HockeyTV.com, and covered by the Jets’ twitter account (@JanesvilleJets1).