Jets Clinch Playoff Spot, Win 150th Game
February 26, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) Confetti didn't flutter from the ceiling and hardly any post-game celebration at all, though the Fargo-Moorhead Jets' victory on February 24th was a monumental win.
The FM Jets' (34-13-3, 71pts) 4-3 comeback win at the Southern Minnesota Express on Saturday in Owatonna officially clinched the team a spot in the 2007 North American Hockey League playoffs. It also marked the franchises 150th win all-time making them only the third NAHL franchise since the 2003 merger to reach the 150-win plateau.
"(The 150th win) is a great accomplishment for the players and organization" said head coach Chad Johnson. "However, truthfully I don't think its something the players think at all about until they are fishing on a boat somewhere during the summer."
The FM Jets join only the Texas Tornado and Texarkana/St. Louis Bandits as the other franchises that have won at least 150 regular season and post-season games combined.
"It feels great (the 150th win) and shows how far this organization has come in just a few short years" said assistant coach Aaron Kinslow.
The win not only gave the FM Jets the milestone victory and clinched a playoff spot, but it also moved them closer to locking first place in the Central Division. Second place Southern Minnesota defeated the FM Jets 4-2 on Friday in Owatonna, but the FM Jets rebounded for the win on Saturday to maintain the eight point lead they had entering the weekend.
With only one month left in the regular season, and holding four games in hand on Southern Minnesota the FM Jets are in a good position. The magic number is 9 points (8 to clinch a tie) so any number of FM Jets' wins and/or Southern Minnesota losses that add up to nine points puts the FM Jets in.
The FM Jets could clinch as early as Saturday with games Thursday thru Saturday versus Bismarck. Southern Minnesota has games Friday and Saturday at North Iowa.
During February 23rd game at Southern Minnesota, the FM Jets jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Josh Brodeen (Warroad, MN) and Andrew Harrison (Temperance, MI). However, Southern Minnesota rallied with two goals in the second and two more in the third for the win.
It was only the second time all season the FM Jets had lost when leading after the first period. The defeat also was the first in regulation against a team with a winning record since December 8th, also against Southern Minnesota.
The next night the FM Jets rebounded for their seventh third period comeback of the season. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Ryan Adams (Deloraine, MB) kick started a great period for himself by fighting Southern Minnesota's Jesse Bryant off the opening face-off to ignite his teammates.
Matt Moreland (Grand Forks, ND) brought the FM Jets to within one with a goal at 7:20. The FM Jets tied the game on a power play goal by Adams a minute later and scored the game winner on another power play goal this time from Jesse Echternach (Bemidji, MN) at 17:32.
Meanwhile, Austin Lee (Bloomington, MN) was great in goal making 30 saves including 14 in the decisive third period.
Never Out of It
With their comeback win on February 24th at Southern Minnesota, the FM Jets have rallied to win seven games in which they were trailing after two periods. That is tied with South Division leader St. Louis for the most second intermission deficit comebacks in the NAHL.
Prior to this season, the FM Jets had won only four games in which they trailed entering the third period, all of which came last season.
Nearing Goal Record
Veteran Matt Moreland (Grand Forks, ND) has 65 career goals and is closing in on the FM Jets' franchise record for career goals. The record is currently held by Phil Fox who scored 67 goals from 2004-2006.
Scoring Streak Ends
Chris Connolly's (Duluth, MN) NAHL record tying point streak was stopped at 20 games in February 23rd 4-2 loss as the Southern Minnesota Express held him without a goal or assist. It was the first game since December 15th that Connolly had been held pointless.
However, Connolly quickly recovered to post three assists on February 24th in the 4-3 victory against the Express. It's his third, three-assist night of the season.
Most Wins
With 34 wins, the FM Jets are making a run at the most regular season wins in franchise history which is 36 from the 2004-2005 team. They are also taking aim at the most regular season wins in Fargo-Moorhead Junior A hockey history which is 37 held by the 1973-1974 Sugar Kings.
Fantastic February
The FM Jets went 7-1-1 in the month of February and had a seven game unbeaten streak, their third longest of the season. The FM Jets won eight consecutive games in October, and went on a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1) from mid December thru mid January.
Over the team's first three seasons, February had been the weakest month with an all-time record below .500% but obviously that statistic didn't hold serve this year.
Last Week
Feb. 23 @ Southern Minnesota Express 2-4 Loss
Feb. 24 @ Southern Minnesota Express 4-3 Win
This Week
Mar. 1 @ Bismarck Bobcats 7:05pm
Mar. 2 Bismarck Bobcats 7:35pm
Mar. 3 @ Bismarck Bobcats 7:05pm
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 February 26, 2007
- Jets Clinch Playoff Spot, Win 150th Game - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- U.S. National Under-17 Team to Play St. Louis Bandits at Scottrade Center - U.S. National Team
- Wildcats Win Two of Three in Weekend Games - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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.
