Before their short hiatus, the Jets (3-6-0-1) had two consecutive trips to the North Star State against the Wilderness (6-3-1-0) and Magicians. Janesville opened the month of October in Cloquet and were swept by the Wilderness that saw the new division foe win both contests by a goal, two 6-5 losses. Though the following weekend’s series against the Magicians started with a 5-3 loss, the Jets found their footing in the Saturday matchup and left Richfield with a dominant 6-3 win and series split. “It was huge for our group,” said head coach Parker Burgess after the Saturday victory. “Against a strong Magicians team in their house, to get a win like that and add some confidence to the team, it was a weight lifted off our shoulders.”
This weekend’s series in Cloquet will be the Jets’ final trip to Minnesota until March 6, when they take on the NAHL’s newest team addition, the St. Cloud Norsemen. Last Friday, the Wilderness played a home-and-home with their friends to the south that started with an overtime victory over the Magicians. The Wilderness’ success from the night before did not translate to Saturday’s game, as they were blown out 7-3 at home ice to settle for a weekend split.
Two Wilderness defensemen sit near the top in league-leading categories; Bobby Metz (2-7-9) ranks 5th league overall in top-scoring defensemen, and Cole Crusberg-Roseen (5-3-8) follows close behind to rank 7th in the league. Crusberg-Roseen has five goals to his name, suitable for second-best among defensemen in the league. Forward Gunnar Thoreson will look to continue his nearly month-long point streak, one that started on September 18 and has seen the young winger score five goals and record seven assists.
The Jets have some high names of their own, two of them being skaters in their first years in the NAHL; rookies Cy LeClerc (7-3-10) and William Gustavsson (3-7-10) crack the league’s Top 20 in rookie scorers, with LeClerc at 11th and Gustavsson at 16th. Will Troutwine also finds himself on a league-leading list; his eight points (2G-6A) put him at ninth among defensemen in scoring this year. Like the Wilderness, the Jets have a skater that is working to keep a streak rolling. Jan Lasak has goals in four consecutive games and has recorded nine points (6G-3A) during that stretch. Lasak currently stands as the Jets leading scorer.
The Jets will attempt to start up a winning streak for the first time during the regular season on Friday night at Northwoods Credit Union Arena with a 7:15 pm puck drop, followed by the weekend finale Saturday. Fans who want to catch the action can tune in on HockeyTV or follow live updates on the Jets official Twitter page.
JANESVILLE JETS
Record: 3-6-0-1 (7th, Midwest)
Road Record: 2-4-0-0
Goals For/Game: 3.40 (11th)
Goals Against/Game: 4.20 (26th)
Shots For/Game: 27.70 (22nd)
Shots Against/Game: 28.20 (11th)
Power Play: 16.1% (19th)
Penalty Kill: 63.9% (29th)
Top Scorers: F Jan Lasak (9GP—6G-6A—12PTS); F Cy LeClerc (10GP—7G-3A—10PTS); F William Gustavsson (10GP—3G-7A—10PTS)
Goaltenders: Owen Millward (3-0-0-0; 4.01 GAA; .848 SV%); Michael D’Orazio (0-4-0-1; 3.94 GAA; .870 SV%)
Rostered Commitments: F Keaton Peters (Northern Michigan); F Robby Newton (Wisconsin); F Grayden Daul (Wisconsin); F Jonah Aegerter (St. Cloud State)
MINNESOTA WILDERNESS
Record: 6-3-1-0 (6th, Midwest)
Home Record: 5-2-0-0
Goals For/Game: 4.10 (2nd)
Goals Against/Game: 4.20 (27th)
Shots For/Game: 30.80 (13th)
Shots Against/Game: 30.90 (17th)
Power Play: 19% (16th)
Penalty Kill: 66.7% (28th)
Top Scorers: F Ethan Wolthers (10GP—4G-9A—13PTS); F Gunnar Thoreson (10GP—5G-7A—12PTS); F Matthew McQuade (10GP—4G-7A—11PTS)
Goaltenders: Jacob Zacharewicz (5-2-1-0; 4.16 GAA; .863 SV%); Sam Livecchi (1-1-0-0; 3.53 GAA; .883 SV%)
Rostered Commitments: D Cole Crusberg-Roseen (University of Massachusetts); F Ethan Wolthers (Western Michigan University); G Jacob Zacharewicz (Brown University)
