By Mason Lyttle
FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS at JANESVILLE JETS — Janesville Ice Arena
Fri 10/13 | 7:00pm | Janesville, WI
LIVE STREAM: HockeyTV | TWITTER: @JanesvilleJets1
LAST WEEKEND: The Jets needed extra time both nights, but managed an interdivision road sweep of the Austin Bruins with a 3-2 overtime win on Friday and a 2-1 shootout kicker on Saturday. With the wins, the Jets improved to 8-1-0-0, their best start since 2011. Despite taking four points back on the bus, the Jets never led in 127:16 of play. With a tough Fairbanks Ice Dogs squad in town this weekend, the Jets will need stronger starts to keep up their torrid pace.
TONIGHT:
SEASON SERIES (Jets 0-0-0-0)
| Oct. 13 | Fairbanks | 7:00pm |
| Oct. 14 | Fairbanks | 7:00pm |
| Jan. 26 | Fairbanks | 7:00pm |
| Mar. 15 | @ Fairbanks | 10:00pm |
| Mar. 16 | @ Fairbanks | 10:30pm |
| Mar. 17 | @ Fairbanks | 10:30pm |
3 JETS BITS
- START ON TIME: The Jets have played 312:56 of hockey across their five-game win streak. They have led for just 49:43 (15.9%) of that time, and all of that was in a 4-2 win over the Magicians. Nearly 57% (178:07) of that total time as played tied, meaning the Jets have trailed for 86:03 (27%) of their streak. Playing from behind so consistently can be exhausting. It’s time to get the lead and keep it.
- RETURN OF THE MAC: Veteran center Brendan MacLaren bounced back quickly from a hip injury that held him out of the Magicians series. In Austin, MacLaren notched one assist, and will be ready to get back to his scoring ways against Fairbanks this weekend.
MILESTONE ALERT
- Kip Hoffmann is 1 assist away from 50 in his NAHL career
- Kip Hoffmann is 1 game away from 150 in his NAHL career
- TJ Polglaze is 5 games away from 50 in his NAHL career
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Current Jets, ranking among the franchise all-time leaders:
GAMES PLAYED (regular season)
| RANK | Player | Pos | GP |
| 1 | Cullen Munson | F | 175 |
| 2 | Adam Winborg | F | 170 |
| 3 | Kip Hoffmann | F | 149 |
| 4 | Adam Roeder | D | 147 |
| 5 | Bryan Kronberger | D | 137 |
| 6 | Jeff Alderfer | D | 120 |
| 7 | Jordan Himley | F | 120 |
| 8 | Alex Smith | D | 118 |
| 9 | Lordanthony Grissom | D | 115 |
| T-10 | Ross Mauermann | F | 113 |
| T-10 | Connor McBride | F | 113 |
GOALS (regular season)
| RANK | Player | Pos | G |
| 1 | Adam Winborg | F | 62 |
| 2 | Connor McBride | F | 48 |
| 3 | Cullen Munson | F | 43 |
| 4 | Jordan Himley | F | 40 |
| 5 | Ross Mauermann | F | 39 |
| 6 | Cole Paskus | F | 35 |
| 7 | Drew Callin | F | 34 |
| T-8 | Jordan Bancroft | F | 32 |
| T-8 | Kip Hoffmann | F | 32 |
| T-10 | Brandon Schultz | F | 30 |
| T-10 | Pijus Rulevicius | F | 30 |
POINTS (regular season)
| RANK | Player | Pos | Pts |
| 1 | Adam Winborg | F | 145 |
| 2 | Cullen Munson | F | 113 |
| 3 | Ross Mauermann | F | 99 |
| 4 | Connor McBride | F | 92 |
| 5 | Kip Hoffmann | F | 81 |
| 6 | Jordan Himley | F | 77 |
| 7 | Cole Paskus | F | 74 |
| 8 | Evan Feno | F | 73 |
| T-9 | Jordan Bancroft | F | 72 |
| T-9 | Alex Smith | D | 72 |
FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS
OVERVIEW:
Record: 6-2-0-0 (2nd, Midwest)
Road Record: 3-1-0-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 23GF/13GA
Power Play: 10.3% (22nd in the NAHL)
Penalty Kill: 93.1% (1st in the NAHL)
Top Scorers: Robert Blueger (8GP—3G-5A—8PTS);Multiple Players (7PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Erkka Vanska: The returning Finnish forward has taken a major step forward in his production. Last season, Vanska was a depth scorer in Fairbanks, tallying 24 points in 58 games, but with only six goals. In just eight games this year, Vanska has already found twine four times. He’s on pace to top last year’s point total by Christmas, and last year’s goal total by Halloween.
Daniel Haider: The Alaskan forward started his rookie season in 2016-17 with four points in two games, and added a hat trick in October, but injuries slowed his development into the meat of the season. This season, Haider is showcasing the two-way play that earned him an offer from the University of Alaska Anchorage, one he initially accepted but he has since de-committed.
WHO’S ON D:
Nolan Schaeffer: On the ice, Schaeffer has the appearance of a man playing in a boy’s league. The 6’3″, 220lb defenseman is a horse on the Ice Dogs’ back end, eating up minutes and shutting down top opposition. The Michigan native is a +7 already this season.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Josh Benson: Another veteran Ice Dog, the Minnesota netminder took his first loss of the season last weekend in Springfield, stopping 32 of 34 shots. Benson boasts a .948 save percentage through five games this season.
JANESVILLE JETS
OVERVIEW:
Record: 8-1-0-0 (1st, Midwest)
Home Record: 2-0-0-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 26GF/16GA
Power Play: 26.5% (7th in the NAHL)
Penalty Kill: 83.3% (8th in the NAHL)
Top Scorers: Kip Hoffmann (9GP—2G-10A—12PTS); Jakov Novak (7GP—4G-4A—8PTS); Brendan MacLaren (7GP—4G-3A—7PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Regan Cavanagh: The junior hockey veteran has 55 USHL games and 53 NAHL games under his belt, with 53 total points across those leagues. Cavanagh, the Jets’ 3rd round pick in June’s NAHL Draft, has the skill and smarts to put together a productive final season of his junior career.
Christophe Fillion: The Jets’ first Quebecois player since Alexandre Tremblay, Fillion picked up his first NAHL point on Saturday with the game-tying goal. The Iowa Wild U16 alumn plays a prototypical French-Canadian game: shifty, quick, and full of skill.
WHO’S ON D:
John Pesek: Like Cavanagh, Pesek joins the Jets from the USHL as a “tweener” selection from June’s draft. Pesek, whom the Jets picked 17th overall, skated 47 games for the Austin Bruins in 2015-16, and played with Brenden MacLaren the season prior with the Soo Indians 18U program.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Garrett Nieto: Nieto came into this season with just three NAHL games, all with Springfield last season, under his belt, but he’s no rookie. He played in 32 games across two seasons with the Wenatchee Wild against top BCHL competition, and has demonstrated well so far this season his ability in this league. While the Jets’ strong defensive systems limit his high-quality scoring chances against, Nieto has racked up save after save for Janesville, and presents a nightmare for opposing forwards.
FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS at JANESVILLE JETS — Janesville Ice Arena
Fri 10/13 | 7:00pm | Janesville, WI
LIVE STREAM: HockeyTV | TWITTER: @JanesvilleJets1