Jets and Minotauros stay alive

By Jim den Hollander

Publisher/Editor

Midwesthockey.info

A pair of Midwest-based NAHL teams battled back to deny opponents an early celebration on Friday (May 29).

After dropping a pair on home ice, the previous weekend, the Janesville Jets got off the mat and delivered a huge 6-1 win against the Kenai River Brown Bears at the National Sports Center Super Rinks, Blaine, Minn.

Meanwhile, building off a double overtime win the previous night, the Minot Minotauros fought off the powerful Aberdeen Wings with a 4-2 win again Friday, pushing the series to the five-game limit.

Janesville Jets 6 @ Kenai River Brown Bears 1

The Brown Bears continued to have its sights on a series sweep and opened the scoring in this one, Theo Thrun (‘01/Grand Rapids, Mich.) hitting the mesh near the halfway mark of the opening period, the only shot of 14 to get by Owen Millward (‘03/Davis, Calif.) on this night.

The Jets struck back with two in the final 2:25 of the opening segment, including the game winner fired Matthew Romer (‘02/Algonquin, Ill.) eight seconds from the first period buzzer.

Jets added two more in both the second and third periods to pull away and stave off elimination. Tommy Middleton (‘00/Midland, Mich.) fired a hat trick and Nick Leyer (‘00/St. Albert, Alta.) added the other pair.

The Jets will stay in Blaine for a Saturday night game, looking to push the series back to Janesville for a fifth and deciding game on Monday.

Aberdeen Wings 2 @ Minot Minotauros 4

The Tauros collected a second win on home ice, The Maysa Arena in Minot, not only staying alive but pushing visiting Wings to within a game of an early finish to its dream season.

Teams played through a scoreless first period, Liam Fraser (‘00/Calgary, Alta.) getting the Wings on the board 5:05 into the middle period and the visitors carried that 1-0 cushion into the final period.

The Minotauros responded with four straight third period goals, the first three from Blaine Warnert (‘00/Chaska, Minn.) who fired a natural hat trick with three goals in nine minutes, starting in the period’s ninth minute.

Brett Roloson (‘00/Newport Beach, Calif.) wrapped it up with an empty netter 1:08 from the final buzzer and Kevin McCay (‘01/Franklin, Mass.) pulled one back for the Wings with 40 seconds to go.

The fifth and deciding game in this series is scheduled to be played back in Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon.

Other non-Midwest series action on Friday night saw the New Jersey Titans collecting a 3-0 win at home against Maine Nordiques, sending the series back to Maine for a fifth and deciding game while the Shreveport Mudbugs grabbed its third straight one-goal edge, 3-2 to eliminate the Amarillo Bulls in their South Division semi-final.

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