Jets Prepare to Defend First Place this Weekend
January 2, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) The Fargo-Moorhead Jets can't mathematically clinch the North American Hockey League's Central Division this weekend, but they can take a major leap towards it. A three-game series with the second place Southern Minnesota Express will begin with games Friday and Saturday at the Carlson Coliseum, and conclude in Owatonna, MN on Sunday evening.
Having only recently tip-toed across the midway point of the regular season, the FM Jets (22-9-1, 45pts) have a five point lead over the defending division champion Southern Minnesota (19-15-2, 40pts). More importantly, the FM Jets have played four fewer games than the Express meaning that there are still a potential eight points laying out on the table, free for the FM Jets' taking.
"For us, this is a chance to build upon the lead and keep us away from the rest of the pack in the division" said head coach Chad Johnson. "This is a very tough division and we don't want to get pulled back into the dog pile."
The FM Jets have led the Central Division since early October, with a lead that has reached double-digits at times. However, do to a lethargic schedule for the FM Jets the past two weeks; Southern Minnesota has been able to cut into the deficit but at the same time give the FM Jets games in hand.
"Even with the games we have in hand, those aren't guaranteed points, so this weekend it's a chance for us to take care of business" added Johnson.
With 30 games remaining in the season the "magic number" for the FM Jets is still a humbling 47 points, so it's a ways away from planning the celebratory party and ordering the championship banner. However, this weekend can still provide a potential six-point swing either way that could see the FM Jets' open up as large as an 11 point lead in the division, or actually fall back into second place.
The FM Jets and Southern Minnesota have met four times this season with the FM Jets holding a 3-1 advantage in the series. The FM Jets swept a pair of games at the Carlson Coliseum on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, but then lost to the Express on Dec. 8. The FM Jets recovered to win a Dec. 10th showdown in Owatonna.
This weekend marks the first of six meetings the two teams will have the remainder of the season in what has been developing into a strong rivalry. Last year, the Southern Minnesota Express -in their inaugural year - rode a strong second half to overtake the FM Jets for first place in late March. Then swept the FM Jets in the Central Division finals playoff series.
Southern Minnesota hasn't had the same offensive firepower as they had last season, but have countered it with strong goaltending and defense. The Express are allowing 2.7 goals against per game, the fourth lowest in the NAHL, and goaltender Lars Paulgaard has a 1.99 GAA and 93% save percentage in the last five games.
The Express feature the NAHL's third best penalty kill at 88.6%.
Make-Up Date Still to Be Determined
There is still no official make-up date for the FM Jets vs. Bismarck Bobcats game postponed due to weather conditions on Dec. 30th at the Carlson Coliseum. All fans with tickets to the Dec. 30th game may use them at any other regular season game, based upon availability, or may use them at the rescheduled game.
Winning in the Division
One of the major reasons the FM Jets have been atop the NAHL's Central Division since October is their play within the division. The FM Jets hold a 17-5-1 record in the division, the best division record of any of the other Central teams.
In addition, the 761% winning percentage is the third best division record in the entire NAHL behind only Mahoning Valley's .845% percentage in the north and Santa Fe's .767% in the south.
Sports Bubble Event
Members of the FM Jets' will be at the Sports Bubble, off 13th Ave in Fargo on Tuesday January 9th from 7pm-9pm. Fans are invited to stop by and see if they can "out-drive" a player on the Sports Bubble's golf simulators, and get information on the Sports Bubble's many family activities. The event is FREE.
3 FM Jets' New Years Resolutions
In accordance with the unwritten rule that every person and their cousins must come up with resolutions, here are some the FM Jets' will likely be considering. Some will probably last as long as a guilty grandmother's to stop spoiling her grandchildren. Still, much like everyone who resolves to lose weight, stop smoking or bring to a close their addiction to Sex & the City reruns most of the success just comes from making the resolution.
1) Don't lose to teachers in floor hockey On Dec. 8th, the FM Jets went to Carl Ben Eielson Middle School to face the teachers in a game of floor hockey. Despite having the youthful legs, the training and the more dazzling jerseys the FM Jets lost. Its one thing to lose to the North Iowa Outlaws, its another to a group of teachers, more than half of whom have never played the game. It was a humbling experience the FM Jets hope to not experience again as the tour more schools in February.
2) Avoid snow storms Whether its through some sort of an ancient ritual, or by sacrificing Ace the Eagle to the weather gods the FM Jets need to find a way to keep snow storms from affecting their home schedule. Even though storms have missed the Red River Valley two FM Jets games have been affected by storms in the region. The Nov. 10th game was delayed an hour because North Iowa was late getting into town, while the Dec. 30th game was postponed due to a storm that made travel too treacherous for Bismarck.
3) Don't wear road jerseys at home They may be dazzling but they their fashion success didn't translate into a win at the Carlson Coliseum. The FM Jets' have worn their red jerseys once at home this season, on Dec. 15th, and the result was less than memorable. A 12-1 home loss to Alexandria. So for the rest of the season, expect the white jerseys at home and the red jerseys exclusively on the road where they have been very successful.
Last Week
Dec. 29 @ Bismarck Bobcats 3-2 Win
Dec. 30 Bismarck Bobcats ppd
Dec. 31 @ Bismarck Bobcats 5-3 Win
This Week
Jan. 5 Southern Minnesota Express 7:35pm
Jan. 6 Southern Minnesota Express 7:05pm
Jan. 7 @ Southern Minnesota Express 5:05pm
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 January 2, 2007
- Team USA In Semifinals After 6-3 Win Over Finland - U.S. National Team
- Jets Prepare to Defend First Place this Weekend - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Blizzard coming alive - NAHL
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