Jets Come From Behind on Harrison's Winner, 2-1
March 29, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
(Fargo, ND) There was a new team out on the ice tonight as the Express were tanked by the Jets 8-0. With goals from Trottier, Kirchhevel, Harrison, Mihulka, Beaudette, Galt, Dittus and Weston, the fans could almost see the Express net gagging from all the swallowed pucks. With no goals from Southern Minnesota, each Jet goal turned out to be the game winner.
With mostly rookies on the starting line up tonight, it was Pat Deitz to win the face-off and tip it back to Kurt Weston. The Express have been notorious for blocking shots this season, so the Jets' sticks needed more than just power to put the puck in the net. At 17:53, Ben Danford of the Express took a trip to the penalty box, giving the Jets their first power play advantage. Too much passing and not enough shooting caused the power play to come and go without even a blink, much less a flinch from Pedersen's glove.
Both teams had some excellent offensive plays, but neither Pederson nor Buegler were giving anything away. Both Andy Dittus and Andrew Harrison had some great breaks and plenty of time out in front of the net, but were never invited inside. The view from the outside might be nice, but it won't get you goals. At 7:47, the Jets were given their second power play and another chance to test Pedersen in the cage. Unfortunately, he passed again.
With just over two minutes left on the clock, a third power play came to visit the Jets. As if that wasn't enough, a slashing call put another Express man in the box to give the Jets a 74 second 5-on-3 advantage. Both Pedersen and Buegler looked a little restless as the power play came to an end with barely any shots on either goal. Ending the period with 32 seconds left on the penalty, both teams headed to the locker room tied at zeros.
The 5-on-4 advantage to begin the second period paid off as assists from Andy Dittus and Marc Harrie with just 21 seconds off the clock gave Jordy Trottier the first goal of the night, as well as a broken stick. But the 1-0 lead was totally worth it. A little over two minutes later, the Jets received their fourth power play advantage of the night, courtesy of the Express. Although it was unsuccessful, the Jets would still have plenty of stamina to put up a fight.
At 13:29, Justin Kirchhevel came completely out of nowhere off a wide shot from Mark Johnson to put a second puck past Pedersen to put the score at 2-0. After playing over half a game of clean hockey, Marc Harrie grabbed the first penalty of the night at 9:22, but after two short minutes, he raced right back out of the box and back into play.
Even though Andrew Harrison had a rough first period, his perseverance paid off this period. After picking off the puck for the millionth time, he and Deitz rushed the Express zone. After feeding a pass to Deitz right in front of the right side of the crease, he got the pass back and with a flick of his wrist, the puck slipped right past Pedersen to give the Jets a three-goal lead.
With less than five minutes left of play and the Express looking extremely frustrated, Mihulka got sent to the penalty box, giving the Express an opportunity to bridge the gap. After clearing the puck countless times, two minutes ran off the clock and Mihulka rushed out of the box and looked to Marc Harrie to give him a little sweet redemption. Harrie gave him the pass, and with a wide blast from the left circle at 1:58, Mihulka brought the period to an end with a 4-0 lead.
Besides the plethora of goals from the Jets' sticks, the third period was pretty quiet. After another power play for the Jets at 15:21, everything went downhill for the Express from there. Starting at 12:56, Joe Beaudette put the Jets at 5-0 from an assist off the stick of Justin Kirchhevel. Not even a minute later, Erick Galt grabbed another blast from the top of the right circle to give the Jets a six goal lead.
At 11:02, what seemed to be a replay of the last goal put Andy Dittus on the scoreboard and the Jets up 7-0. Another minute later and Zach Hansen now in the goal, the Express generously gave the Jets a final power play advantage. And the advantage was surely taken. Kurt Weston recorded the final goal of the night from a beautiful assist from Brandon Bukowski to level the score at 8-0. Even with 45 seconds left on the clock, a breakaway from Ruggeri couldn't get the Express on the board as Adam Buegler stuck out his glove and snapped a shot.
The Jets would end the game with a huge 8-0 win. Proud of the accomplishment, the Jets could only wish that a game like this could've taken place a few weeks prior. If so, they could still be looking at a chance for the playoffs.
The FM Jets Junior A Hockey Club is in its fifth 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 32nd 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 fmjets.com for and video broadcast through B/2 Network and fmjets.com.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2008
- Mahoning Valley Tops U.S. National Under-17 Team - U.S. National Team
- Four Goal Period Fules Phantoms to Win in Regular Season Finale - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Jets Come From Behind on Harrison's Winner, 2-1 - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- RoadRunners Take Division Title In First Season In Topeka - Topeka Pilots
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