Moreland Ties Franchise Goal Record; FM Jets on Verge of Clinching Division
March 12, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) Third year veteran Matt Moreland (Grand Forks, ND) has made a career out of scoring clutch goals for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets. Not all of his goals have been significant but most of them have been, including a glut of game winners and overtime clinchers. In many ways, one of his most monumental goals was almost passé.
Moreland's goal at 1:04 of the first period of the FM Jets' 4-1 win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Carlson Coliseum on March 10th gave him 67 for his career, and moved him into a tie with former player Phil Fox for the all-time team record. After starting the hockey season at the University of North Dakota, Moreland re-joined the FM Jets in time for the October 13th game versus Bismarck and made an immediate impact with an overtime winning goal. Since then, he has been one of the main reasons the FM Jets have had sole possession of first place in the North American Hockey League's Central Division since October.
His 32 goals this season have come in 45 games, good for second highest on the team he for fifth overall in the NAHL. His average of a goal roughly every four periods is the same as the NAHL's leading goal scorer Kyle Schmidt, who has 45 goals but has played 12 more games.
Overall he has 56 points, good for third highest on the team and tied for 13th in the NAHL.
Closing the Deal on the Central Division
The Fargo-Moorhead Jets (35-17-4, 74pts) are on the brink of clinching their second regular season division title in franchise history following last weekend's action. As play enters the final three weeks of the regular season, the FM Jets' magic number to secure the Central Division's title outright is only two points and that number could be reached as early as this upcoming weekend. A FM Jets' win, Southern Minnesota loss, or a combination of overtime/shootout losses would give the FM Jets' the two necessary points.
With 74pts, the FM Jets' lead the second place Southern Minnesota Express (32-22-4, 68pts) by six points in the race for the regular season crown. Southern Minnesota has only four games remaining and can finish with a maximum of 76pts. The FM Jets have six games left on their schedule.
In order for Southern Minnesota to catch the FM Jets, the Express would have to win all of their remaining games and have the FM Jets manage no more than one point in their final six. Tie-breaker scenarios that begin with most wins and continue on to head-to-head record favor the FM Jets, so a tie does Southern Minnesota no good.
The FM Jets play two games at the Marquette Rangers, while Southern Minnesota welcomes in the Bismarck Bobcats for a pair this weekend.
The FM Jets won the West Division's regular season title in 2004-2005.
Ending the Streak
The FM Jets 4-1 win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Carlson Coliseum on March 10th snapped a franchise-record five-game winless streak (0-4-1). In a season in which the FM Jets are an amazing 15-5-1 in games following either a non-win, the dubious streak is a little unnerving but one head coach Chad Johnson wasn't shocked by.
"Over the course of a season, every team has a slide and we aren't immune to it" said Johnson. "The important thing was we didn't play all that bad in a few of the losses and just didn't get a couple breaks which I can live with. I'd rather get those breaks come playoffs."
Going for the Century Mark
Second year veteran Jesse Echternach (Bemidji, MN) has 92 career points, and is closing in on the century-club. He has at least six regular season games, plus a minimum of six post-season games to reach the mark.
Echternach is tied for fourth in the NAHL in points with 76, and his 34 goals are also fourth highest.
Franchise Attendance Mark
25,560 fans have come to the FM Jets' 25 regular season home games, setting a new franchise record for total fans in a season.
The total attendance this season doesn't include Team USA game.
Taking All Comers
While most of the FM Jets' wins have come in the Central Division, the team does have a 9-5-1 (.633) against teams outside of the division. That is the third best record outside of a division in the NAHL behind only St. Louis (22-5-0, .907%) and Fairbanks (13-7-1, .643%).
Last Week
Mar. 8 Bismarck Bobcats 2-4 Loss
Mar. 9 Fairbanks Ice Dogs 0-2 Loss
Mar. 10 Fairbanks Ice Dogs 4-1 Win
This Week
Mar. 16 Marquette Rangers 6:05pm (CST)
Mar. 17 Marquette Rangers 6:05pm (CST)
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 March 12, 2007
- Game worn jerseys up for bid - Alpena IceDiggers
- Wildcats Battle with Tornado - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Moreland Ties Franchise Goal Record; FM Jets on Verge of Clinching Division - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
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