By Mason Lyttle
LAST WEEK…
Friday, November 18: Janesville Jets 5, Fairbanks Ice Dogs 2
Shots: Jets 23, Ice Dogs 34
PP: Jets 2-4, Ice Dogs 1-7
The Janesville Jets (15-4-0-1) struck for two power play goals and leaned on strong goaltending from Jake Barczewski to dispose of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs (7-10-2-1) Friday night, 5-2.
Fairbanks, coming into the game with a six-game losing streak, got on the board first on a bomb from Cullen McCabe (3:10 1st), who blasted a faceoff win from teammate Cayden Cahill over goaltender Jake Barczewski’s shoulder. Peter Bates (7:51 1st) continued his hot streak on a nice move to beat Fairbanks goalie Conor O’Brien. Forward Kip Hoffmann (11:34 1st) scored his seventh of the season when Cullen Munson poked a puck to him on the forecheck, making it 2-1 for Janesville. With Keegan Miller serving a cross checking minor, Fairbanks’ Ryan Kero (14:22 1st) tied the game with a wrister that beat Barczewski short side.
It was again Peter Bates (9:26 2nd) who put Janesville ahead in the second period, this time for good, with a goal from in tight on a pass from Keegan Miller. Six minutes later, Michael Maloney (15:32 2nd) scored his 10th power play goal of the season, and his seventh in his last 10 games, off a fantastic spinaround feed from Chris Dodero. The Ice Dogs’ coaches decided at intermission it was time for a goaltending change, ending O’Brien’s night with 17 saves on 21 shots. CJ Boothe replaced O’Brien at the start of the third period.
In the final frame, the Jets’ power play struck again, this time on a long distance wrister from Cole Paskus (15:51 3rd). The game ended with a small unfolding of the rivalry between the two Midwest powerhouses, as Fairbanks’ Erkka Vanska received 14 of the 18 penalty minutes assessed at the horn.
CJ Boothe (3-4-0-1) played the final 20 minutes for the Ice Dogs, allowing one goal on two shots, but it was Conor O’Brien (0-3-0-0), allowing four goals on 21 shots, who received the loss. Jake Barczewski (7-1-0-1) stopped 32 of 34 shots in the winning net. Bates was the game’s first star with two goals, followed by Barczewski and Adrian Holesinsky, who registered two assists.
Saturday, November 19: Janesville Jets 5, Fairbanks Ice Dogs 2
Shots: Jets 30, Ice Dogs 20
PP: Jets 1-5, Ice Dogs 2-3
The Janesville Jets (16-4-0-1) found themselves tied after 40 minutes, but struck when it counted most with three third period goals to sweep the defending champion Fairbanks Ice Dogs (7-11-2-1).
The Jets would get Saturday’s first goal, when Michael Maloney (8:24 1st) put home a pass from captain Adam Roeder, who carried the puck in deep on the rush. Fairbanks called on their successful man advantage unit to tie the game, when Dean Hewines (12:32 1st) buried a cross-crease pass.
Midway through the second period, rookie defenseman Colin Felix was assessed a five-minute major and an ejection for head contact, sending the Ice Dogs to a five minute power play. Cayden Cahill (9:42 2nd) struck on the man advantage, giving Fairbanks a 2-1 lead which they held for less than nine minutes. Blake Wareham (18:28 2nd) trailed an entry and buried a pass from Peter Bates to knot the game at two goals.
On the power play early in the third, Adrian Holesinsky found Cullen Munson (4:48 3rd) on a back door play for the eventual game winner. Later, Peter Bates (12:09 3rd) picked off a pass in the neutral zone and slipped the puck five hole on the breakaway. Cole Paskus (17:59 3rd) added an empty netter to seal the Jets’ seventh consecutive win.
Conor O’Brien (0-4-0-0) made 25 saves on 29 shots in the losing effort, while Jake Barczewski (8-1-0-1) stopped 18 of 20 for his sixth straight win. With a goal and two assists, Munson was awarded the game’s first star. Peter Bates was the second star with the same stat line, and Cayden Cahill was the game’s third star.
Midwest Division Recap
The Minnesota Magicians pulled four points from three consecutive games this weekend, beating the Minnesota Wilderness 3-2 on Thursday night and adding a shootout victory over the Austin Bruins on Saturday night, despite dropping Friday night’s contest to Austin. The Coulee Region Chill mustered just one point in a home sweep at the hands of the Wilderness, and the Springfield Jr. Blues swept the Kenai River Brown Bears in Soldotna with a pair of 3-2 wins.
Midwest Division Standings:
| Place | Team | Record | Pts |
| 1 | Janesville Jets | 16-4-0-1 | 33 |
| 2 | MN Magicians | 14-7-2-0 | 30 |
| 3 | Coulee Region Chill | 11-6-2-0 | 24 |
| 4 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 10-11-0-1 | 21 |
| 5 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 7-11-2-1 | 17 |
| 6 | Kenai River Brown Bears | 1-16-2-0 | 4 |
THIS WEEK…
Wednesday, November 23, 2016 vs. Austin Bruins – 7:00 p.m. CST
Friday, November 25, 2016 vs. Austin Bruins – 7:00 p.m. CST
Saturday, November 26, 2016 @ Coulee Region Chill – 7:00 p.m. CST
The Jets return home with their win streak intact at seven, and will host the Austin Bruins over the Thanksgiving holiday before bussing to La Crosse for a Saturday match with the Coulee Region Chill. The Bruins will bring a six-game point streak to Janesville despite winning just three of those contests. Offensively, they are led by Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, native Travis Kothenbeutel, whose 17 points have him clicking at just under a point-per-game pace. Goaltender Jake Kucharski, a ’99 from Erie, Pennsylvania, carries a 4-4-2-1 record into the week with a 3.08 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. The Bruins’ power play ranks 17th in the NAHL at 17.1%, and their penalty kill is tied for 23rd at 73.7%. All three games will be broadcast live with a Jets call on www.hockeytv.com, and covered by the Jets’ Twitter account (@JanesvilleJets1).
PROMOTIONS & EVENTS…
Wednesday is the Jets’ “Ice Out Hunger” Night, sponsored by Seneca Foods. Fans are encouraged to bring canned goods or other nonperishable food items to discount their walkup tickets and benefit ECHO and the Salvation Army in a time of great need for food. The Jets will also donate $1 for every person in attendance to Bags of Hope.
After Thanksgiving, the Jets will host a Black Friday Bonanza, with 99-cent beers and discounted $6 adult walkup tickets. Everyone in attendance on Friday will receive a ticket to win a 50” 4K flat screen television from Home & Pro Electronics, with hundreds of dollars in gift cards also to be won.
JETS BITS…
Peter Bates’ five-point weekend earned him the Bauer Midwest Division Star of the Week Award…the Jets’ Alaska sweep is their second in as many seasons, with a set of four wins coming in the team’s first trip in November of 2015…Cullen Munson’s goal on Saturday extended a Jets team streak of 12 games with a power play goal, dating back to an October 6th 2-1 shootout loss against the Magicians, a game in which the Jets didn’t even have a single extra man opportunity…Michael Maloney’s efforts place him in a four-way tie for 3rd place in league scoring…Maloney’s 43.8 shooting percentage is 1st in the NAHL…Jake Barczewski has allowed two or fewer goals in seven straight appearances…