The Springfield Jr. Blues are currently playing their best stretch of hockey yet in the early start of the 2012-2013 North American Hockey League regular season.
Following last nights five-to-three win, team captain Mike Fazio and the Jr. Blues look to sweep the two game weekend homestand against division-rival Janesville Jets and make it the fifth win in their last six contests.
After starting out the season 2-7-2, with four wins in five games, the team has improved to 5-8-2 and is now 5-5-1 overall at home. With a win later tonight, it would make it the first time so far this season that first-year head coach Tony Zoaswki and his Jr. Blues were above the. 500 mark at home.
Last nights win ended Janesvilles' three game win streak and was a welcome back party for the Jets head coach Joe Dibble, as well as both Nick Townes and Ruslan Pedan. All three were with the Jr. Blues last season.
Springfield got two goals apiece from both forwards' Nate Chasteen and James McGing. It was the first multi-goal game for both of them this season. In a 3-3 tie game with under four minutes in regulation, Chasteen scored as it proved to be the game winner. With fourteen seconds left, and an empty net for Janesville, McGing then added in his second goal and sealed the deal for the dramatic 5-3 victory.
Jr. Blues starting goalie Matt Leon has won three straight starts between the pipes. He followed up his shut-out performance on the road in Kansas against Topeka last week with 35 saves on 38 shot attempts last night, and before his shut-out, he defeated Port Huron inside the Nelson Center as he gave up three goals on 41 shots.
Back up goalie Ryan Kellenberger, who started last weekend in the 1-0 loss at Topeka, made 39-of-40 saves and certainly performed well enough to not deserve a loss.
The second and final meeting between the two teams this weekend will have the puck dropping at 7:05 pm tonight inside the Nelson Center.
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