Jets Take over Central Division Lead
Published on October 23, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) Last season, the Fargo-Moorhead Jets spent 25 weeks in first place in the North American Hockey League's Central Division. Following a weekend sweep at North Iowa, extending a winning streak to a season-high five games, the FM Jets have once again moved back into sole possession of the Central Division lead for the first time this season.
Despite being whistled for a total of 34 minor penalties between the two games, the FM Jets were able to control the struggling North Iowa power play and come away with a pair of wins in their first official road games of the season.
In all, the FM Jets' penalty kill was an amazing 31-32, helping to offset the team's uncharacteristic difficulty of staying out of the penalty box. All of the penalties committed were "minor" in nature, but nonetheless the total of 68 penalty minutes (34 PIM per game) was well above the team average of 22 PIM per game.
"The penalty kill did a great job for us this weekend, North Iowa is very much improved from last season" said head coach Chad Johnson. "If we don't perform half as well as we did on the penalty kill, it would've been a different story."
On Oct. 20, after blowing a 3-1 lead late in the third period, new acquisition Brooks DeZellar (Eden Prairie, MN) scored with only 1:41 left in regulation to lift the FM Jets to a 4-3 win. Then on Oct. 21, Matt Moreland (Grand Forks, ND) recorded the first hat trick of his career in a 5-3 win.
The hat trick by Moreland continues a story book return for the third year player, who rejoined the FM Jets on Oct. 13. Since then, he has recorded at least a goal in all four of his games. This includes the hat trick, an overtime game winner and the first goal in three games. In North Iowa, Moreland had four goals and an assist in the series sweep.
"Matt was exactly the type of player we were looking for and when he said he wanted to return we were happy to bring him back" added Johnson. "This has been a great start for him."
DeZellar, who joined the team late last week, scored the game winner in Friday's victory and also had an assist in that game.
Still, the story was defense for the FM Jets who spent almost half of the weekend in a shorthanded situation. A stumbling block for the team last year, and in the first month of this season, the penalty kill has shown marked improvement. The penalty kill has jumped to sixth place in the NAHL at 87%. In the past five games, the penalty kill is 56-59 (95%).
Last season the penalty kill was ranked seventh but at only 82%.
Dominance over North Iowa Continues
The FM Jets are now 10-0-0 all-time against the North Iowa Outlaws, and are 6-0-0 in Mason City, IA.
Life on the Road
The wins at North Iowa weren't the FM Jets' first games away from the Carlson Coliseum this season, but were their first in front of visiting fans. The FM Jets' opened the season at the neutral-site environment of the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN then followed that with a seven-game home stand.
"Real contenders are able to win on the road" said head coach Chad Johnson.
Leading the Pack
With their series sweep of North Iowa, the FM Jets moved into sole possession of the Central Division lead for the first time this season. The FM Jets are in first place in the division by themselves for the first time since March 17 of last season.
Youthful Presence
At 16 years of age, Greg Thocker (Grand Ledge, MI) is the youngest member of the FM Jets' in team history. Thocker was born March 6, 1990 and is the first player in team history born during the 1990s.
Last Week
Oct. 20 @ North Iowa Outlaws 4-3 Win
Oct. 21 @ North Iowa Outlaws 5-3 Win
This Week
Oct. 27 Southern Minnesota Express 7:35pm
Oct. 28 Southern Minnesota Express 7:05pm
North American Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2006
- Alpena sweeps Traverse City - Alpena IceDiggers
- Jets Take over Central Division Lead - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
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