Better Late Than Never
November 13, 2010 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Springfield Jr. Blues News Release
Home cookin'! That isn't always a positive connotation in sports, but the Jr. Blues enjoyed good food at home all week and got plenty of rest. That along with Coach Maher returning to the team made for a splendid recipe last night as the good guys came out on top with a 7 - 2 win against (up to now) nemesis, Chicago Hitmen. It was never close as the Jr. Blues dominated nearly every aspect of the game.
Tonight another Division rival, Traverse City comes to town for a two game set. Tonight is also a special night as the Jr. Blues host their second annual Veteran's Appreciation Night. A fifty foot flag will be over the ice, held by armed forces personnel, and several new inductees into U.S. Forces will be sworn in. It has the makings of a super night for the fans, as well as a grand "Thank You" to all who serve, have served, or will soon be serving to protect our great Nation and the freedoms we all hold so dear.
The Springfield Jr. Blues come into tonight's game in second place in the North Division of the NAHL, while Traverse City has dropped to sixth. Only four teams will make the playoffs from each division, but the North is the largest with eight teams. Ethan Nauman from Mosinee, Wisconsin is still in second place, all by himself, in league scoring. Jack Callahan and Mike Fallon are tied at sixth in league scoring, but Smilin' Jack is the top scoring defenseman in the league.
Traverse City comes in to tonight's game as last year's North Division Champion, but they have struggled more this year, even though percentage wise they have a better record than the Blues. The Northstar's record is 9 - 6 - 1, but the standings are determined by giving two points for a win and one point for an overtime loss. With the Blues 12 - 13 - 1 record we see that we have a total of 25 points to Traverse City's 19. Hockey is a funny game, isn't it? It's still a "Good ol' Hockey game". Sounds like a good line to a songLet's go Blues!
Period one saw Traverse City score at the 5:25 mark to take a 1 - 0 lead. The Jr. Blues are having difficulty with the Northstars sticky defense and their fore checking. Let's hope they can figure it out during the first intermission. The first period looks a lot like the third game in T.C. Their coach said he was having to play his youngsters tonight as it was possible that two or three of their players were back home in Michigan, possibly suffering from mononucleosis.
Period two on the way, and I'm guessing attendance tonight at 850 to 900. Let's go Blues! And away we go! The good guys came out and tied the game at :32 seconds into the second. They played with more energy throughout the second and the defense was much stronger and tougher. The Blues kept their opponents from Michigan at bay until the last minute of the period when Ethan Scherer scored on a sweet rebound shot in front of the net. Ethan Nauman assisted Scherer on the play for his second point of the game. That assist gives Nauman 33 points in the league scoring race. Let's hope the good guys can keep the momentum rolling into the third and take this game home to the win column. Period three on the way.
And on a positive note, I was way off on my attendance guess. I wasn't even close as tonight's crowd numbers 1468. Definitely the biggest crowd of the year! Thanks to all attendees and especially a great big thank you to our armed forces personnel who keep our country free around the world. All of them are appreciated more than words can tell.
Period three was a defensive struggle throughout the most of the twenty minutes. I could almost smell overtime when Mike Fallon took a sweet pass from Chris Sitler to put the game out of reach at 18:29 of the third. That made the score 3 - 1, and the Blues never looked back. Traverse City pulled their goalie and came after the good guys, but when the final horn sounded they were still battling for the puck behind the net. It was a good win for the Jr. Blues who finally got the record back to .500 with the win and now have a 13 - 13 - 1 record for the season. This team never, ever gives up. They fight to the final horn with all they have and leave everything on the ice. Ya gotta love `em!
The same two teams meet Saturday night, same time and same place. I'll bring you the game on the FASTHockey network if you can't make it, be sure to tune in. If you can make it to the Nelson Center, come on out and watch these guys! The Jr. Blues, they're the Coolest Game In Town!
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North American Hockey League Stories from November 13, 2010
- Bobcats Win Streak Ends at Five - Bismarck Bobcats
- Tornado thump IceRays 7-0 to move win streak to 14 straight games - Texas Tornado
- Stars score shootout win at Springfield - Traverse City North Stars
- Corpus Christi Blanked By The Tornado, 7-0 - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Fighting Falcons Fall To Czech National Team, 7-3 - Port Huron Fighting Falcons
- Better Late Than Never - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Wild Wins Opening Game Of Road Trip - Wenatchee Wild
- Special Teams Carry Bobcats Past Wings 4-2 - Bismarck Bobcats
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