By Mason Lyttle
MINNESOTA MAGICIANS at JANESVILLE JETS — Janesville Ice Arena
Fri 11/3 | 7:00pm | Janesville, WI
LIVE STREAM: HockeyTV | TWITTER: @JanesvilleJets1
LAST WEEKEND: Shifting tides late in games is common this season for Janesville, and so far it has more often that not worked in their favor, but last Saturday the Jets were on the wrong end of a come-from-behind result, falling to their rivals, the Coulee Region Chill, 3-1.
TONIGHT: Hosting a red-hot Magicians team, the Jets need to start this weekend fast to stay on top in the Midwest Division. The Magicians have earned a point in nine of their last 10 games, amassing an 8-1-1-0 record in a span that includes a four-out-of-five effort in Alaska. Only Philadelphia and Janesville have also won eight of their last 10.
SEASON SERIES (Jets 2-0-0-0)
| Sept. 29 | MN Magicians | W 5-4 (SO) |
| Sept. 30 | MN Magicians | W 4-2 |
| Nov. 3 | MN Magicians | 7:00pm |
| Nov. 4 | MN Magicians | 7:00pm |
| Dec. 28 | MN Magicians | 7:00pm |
| Dec. 29 | MN Magicians | 7:00pm |
| Jan. 19 | @ MN Magicians | 7:15pm |
| Jan. 20 | @ MN Magicians | 7:05pm |
| Feb. 16 | @ MN Magicians | 7:15pm |
| Feb. 17 | @ MN Magicians | 7:05pm |
| Apr. 6 | @ MN Magicians | 7:15pm |
| Apr. 7 | @ MN Magicians | 7:05pm |
Midwest Division Standings:
| Place | Team | Record | Pts |
| 1 | Janesville Jets | 11-3-0-0 | 22 |
| 2 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 8-4-0-2 | 18 |
| 3 | Minnesota Magicians | 8-4-1-1 | 18 |
| 4 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 7-5-1-1 | 16 |
| 5 | Kenai River Brown Bears | 6-8-1-0 | 13 |
| 6 | Coulee Region Chill | 2-7-1-1 | 6 |
JETS BITS
- FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC: In 11 of the Jets’ 14 games played this season, a team has tied or taken a new lead after the 40:00 mark. Last Saturday’s loss in Coulee Region was the first of those games Janesville lost. Jets head coach Gary Shuchuk believes strongly in winning third periods, but has already joked to local media that he’s not against winning first and second periods, too.
- WELCOME TO THE ‘VILLE: Playing in his first NAHL game tonight is Verona’s Sam Renlund. The 2000-born forward signed his tender in February, and will play tonight alongside Matt Hanewall and fellow rookie Matthew Barbolini.
- HOME SWEET HOME: As the ground freezes and autumn nears winter, the Jets can count on some familiarity. Just one hotel stay separates the Jets from the holidays. For five of the next six weekends, players get to sleep in their own beds, and for 12 of the next 15 games, they’ll energize the loud crowd at the Janesville Ice Arena. No better way to pad a four-point division lead than a nice holiday home stretch.
MILESTONE ALERT
- Jakov Novak is 8 points away from 50 in his NAHL career
- Kip Hoffmann is 16 points away from 100 in his NAHL career
- John Pesek is 6 games away from 75 in his junior hockey career (USHL, NAHL)
- Carter Ekberg is 7 games away from 75 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 | 154 |
| 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-7 | Kip Hoffmann | F | 34 |
| 9 | Jordan Bancroft | 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 | 84 |
| 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 |
MINNESOTA MAGICIANS
OVERVIEW:
Record: 8-4-1-1 (3rd, Midwest)
Road Record: 4-2-0-1
Goals For/Goals Against: 48GF/44GA
Power Play: 26.0% (4th in the NAHL)
Penalty Kill: 82.0% (9th in the NAHL)
Top Scorers: John Keranen (14GP—6G-8A—14PTS), Matt Denman (14GP—1G-13A—14PTS); Brendan Skarda (14GP—4G-8A—12PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Ethan DeStefani: The Merrimack commit scored in each Friday’s and Saturday’s win in Kenai River, on top of a two-goal effort the previous Saturday in Fairbanks.
John Keranen: The Magicians’ overtime hero from Friday’s win hails from Delano, a sleepy town on the western fringe of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Keranen captained his Delano High team last year and is averaging a point per game in his first full season of NAHL play.
WHO’S ON D:
Matt Denman: The Magicians’ power play runs through Denman, who first joined the Magicians after his 2015-16 high school season at Prior Lake. Eight of Denman’s 13 assists this season have come on the man advantage.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Isaiah Saville: The young goaltender won the T1EHL Championship last season with the U16 Colorado Thunderbirds and is committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha. While George McBey currently boasts a better save percentage (.931 versus Saville’s .904), the Magicians have tapped Saville for nine starts versus McBey’s five. Expect to see both goaltenders this weekend, and probably Saville tonight.
JANESVILLE JETS
OVERVIEW:
Record: 11-3-0-0 (1st, Midwest)
Road Record: 3-0-0-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 32GF/23GA
Power Play: 22.2% (10th in the NAHL)
Penalty Kill: 74.2% (17th in the NAHL)
Top Scorers: Kip Hoffmann (14GP—4G-11A—15PTS); Jakov Novak (12GP—6G-8A—14PTS); Erik Palmqvist (14GP—5G-5A—10PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
TJ Polglaze: Beloit’s own became the Jets’ 80th commitment in program history this week when he announced his intent to play at Michigan Tech. The grinding winger will skate tonight on Hoffmann’s right wing, and will look to torment the Magicians’ breakout.
Jordan Steinmetz: Another Wisconsin native, Steinmetz is rounding out his game and becoming a consistent presence in Janesville’s forward group. Tonight the Chippewa Falls native skates with Nathan Solis and Benji Eckerle on the fourth line.
WHO’S ON D:
John Pesek: The newcomer has fit like a glove into the Jets’ breakout and d-zone schemes, and has been rewarded with two goals in his last two games, with Saturday’s coming on his 19th birthday.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Daniel Lebedeff: The Finnish goaltender has won his last three starts and gets the tap again tonight.
MINNESOTA MAGICIANS at JANESVILLE JETS — Janesville Ice Arena
Fri 11/3 | 7:00pm | Janesville, WI
LIVE STREAM: HockeyTV | TWITTER: @JanesvilleJets1