Weekend Preview: Ice Miners Look for Playoff Clincher in Flint
March 4, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Keystone Ice Miners News Release
After a successful journey to Alaska that saw the Ice Miners pick up six of a possible eight points against Fairbanks and Kenai River, their "Magic Number" stands at just 3. Any combination of Ice Miners wins and Springfield Jr. Blues losses that add up to three means Keystone will clinch a berth in the North Division playoffs.
The first three of the regular season's final ten games takes place this weekend at Perani Arena in Flint, Michigan against the Michigan Warriors. The Ice Miners have had success in Flint this season, with a perfect 3-0-0 record at Perani. Conversely, the Warriors hold the edge in the series at Connellsville, having won three of the four games at the Ice Mine.
The Ice Miners and Warriors battled in Flint just over a month ago. Keystone rallied from down 3-1 to claim a 5-3 win on January 30th. Cameron Smith scored twice while Vito Aluia's goal at 14:38 of the 3rd period broke a 3-3 tie and was the eventual game-winner. The following night, A.J. Coleman put up a goal and two assists, while Alex Blankenburg made 39 saves in a 4-1 win. Blankenburg also has a 46 save effort on the docket at Perani this season when he defeated the Warriors 2-1 on September 28th.
After losing three straight, Keystone has gotten back on the winning track, coming off a sweep of the Kenai River Brown Bears at Soldotna Sports Center. Garrett Hallford scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win last Friday. Nick Kossoff's 6th shutout tied him for the lead among NAHL goaltenders. Ice Miners points leader Taylor Fernandez snapped a nine game goal drought with the game winner, one of two power play tallies in a 4-1 victory on Saturday. The Warriors, on the other hand, have dropped four in a row after winning their previous four contests. Most recently, they were swept by Janesville in 2-1 and 7-3 home losses this past weekend. At eight points out of the fourth and final North Division playoff spot, each and every game is becoming a "must win" for Michigan.
In the season head-to-head, A.J. Marcinek leads the way with four goals and two assists against the Ice Miners. Former Johnstown Tomahawk Garrison Sanipass has three goals and two assists. Goaltender Ryan Wischow has not yet defeated the Ice Miners, posting a 0-3-0 record with a 2.72 GAA and a .905 SV%. For Keystone, Taylor Fernandez has six points (3 goals, 3 assists), while Matt Jones has two goals and three assists against the Warriors. Alex Blankenburg has started 5 of the 7 games that the two teams have played, going 3-2-0 with one shutout, a 1.62 GAA and a .958 SV%. After this weekend, the Ice Miners and Warriors play two more times at the Ice Mine on March 20th and 21st to wrap up their season series.
Friday and Saturday night's games begin at 7:00 PM while Sunday's game is a 4:00 PM start. Around the rest of the North Division, Springfield travels to Johnstown Saturday and Sunday while Soo is at Janesville Friday and Saturday. All three Keystone/Michigan games will be broadcast on FASTHockey.com, with the AWAY feed carrying the Ice Miners broadcast.
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