RICHFIELD, MN — After starting their five-week-long road trip at the Minnesota Wilderness last weekend, the Jets (2-5-0-1) will continue their excursion in the State of Hockey with a two-game set against the Minnesota Magicians (6-4-0-0) this weekend.
Friday, 10/1 @ Wilderness: L, 5-6
Jan Lasak opened the scoring early with his first goal of the season, but the Wilderness responded with three consecutive goals to go up 3-1 early in the second period. Grayden Daul brought the Jets to within one, but MIN recorded two straight goals to extend their lead. Janesville tied the game at five following three consecutive goals of their own from Jonah Aegerter, Cy LeClerc, and Brenden Doyle but surrendered the game-winner with two minutes left to fall 6-5.
Saturday, 10/2 @ Wilderness: L, 5-6
Again in game two of the series, the Jets scored first and went out to a 2-0 lead after Mack Keryluk and Jan Lasak scored in the opening period. Minnesota tied it at two after scoring twice in 54 seconds. The Jets got the last laugh in the first period when Brendan Doyle scored with just four seconds left to take a 3-2 lead. In the second period, the Wilderness came roaring back and jumped ahead with three straight goals to go up 5-3. Janesville responded in the third, backed by two goals, one with an empty net, from Jan Lasak to complete the hat trick and tie the game late. The Wilderness managed to take advantage of 4-on-4 play following offsetting penalties and scored the final goal with 30 seconds to win 6-5 in regulation.
Weekend Preview (10/8 & 10/9, 7:00 pm @ Minnesota Magicians)
The Jets will return to Minnesota for the second of three straight weekends for their first matchup of the 2021 season with the Minnesota Magicians. Janesville won the head-to-head battle in the shortened 2020-21 season against the Magicians, posting a 5-3-0-0 record and winning three of four on the road. Minnesota currently stands in second place in the Midwest Division and is coming off a weekend series split against the Springfield Jr. Blues that saw both teams exchange 4-0 shutout victories. Forward Samuel Jacobs (3-8-11), the Magicians leading scorer, also sits 10th overall in the NAHL in scoring and second among rookie skaters. Defenseman William Svenddal has also pitched in to help Minnesota’s offense, recording nine assists in 10 games to place him as the league’s second-highest-scoring defenseman.
Jets Head Coach Parker Burgess praised the division rivals and said it’d be a good matchup. “They’re a dynamic team; they’ve got some good veterans in that lineup, and they’re well-coached, so we’ll have two good teams going at it.” Coach Burgess knows that Minnesota will present a tough challenge, but his team will fare well if they play their own game. “If we focus on ourselves and the things we know we need to do, then that’s our best chance to get the results that we want.” Though the Jets have dropped their last three games, the offense has come to play, as they’ve deposited 14 goals in those three losses. Though it’s good to see the offense clicking, Assistant Coach Ryan Black has one goal in mind. “Win. The opportunities have been there, and we just haven’t finished them. This group is coming together well, and there’s a lot of positivity moving forward.” Last weekend, Jan Lasak’s hat trick propelled him to the top for leading scorers with the Jets (4-4-8), followed by rookie Cy LeClerc (5-2-7), who lands at 12th among all rookies in scoring.
The Jets will look to end their three-game skid on Friday night at Richfield Ice Arena with a 7 pm puck drop, followed by the weekend finale Saturday. Fans can tune in to the game on HockeyTV or follow live updates on the Jets official Twitter page.
100+ NCAA commitments since 2009.