Weekend Preview: Jets vs. Wolverines (G28, G29, & G30)

Dec 30, 2021

By Calvin Bush (@calvin_bush24) | Dec 30, 2021 | 3:45 pm

JANESVILLE, WI — Coming out of a week off to celebrate the holidays, get some nifty gifts, and spend time with family, the Jets will open a stretch of six games in ten days from Janesville, starting with a three-game series against the Anchorage Wolverines to kick off the second half of the season.

The Jets will carry on with their three straight home series against the Alaskan trio of teams and hope to end their four-game losing streak that started on the road against Springfield in the opening week of December. Janesville’s first series against the newcomers in Anchorage went in favor of the Wolverines; a pair of wins with a total of 13 goals scored by Anchorage, plus an all-out melee on the ice in the third period of the October 29 game, started the new division rivalry between the two on Halloween weekend.

Still without their second-highest scorer in Jan Lasak, who was in Alberta, Canada representing Team Slovakia in the recently-canceled World Junior Championship tournament, the Jets will get William Gustavsson back in the lineup, who sits third on the Jets’ roster in scoring.

The four consecutive losses may be unappealing on paper, but it should be noted that they have come at the hands of the Midwest Division’s top two teams in the Springfield Jr. Blues and Fairbanks Ice Dogs. For the Jets, the schedule does not get easier. The Wolverines come in at third in the division and have a top-five offense when it comes to goal-scoring.

The weekend matchup will see a battle between two high-scoring rookies, with Jets’ forward Cy LeClerc and recently-committed Wolverines’ forward Talon Sigurdson duking it out atop the top five in rookie scoring. LeClerc’s 34 points land him at third among all rookies, while Sigurdson’s 33 points put him just behind in fourth, though his 23 goals in 29 games are the most in this year’s rookie class.

A three-game series win over the Wilderness from Anchorage propels them into another set of games this weekend. The newest team in the NAHL is 5-4-1-0 in their last ten games and will have one more series in the lower-48 before returning to Alaska for two weeks.

Talon Sigurdson, who has become one of the more well-known names in the league, could not find the scoresheet in two of the three games against the Wilderness in their previous series. A rare occurrence, seeing that the Arizona State commit has recorded three hat tricks and seven multi-point games this year. Cameron Morris adds to the lethal duo thanks to his 28 points this year. The two top scorers for the Wolverines have had a hand in almost all their scoring plays this year, and their great chemistry will undoubtedly be on display this weekend.

The Jets will hold their first Free Kids Night of the season on Friday, where all kids 14 and under receive free entry to the game on New Year’s Eve. So if you’re looking to ring in the New Year with some family fun, we’ve got you covered! As usual, all games will start at 7 pm, with doors open at 6 pm. Tickets can be purchased on our Facebook page, at any Lions Quick Mart around town, or the door of the arena.

If you’re looking to follow along with the action, you can watch on HockeyTV or follow live updates from our TwitterFacebook, or Instagram platforms.

#WheelsUp✈️


JANESVILLE JETS

Record: 10-16-0-1 (7th, Midwest)
Home Record: 6-5-0-1
Goals For/Game: 
3.37 (12th)
Goals Against/Game:
4.11 (26th)
Shots For/Game: 30.26 (18th)
Shots Against/Game:
29.04 (11th)
Power Play: 
18.9% (14th) 
Penalty Kill: 
67.8%% (29th)
Top Scorers: 
F Cy LeClerc (27GP—18G-16A—34PTS); F Jan Lasak (24GP—13G-10A—23PTS); F William Gustavsson (23GP—11G-10A—21PTS)
Goaltenders: 
Owen Millward (9-6-0-0; 3.53 GAA; .878 SV%); Michael D’Orazio (1-7-0-1; 4.09 GAA; .862 SV%); Ryan Whittaker (0-1-0-0;  6.00 GAA; .778 SV%)
Rostered Commitments: F Robby Newton (University of Wisconsin); F Grayden Daul (University of Wisconsin); F Jonah Aegerter (St. Cloud State); F Cy LeClerc (University of New Hampshire); F Jan Lasak (St. Lawrence University); F Jake Sacratini (American International College); F Ethan Begg (University of Vermont); F Jack Ford (Army-West Point); D AJ Casperson (Long Island University)


ANCHORAGE WOLVERINES

Record: 17-10-2-0 (3rd, Midwest)
Road Record: 9-7-0-0
Goals For/Game: 3.69 (5th)
Goals Against/Game:
2.86 (9th)
Shots For/Game: 31.14 (12th)
Shots Against/Game:
28.59 (9th)
Power Play: 
23.4% (7th)
Penalty Kill: 
85% (8th)
Top Scorers: 
F Talon Sigurdson (29GP—23G-10A—33PTS); F Cameron Morris (29GP—5G-23A—28PTS); F Aiden Westin (23GP—9G-11A—20PTS) 
Goaltenders:
Raythan Robbins (11-2-2-0; 2.19 GAA; .926 SV%); Shane Soderwall (6-8-0-0; 3.42 GAA; .874 SV%)
Rostered Commitments:
F Alexander Babich (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute); D Cambell Cichosz (Minnesota State University – Mankato); F Skylar Gutierrez (University of Alaska-Anchorage); F Talon Sigurdson (Arizona State University)


100+ NCAA commitments since 2009.