JANESVILLE, WI — The Jets’ first Alaska trip of the season wraps up this weekend in Fairbanks, as Janesville battles the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Big Dipper Ice Arena.
Last weekend in Soldotna, the Jets rebounded from a poor start to their three-game weekend, and came together with a full team victory on Sunday. Defenseman Grant Hindman, who just last month announced his Division I commitment to Lake Superior State, came out of Sunday’s 6-3 win with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick — a goal, an assist, and a fight all in the same match. Max Klanow had a shorthanded goal and an assist, and fellow rookies Isaac Novak (two goals) and Jake Dunlap (two assists) also registered multi-point games. Goaltender Grant Riley finished with 34 saves on 37 shots.
Needless to say, it was the kind of total effort that the Jets’ coaching staff is expecting to deliver much more often as this young team continues developing.
The Ice Dogs, who are no stranger to the classic in-season development arc, have eliminated the Jets in consecutive postseasons. The Jets’ last playoff series victory over Fairbanks in the 2016-17 Midwest Division Finals is getting smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror.
Collecting points early in the season is important, but each team knows that with 10 total contests between these clubs, all held before the Christmas break, there’s a lot of bragging rights on the table, too.
The premier rivalry of the Midwest Division begins again tonight.
Fri Oct 18 | 10:30pm CT
Sat Oct 19 | 10:30pm CT
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JANESVILLE JETS
Record: 4-7-0-0 (5th, Midwest)
Road Record: 1-3-0-0
Last Ten Games: 4-6-0-0
Goals For/Game: 2.64 (14th)
Goals Against/Game: 3.45 (19th)
Shots For/Game: 29.91 (14th)
Shots Against/Game: 30.27 (14th)
Power Play: 18.8% (12th)
Penalty Kill: 76.3% (15th)
Top Scorers: F Nick Nardella (11GP—3G-4A—7TS); D Grant Hindman (9GP—1G-6A—7TS); F Jan Lasak (7GP—3G-3A—6TS)
Goaltenders: Grant Riley (3-4-0-0; 3.16 GAA; .903 SV%); Cristian Wong-Ramos (1-3-0-0; 3.25 GAA; .875 SV%)
Rostered Commitments: F Jake Dunlap (UMass Amherst); D Grant Hindman (Lake Superior State); F Max Itagaki (RPI); F Parker Lindauer (Northern Michigan); F Nick Nardella (Michigan Tech); F Isaac Novak (Wisconsin); D Casey Roepke (Wisconsin); F Charlie Schoen (Arizona State)
FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS
Record: 6-3-0-1 (3rd, Midwest)
Home Record: 1-0-0-1
Last Ten Games: 6-3-0-1
Goals For/Game: 2.60 (15th)
Goals Against/Game: 1.80 (5th)
Shots For/Game: 32.50 (6th)
Shots Against/Game: 23.80 (3rd)
Power Play: 10.0% (23rd)
Penalty Kill: 92.3% (4th)
Top Scorers: F Jack Johnston (10GP—6G-6A—12PTS); F Oliver Kjaer (10GP—3G-4A—7PTS); Multiple Players (6PTS)
Goaltenders: Austin Ryman (3-0-0-0; 0.67 GAA; .962 SV%); Mattias Sholl (3-3-0-1; 2.14 GAA; .919 SV%)
Rostered Commitments: D Dylan Abbott (Minnesota State); F Parker Brown (Air Force); F Luke Ciolli (Army); D Lucas Erickson (St. Lawrence); D Jasper Lester (Air Force)
100+ NCAA commitments since 2009.