Weekend Preview: Jets vs. Jr. Blues (G41 & G42)

The Jets dropped consecutive games to the Kenai River Brown Bears before a series against the Anchorage Wolverines at the end of January, a gut punch. However, the Jets bit down on their mouth guards, swung for the fences, and won both games against the Wolverines to end their final Alaskan trip on a high note heading into their last break. A week following that time off, the Jets left Chippewa with a 4-0 victory and with another shot of confidence in the arm.

The road to where Janesville is now has been a grueling one; in the first third of the season, the Jets went 6-13-1 and were just mere points above the last-place Brown Bears. Fast forward a few weeks, and the Jets pulled a complete 180 in the middle portion and went 14-6. The standings show the Jets in seventh place, but the Midwest Division has become as packed as Los Angeles traffic, and nobody is out of playoff contention yet.

To be back at home is certainly refreshing, but the Jets have a tall task ahead of them by having to open their homestand against the best team in the NAHL, the Jr. Blues. Janesville has yet to beat Springfield yet this year (0-4), who is also on a winning streak of their own at four games. Like the Jets, the Jr. Blues have lost only two games in their last ten and have run the table in the division for most of the season.

One thing that comes as a shock to most is that Springfield, who did not play a season last year, has managed to have the success they’re riding this year, despite the hiatus from the 2020-21 season. Of course, players and coaches continued to practice and keep their skillsets sharpened, but the absence of competing with other squads, most would think, would leave them at a disadvantage coming into the 2021-22 campaign.

The time away from their home rink, the Nelson Center, and all other rinks in the division, left little to no negative impact. Springfield has lost only ten games this year and has come away with points in almost 73% of their games.

There aren’t necessarily one or two specific standout players on the Springfield roster, but rather the collective effort from the team is what’s backstopped them to a historic year. Plenty of credit goes to goaltender Ethan Roberts for his stellar season, but the Jr. Blues, not unlike the Jets, have played like a well-oiled machine and always seem to play at the top of their game. For the Jets, peppering Roberts with shots will be crucial, and playing tight and disciplined in their own end will be just as vital.

Janesville struggled with penalties in Kenai River but has since kept their sticks in check and has managed to keep infractions to a minimum. Keeping that same structured play will be of the essence. In the opposite cage, Owen Millward has been as solid as concrete as of late. “Milly” has won nine of his last eleven games and has the third-most wins among all goaltenders in the league. Last Friday, he recorded his fourth shutout of the season (also third-most) against Chippewa.

Goal-scoring hasn’t been much of an issue for the Jets lately, as they’ve scored at least three goals in ten of their last eleven contests. Only one of those three-goal outings was a loss. Look for the roommates Cy LeClerc and Jan “Zigi” Lasak to continue to display their strong connection on the ice and contribute to the goal count. Against a solid goalie in Roberts and a high-scoring unit in Springfield’s offense, the goal scorers will need to show out this weekend.

On the back end, Top Prospect defensemen Cal Mell and Will Troutwine will again be heavy assets in the potential high-scoring affairs. Like they’ve done all year, Mell and Troutwine have been great puck-moving defensemen and have assisted in creating high-percentage chances. Their ability to read the zone and make quick passes will be a big help in making the most of offensive zone time.

AJ Casperson is never afraid to play the body, and while Springfield is a fast team, so are the Jets, and the physical game could derail the Jr. Blues’ game plan and assist in creating offense with defense.

Only two games are on the schedule within the division tonight, with the Anchorage Wolverines heading to Kenai River to take on the Brown Bears and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs hosting the Minnesota Magicians.