Different Players Step Up for FM Jets
November 13, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) The weapons the Fargo-Moorhead Jets have utilized most of the season didn't take the weekend off, but it was somewhat of a change of pace for the North American Hockey League's Central Division leaders. Oh sure, the regulars made their presence known such as Matt Moreland (Grand Forks, ND) and Jesse Echternach (Bemidji, MN) but others players stepped up.
Rookie Marc Mihulka (Grand Forks, ND) picked up his first-career hat trick in the FM Jets' 3-1 win on Nov. 12th in Alexandria. On Nov. 10th, in the team's 5-2 home win over North Iowa, Ryan Adams (Deloraine, MB) and Robby Philipp (Thief River Falls, MN) had two assists, while Rob Johnson (Duluth, MN) scored a goal and two assists.
Goaltender Austin Lee (Bloomington, MN) was the winning netminder in both victories, allowing only one goal in each game and recording a .968% save percentage for the weekend.
The wins were sandwiched around a 5-2 loss at home to North Iowa on Nov. 11th.
"It was a good weekend for us to come away with two wins" said head coach Chad Johnson. "(North Iowa and Alexandria) are much better then their records in the standings indicate and are improving each game."
Over the course of the three-games, there wasn't just one player who had a breakout weekend. Six FM Jets' players ended the weekend with at least three points, including three rookies (Mihulka, Trottier and Phillip).
"We don't have one new player who is standing out...everyone has been improving" said Johnson. "Its hard to pinpoint which rookie is the most improved because that changes weekly."
On Nov. 10th, the FM Jets began the weekend with a convincing 5-1 win over North Iowa before 1,035 fans at the Carlson Coliseum. The game was delayed 40-minutes because the North Iowa bus arrived late, after getting stuck on I-35 south of the Twin Cities due to a snow storm. Better late than never, was the adage followed by the FM Jets' who broke a scoreless tie with four-goals in the first 7:20 of the second period and never looked back.
However, the next night North Iowa recovered for a 5-2 win at the Coliseum marking the first time in 11 all-time meetings that the Outlaws had defeated the FM Jets.
The weekend ended with the FM Jets' 3-1 victory at Alexandria on Nov. 12th. After spotting Alexandria a 1-0 lead early in the second, the rookie Mihulka took over scoring three unanswered goals himself to bring the FM Jets' back. In net, Lee made 31 saves, including 12 in the third period alone to preserve the win.
Fargo-Moorhead has now opened up a 10-point lead over Springfield and Bismarck who are both tied for second place. Still, things must stay in perspective.
"Being in first place in November is nice, but you get nothing for it, our goal is to be in first at the end of it all" noted Johnson. "I think everyone learned that last season."
Year By Year Comparison
Through 21 games the FM Jets are 15-6-0 (.714%) which ranks very favorably with their previous seasons. Here is a breakdown of where the FM Jets were after 21 games in their previous three seasons.
2003-2004: 11-9-1 (.548%)
2004-2005: 15-5-1 (.738%)
2005-2006: 14-6-1 (.690%)
Attendance Increase
Through the first 13 home games, the FM Jets have seen an attendance increase of 9% over last season at this point. What makes the attendance increase more impressive is the heavy front-loading of the home schedule this season, as last year the FM Jets' didn't play their 13th home game until mid-December.
Last Week
Nov. 10 North Iowa Outlaws 5-1 W
Nov. 11 North Iowa Outlaws 2-5 L
Nov. 12 @ Alexandria Blizzard 3-1 W
This Week
Nov. 17 Alexandria Blizzard 7:35pm
Nov. 18 @ Alexandria Blizzard 7:00pm
The FM Jets Junior A Hockey Club is in its fourth 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 31st 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 Today's Hot New Country 103.9 THE TRUCK and audiosportsonline.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from November 13, 2006
- Wildcats Sweep Springfield - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Different Players Step Up for FM Jets - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
