Springfield Jr. Blues At Minnesota Wilderness| Nov. 3rd & 4th | Northwoods Credit Union Arena
PREVIEW
The Springfield Jr. Blues had a very successful weekend, sweeping the Topeka Roadrunners at home. Watch the highlights here:
Springfield looks to take their hot act on the road this weekend as they head to Cloquet, MN for a weekend series with the Minnesota Wilderness. Game times are at 7:05pm both Friday and Saturday night!
All Springfield Jr. Blues road games are shown LIVE on TV at Cooper’s AlleySide Restaurant, located inside King Pin Lanes at the corner of Sangamon & Dirksen!
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MINNESOTA WILDERNESS
Tale Of The Tape:
Record: 5-6-2-1, 13 Pts. (5th in Central)
Goals Per Game: 2.86/Game
Goals Against Average: 3.71/Game
Scoring Leaders: Kosta Likourezos, F (14 GP, 6 Goals-10 Assist-16 Points), Eric Gotz, D (14 GP, 3 Goal-11 Assists-14 Points), Nick Altmann, F (14 GP, 7 Goals-4 Assists-11 Points)
Forward To Watch:
Kosta Likourezos: If there is one thing that Kosta Likourezos can do, it’s put up points. Last season in the NAHL, the East York, Ontario native had 23 points in 33 games. This season, he has 16 points in 15 games, on pace for 64 points. A deeper dive into his numbers shows that Likourezos has scored 8 of his 15 points on the power play. If Springfield can stay out of the box then they can shut down Likourezos.
Manning the Blue Line:
Eric Gotz: Eric Gotz sure has stepped his game up this season. The second-year defenseman played in 57 games last season for the Wilderness and only had 9 points, all assists. This season, Gotz leads all NAHL defenseman with 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in 14 games. Springfield will have to keep the puck off his stick to have success this weekend.
Between The Pipes:
Ryan Fanti: Ryan Fanti was not supposed to be the Wilderness number one goaltender when he joined the team, but he is starting to become one. With veteran goaltender Trevor Micucci struggling at the moment (3-4-0-2, 3.73 GAA and .893 save %) Fanti has really stepped his game up, stopping 72 of 75 shots faced in his previous 2 games that were both victories. Don’t be surprised if Fanti is in net all weekend against Springfield.
SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES
Tale Of The Tape:
Record: 7-5-1-1, 16 Pts. (4th in Midwest)
Goals Per Game: 2.57/Game
Goals Against Average: 3.14/Game
Top Scorers: Jordan Muzzillo (14 GP, 4 G-7 A-11 Pts.), Nikita Kozyrev (13 GP, 5 G-4 A-9 Pts.), Ethan Stewart (14 GP, 5 G-4 A-9 Pts.)
Forward To Watch:
Jeff Skinner: The reigning NAHL Midwest Division Player of the Week seems to have found his form. Skinner had 5 points this past weekend, including his first ever 4 point game. “Jeff really stepped up his game this weekend,” said Springfield Head Coach Tyler Rennette. “We had a few key players out of the line-up and he stepped up and helped lead us to two wins. He has a ton of offensive ability and when he competes at a high level, he can be a top player in this league.”
Manning The Blue Line:
Jordan Muzzillo: The Springfield defenseman added 2 more points this weekend, bringing his season total to 11 points. Through 14 games, Muzzillo is on a historic pace of 48 points, which would be the most points by a Springfield defenseman since Matt York had 52 in 2000-2001. He also leads the team in points, something that a defenseman has never done in Springfield’s 25 year history.
Between The Pipes:
Juraj Ovecka: Juraj was Juraj this past weekend at the Nelson Center. During the weekend sweep of the Topeka Roadrunners, Ovecka made 82 saves on 86 opportunities for a .953 save percentage and a 1.93 goals against average. For the season, the Slovakia native now has a 7-2-0-1 record with a 2.20 goals against and .939 save percentage.
