Nate Chasteen netted two goals, including the game-winner as Springfield Jr. Blues defeated their division-rival Janesville Jets 5-3 on Friday night.
In front of a riled up Springfield crowd, the Jr. Blues won for the fourth time in their last five games. Meanwhile, Janesville had its three game winning streak snapped.
The Jr. Blues started the game out scorching as they scored two goals in the first five minutes following the opening faceoff to take a quick 2-0 lead. Chasteen scored the first goal just 3:24 into the game and was followed by teammate Ryan Atkinson less than a minute later.
Jason Ford, the Jets’ leading scorer, got Janesville on the scoreboard a few minutes later and made the score 2-1. Not too long following that goal, James McGing added another goal—giving the Jr. Blues a 3-1 lead with still over ten minutes left in the opening period.
The scoring in the first wasn’t over with though. Alex Shuchuk scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal and made it 3-2 Springfield following the first twenty-minutes of hockey.
The second-period was a change of pace though, as only one goal was scored in the period—coming off of the stick of Janesville’s Jordan Himley. Himley scored at 13:15 on an assist from Mike Sullivan, evening up the score at three after two periods with just twenty minutes remaining in the contest.
Entering the third period, it was hard to tell exactly what team had the momentum on their side—but starting goaltender Matt Leon shut down the Jets’ offensive attack—saving all ten shots the Jets fired at him. The Jr. Blues earned a power play with 5:30 minutes in the game that they would eventually score on. Chasteen pulled the puck off the wall and made a nice move to get to the middle of the ice. From there, Chasteen buried a shot of the cross bar and in. Assists on the play were credited to Mike Fazio, his second of the night, and Jack Sloan. Sloan currently leads the Jr. Blues with 9 assists. The Jr. Blues held strong and McGing was able to score an empty-net goal with 14 seconds remaining, after a Simon Koscielski blocked shot.
Springfield out shot the Jets 42-38 on the night, as Jr. Blues goalie Matt Leon saved 35 of 38 shots on the night, including twenty-two of their last twenty-three, helping him earn his fourth win in nine starts this season—and his third consecutive overall.
Official Scoring Summary
First Period-(SPR) Nate Chasteen (Mike Fazio, Simon Koscielski) 3:24; (SPR) Ryan Atkinson (James McGing, Parker Johnson) 4:14; (JAN) Jason Ford (Alex Shuckuk) 6:43; (SPR) James McGing (Parker Johnson, Ryan Atkinson) 9:36; (JAN) Alex Shuchuk (shorthanded/unassisted) 16:51
Second Period-(JAN) Jordan Himley (Mike Sullivan) 13:15
Third Period-(SPR) Nate Chasteen (Mike Fazio, Jack Sloan) 15:30; (SPR) James McGing (Simon Koscilski) (empty-net) 19:46
Three Stars of the Game (Official)
1. Nate Chasteen (Springfield)
2. James McGing (Springfield)
3. Ryan Atkinson (Springfield)
