The Springfield Jr. Blues took a late penalty in the third period Friday night in Janesville, Wisconsin, and the Janesville Jets scored on the power play with 50 seconds left in the game to defeat Springfield 4-3.
Springfield fell down early when Janesville went up 1-0 in the first period. However, forward Fabio Hollenstein got Springfield on the scoreboard and tied the game 1-1.
The second period saw Springfield take a 2-1 lead on a power play goal by defenseman Chase Mickelson. Janesville was able to bring the game even midway through the second period.
Just 1 minute and 15 seconds later, Joey Sardina redirected a shot by Fletcher Fineman and put Springfield ahead 3-2. The score remained at 3-2 heading into the third period.
3 minutes into the third period, Janesville was able to tie the game again, finding the net on a scramble in front of Springfield goaltender Mike Robinson.
After Springfield was unsuccessful on a power play with 4:06 remaining in the game, they were forced to kill a penalty with just 1:42 remaining. A successful kill meant overtime, but that was not the case as Janesville scored with just 50 seconds remaining and completing their comeback victory.
The Springfield Jr. Blues played the majority of the game without two of their top four scorers. Hollenstein and Matt Long both left the game in the first period with undisclosed injuries and did not return.
The two teams will face each other Saturday night as Springfield tries to split the series. Puck drops at 7:00pm in Janesville.
