Ready or Not, Season Starts Wednesday
September 11, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Fargo-Moorhead Jets News Release
Fargo (ND) The National Football League season is only a week old but ready or not, the Fargo-Moorhead Jets hockey season is on the verge of kicking off another go around in less than 48 hours
In the earliest start in the team's four-year history, the FM Jets begin regular season play on Wednesday morning when they open the annual North American Hockey League showcase in Blaine, MN against the Traverse City North Stars. It's the start of four games in four days for the FM Jets, and every other NAHL team.
The FM Jets will actually play in the first-game on the entire 2006-2007 NAHL schedule when they face the Traverse City North Stars at 11am on Wednesday. That game will be followed by a 5pm match up against the Wichita Falls Wildcats on Thursday, a 2:30pm game against the Mahoning Valley Phantoms on Friday and a 10am face-off with the Santa Fe Roadrunners on Saturday.
Typically held in mid-October, the NAHL Showcase was shifted so as to open regular season play in 2006-2007. The earlier start time provides an even better opportunity for collegiate and professional scouts to attend because none of their own schedules are as booked as they will be in a month.
It's also a chance for the NAHL to hold its annual family reunion as more of a season kickoff as teams from the entire league converge onto the Super Rinks facility in Blaine, MN. In many cases, it's the only time teams will see each other all season unless they meet in the Robertson Cup Tournament in May, as the Showcase is where the bulk of the league's divisional cross-over schedule occurs.
Of the four games the FM Jets have at the showcase, two are against 2005-2006 NAHL playoff teams (Wichita Falls and Mahoning Valley) while two games each are against North Division (Traverse City and Mahoning Valley) and South Division (Wichita Falls and Santa Fe).
FM Jets Lose Twice in Pre-Season
For the second consecutive season, the FM Jets lost both of their pre-season games and once again they were losses to the Southern Minnesota Express and North Iowa Outlaws.
Southern Minnesota's Dustin Skinner scored with 16 seconds remaining to lift the Express to a 4-3 win over the FM Jets at the Fargo Southwest Arena on Sept. 8. Rookie Rob Johnson (Duluth, MN), newcomer Andrew Harrison (Temperance, MI) and veteran Jesse Echternach (Bemidji, MN) scored for the FM Jets in the loss.
North Iowa then completed the sweep as the Outlaws skated away with a 6-3 win over the FM Jets on Sept. 9 at the Fargo Southwest Arena. Playing only their rookies, the FM Jets were unable to match North Iowa, which still used roughly half their veterans. Still, there were bright spots as Robby Phillip (Thief River Falls, MN) scored twice, Sam Yearsly (White Bear Lake, MN) had a goal and an assist and Marc Mihulka (Grand Forks, ND) had two assists.
Practices
The FM Jets will have one final practice before the NAHL Showcase on Tuesday from 11:30am-1pm at the Fargo Southwest Arena.
A Different Setting
Starting the season at the NAHL Showcase means that for the first time in team history, the FM Jets won't be kicking off their campaign at the VFW Sportscenter in Bismarck. In each of their first three seasons, the FM Jets started the season with wins in Bismarck. The FM Jets won their first ever game on Oct. 3, 2003 a 7-2 win at Bismarck. In 2004, the team opened with a 4-2 win on Sept. 18.
Last season, the FM Jets started the year with a 5-1 win on Sept. 17 at Bismarck.
Hot Starts
Good starts and the FM Jets have gone together as well as marshmallows and graham crackers. Over their first three seasons, the FM Jets had excellent starts that have been the catalyst for strong seasons.
In the first 10 games of a season -over the last three years - the FM Jets are 26-3-1 for an amazing .883% winning percentage.
Showcase Success
The FM Jets went 2-2-0 at the 2006 NAHL Showcase, and over the last three seasons are 8-4-0 in Blaine, MN. The FM Jets also went 2-2-0 at the Chicago Showcase during the 2003-2004 season.
North American Hockey League Stories from September 11, 2006
- Ready or Not, Season Starts Wednesday - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Stars ready for Showcase - Traverse City North Stars
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