Borne Cup Finals Start This Week
Published on April 11, 2005 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) As this North American Hockey League season progressed, two teams pulled away from the rest of the West Division during the second half of the campaign. Its only fitting that these same two teams will now get one more chance to settle their seemingly endless game of leap-frog, with the added bonus of a trip to the National Tournament on the line.
The top seed Fargo-Moorhead Jets face the second seed, Billings Bulls in the Best-of-Seven NAHL West Division Finals, beginning April 14. At stake is the Borne Cup â a holdover trophy from the former America West Hockey League â but more importantly, a berth in the USA Hockey Junior A Tier II National Tournament starting April 26 in Bismarck, ND.
It will also be a chance to settle what developed into an evenly matched rivalry during the course of the regular season. Once the second half of the season started, the Jets and Bulls separated themselves from the rest of the West, and would race other to the finish line for the regular season crown. As every weekend came around, the teams would swap positions like two race cars down the home stretch.
The Jets eventually won the division, and the home-ice advantage that came with it in the playoffs, by taking two dramatic games in Billings in late March. A 2-1 win in Billings on Mar. 16 put the Jets in the drivers' seat in the division. That was followed by a come-from-behind 5-3 victory on Mar. 20 on the Bulls home ice to clinch the division.
Previous Meetings
For the season, the teams split their six matchups, 3-3. Two games in North Dakota, and four in Montana were divided evenly between the teams.
The teams haven't met at the John E. Carlson Coliseum, since a 4-1 Billings triumph on Dec. 19. Each of the last four encounters have been in Billings' Metra Park Arena.
Jets' captain Dain Prewitt (Westminster, CO) had 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) versus the Bulls this season. Assistant captain Tom Dickhudt (Woodbury, MN) had 6 assists, while Chris Myhro (Eden Prairie, MN) scored 3 goals to pace the Jets in the series.
For Billings, fans simply need to know one name...Brian Kaufman. The West Division's leading scorer, Kaufman was a thorn in the Jets side all season with 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in the series. This includes netting a hat trick in the 4-1 Billings win on Dec. 19.
Goaltending
In goal, the Jets can always rely on Andy Stricker (St. George, UT) and he had come through against Billings all season. In five games, Stricker was 3-1-0 (came in relief for one game), with a 1.65 GAA and .943% save percentage.
Billings counters with Jon Anderson who started all six meetings, going 3-3-0 with a 2.96 GAA and .910% save percentage.
Special Teams
This is definitely an edge for the Jets, who connected on 19.2% (5/26) of their power play chances in the season series. Meanwhile, Billings' power play was only good .08% (3/38) of the time.
First Round Results
Both the Jets and Bulls reached the Division Finals, by sweeping their Best-of-Five first round series. Fargo-Moorhead swept the Minnesota Blizzard, wrapping that series up on Apr. 6. It was the first playoff series win in Jets' history, and the first for a Fargo-Moorhead Junior A hockey team since at least the 1970s.
While the Jets swept Minnesota, two of the games were decided by one goal.
Billings also raced through its first-round series, taking the Helena Bighorns out in three-straight games, ending that series on Apr. 3. Similar to the Jets series, the Bulls may have swept, but it wasn't easy. Billings won two games in overtime.
Bulls Have History
This is uncharted territory for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. Heck, its hard to find people who remember the last time when there was ice inside the Carlson Coliseum this late into April. However, while this is a new experience for the Jets, and their fans, its old hat for the Billings Bulls, who have been a dominating junior hockey force since their inception in 1992-1993.
This is the Bulls' third consecutive trip to the Borne Cup Finals, losing each of the past two seasons to the Bismarck Bobcats. Last season, the Bulls were shutout twice and fell 3-1 in a Best-of-Five to Bismarck. A year earlier, Bismarck upended Billings 4-2 in a Best-of-Seven finals series.
Though Billings has had recent failure, a trip to the finals has usually ended in success for the team. The Bulls won the Borne Cup (and America West Hockey League championship) in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Saturday April 2 Jets 2 Minnesota Blizzard 1 Game Two NAHL West Semi-Final
Alexandria (MN) For the first time in nearly three decades, Fargo-Moorhead Junior A hockey fans can soak in the excitement of a playoff series victory.
The FM Jets completed a 3-0, Best-of-Five, first round sweep of the Minnesota Blizzard on April 6 with a 3-2 victory at the Runestone Community Center in North American Hockey League playoff action.
While Jets can now focus on the next round, the Minnesota Blizzard did their best to prolong the series the best they could. Playing their first-ever home playoff game, the Blizzard scored first at 10:44 of the opening period. Bobby Kuehl's shot from the left goaline somehow found the back of the net to put Minnesota on the board.
However, the Jets came back later in the period when Joe Schuster (Grand Rapids, MN) slammed home a rebound off Paul Solberg's (Maple Grove, MN) shot to tie the game at 17:39 of the first.
FM then took a brief lead early in the second period. Robert Carr (Roseau, MN) knocked the puck free during a scrum at the Jets' left point. Matt Grasseschi (Great Falls, MT) picked the loose puck and started a two-on-one breakout with Lance Malark (White Bear Lake, MN). As Grasseschi reached the right circle he passed the puck, but the biscuit popped off the ice knee-level on Malark. Nevertheless, Malark timed his "baseball-like" swing perfectly and batted the puck into the goal.
Still, the Blizzard weren't about to go down on that goal and Karl Larsen tied the game a few moments later when his shot from the top of the slot deflected into the goal.
The game would remain tied until 7:35 into the third period when the Jets took the lead for good. Dain Prewitt (Westminster, CO) â who led the team with five game winning goals during the regular season â followed up a rebound on Tom Dickhudt's (Woodbury, MN) initial shot and scored.
The 3-2 lead would hold up the rest of the way sending the Jets, and nearly 30 of their supporters who made the trip, home happy.
Last Week's Results
4/6 @ Minnesota 3-2 Win
Borne Cup Finals Series (all times central)
4/14 Billings 7:05pm Game 1 of NAHL West Finals
4/15 Billings 7:05pm Game 2 of NAHL West Finals
4/17 @ Billings 8:05pm Game 3 of NAHL West Finals
4/18 @ Billings 8:05pm Game 4 of NAHL West Finals
4/20 * @ Billings 8:05pm Game 5 of NAHL West Finals
4/22 * Billings 7:05pm Game 6 of NAHL West Finals
4/23 * Billings 7:05pm Game 7 of NAHL West Finals
* If Necessary
The FM Jets are in their second season as members of the North American Hockey League.
The NAHL is the nation's largest Junior A hockey league and is now in its 29th year of operation. For more information, visit fmjets.com or call (701) 235-2354.
Jets home games are played at the John E. Carlson Coliseum in Fargo, ND. All games are broadcasted on STAR 103.9 and sportsjuice.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from April 11, 2005
- Minnesota Blizzard weekly summary - Alexandria Blizzard
- Malark Becomes Third Jet to Commit - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Borne Cup Finals Start This Week - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
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