Jets begin quest for turnaround NAHL season with sweep of Ice Dogs

By Jim den Hollander  

Editor/Publisher  

Midwesthockey.info 

The Janesville Jets took its first two steps toward erasing some tough memories with some impressive wins on home ice against the visiting Fairbanks Ice Dogs in their season opening series at Janesville Ice Arena Friday and Saturday. 

Both the Jets and Ice Dogs are perennial front runners in the NAHL’s Midwest Division, but both failed to make the post season last year. The Jets finished eighth and last in the division with a 23-28-5-5 record for 55 points while the Ice Dogs were sixth with a 28-25-6-1 mark for 63 points.  

The Jets took the early steps with a 5-4 edge on Friday followed by a 5-2 margin on the league’s opening weekend. 

Once again, the three Alaska-based teams made the trip to the Midwest to open the season a weekend prior to the league’s traditional season opening Showcase event at the National Sports Center Super Rinks in Blaine, starting Wednesday. 

The Kenai River Brown Bears and Anchorage Wolverines both played single games, the Brown Bears getting past the Chipppewa Steel 6-1 and the Wolverines also starting out with a win, downing the Minnesota Wilderness 5-1. 

Janesville Jets 5-5 Fairbanks Ice Dogs 4-2 

On Friday night, the Jets carried a 1-0 lead out of the opening period but trailed 3-2 heading to the final 20. 

Hayden Zimmerman (‘03/Grand Rapid, MI) fired two third period goals including the game winner to lead the Jets to the comeback win. Other Jets’ goals came from Jackson Wagener (‘03/St. Louis, MO); Nick Sajevic (‘03/Shoreview, MN) and Haden Kruse (‘03/Nisswa, MN). Thomas Belzil (‘06/Trois Rivieres, QC) chipped in two assists and Pete Sterling (‘04/Manassa, VA) picked up the win in goal for the Jets. 

Ice Dogs goals came from David Clarke (‘03/Tecumseh, MI); Sam Berry (‘03/St. Louis Park, MN); Lance Mengel (‘04/Cleveland, OH) and Cole Burke (‘04/Trenton, MI). Tyler Krivtsov (03/Santa Clarita, CA) stopped 29 shots in goal for the Ice Dogs. 

The following night the Jets again scored the lone goal of the first period, both teams adding a pair  in the second with one more for the Jets in the final 20. 

Sajevic, Belzil, Nick Messina (‘04/Woodbridge, ON); Ryan Roethke (‘04/Buffalo, MN) and Ikki Kogewa (‘03/Chiba, Japan) scored the Jets’ goals while Matthew Alberti (‘04/Hamburg, NY) picked up the win with a 35-save effort in goal. 

Jake Smith (‘04/Medford, NJ) and Marc Lund (‘03/Edina, MN) scored for the Ice Dogs. 

Both teams will make their way to the Showcase in Blaine, MN Wednesday, the Jets opening the four games in four days event at 11:45 a.m. CDT against the Amarillo Wranglers while the Ice Dogs will be on the ice at 7:15 p.m. against the North Iowa Bulls. 

Kenai River Brown Bears 6 Chippewa Steel 1 

Despite a decided edge (44-25) in shots, the Steel came up well short in its season opener at Chippewa Area Ice Arena Saturday night.  

The Brown Bears carried a 1-0 cushion out of the opening period and owned a 3-1 margin by the start of the third.  

Dylan Contreras (‘03/Yorba Linda, CA) was in mid-season form opening the season with a hat trick for the Bears with other goals for Blake Norris (‘03/Warroad, MN); Nicholas Stevens (‘03/Little Falls, MN); Hayden Walters (‘03/Sartell, MN) while Conor Sullivan (‘03/Westborough, MA) protected the lead, kicking out 43 of 44 shots in goal. 

Joe Kelly (‘03/Eau Claire) fired the lone goal with a solo effort and Carter Wishart stopped 20 of 25 with the other an empty netter late in the contest.  

The Steel will look to break into the win column Wednesday, opening play at the Showcase at 5 p.m. CDT against the Maine Nordiques. Kenai River will play the Oklahoma Warriors in the tournament opener at 11 a.m. 

Anchorage Wolverines 5 @ Minnesota Wilderness 1 

The Wilderness also faced a solid goaltender in its opener, falling 5-1 despite a 32-23 edge on the shot clock at the St. Lukes Sports and Event Center in Proctor, MN

The Wolverines turned a 1-0 lead into a 3-0 cushion in the middle period then outscored the home side 2-1 down the stretch. 

Jozef Zilmec (‘04/Ruzemberok, Slovakia) stopped all but one of the 32 shots he faced, Oliver Stumpel (‘03/Torrance, CA) denying him the shutout with the lone goal for the Wilderness in the final period. 

A diverse United Nations group of scorers represented the Wolverines on the score sheet including Oliver Salo (‘03/Kaarina, Finland); Taisetsu Ushio (‘05/Hakkaido, Japan); Fedya Nikalayenia (‘03/Minsk, Belarus); Wilson Dahlhaeimer (‘03/Monticello, MN) and Cole Christian (‘04/Duluth, MN).

Loris Umberti (‘04/Martigny, Switzerland) stopped 18 shots in goal for the Wilderness. 

The Wolverines will move on to the Showcase, playing at 11:15 a.m. (CDT) against the Rochester Jr. Americans and the Wilderness will look to avenge its opening game defeat against the New Jersey Titans in the final game of the day at 8 p.m.