Janesville, Wisconsin – Despite technical issues with the broadcast, the matchup between the Springfield Jr. Blues and the Janesville Jets on Saturday night proved to be a game worth watching. Ben Schmidling and Brandon Puricelli each had three points in the contest, and Jack Williams stopped 24 of 28 shots in the Jr. Blues 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets. It’s only the third loss for Springfield since Christmas.
The Jets would open up a 2-0 lead in the 1st period to lead at the intermission, but the Jr. Blues would battle back to make the game interesting. Ben Schmidling and Brandon Puricelli each scored on the power play in the 2nd period to even the game up heading into the 3rd period.
Schmidling would continue his torrid stretch with his 20th goal of the season just :30 into the 3rd period. With a 3-2 lead, things looked to be trending in the Jr. Blues favor. Four Springfield penalties in just over nine minutes not only helped the Jets tie the game 3-3, but also to limit the opportunity for the Jr. Blues to mount any offense in the 3rd period. In overtime, the Jets would score with :44 left to complete the comeback and win 4-3.
Max Brainin, Aaron Swanson, and Nick Techel each had one assist in the game. Puricelli assisted on both of Schmidling’s goals, while Schmidling assisted on Puricelli’s.
With the overtime loss the Jr. Blues sit comfortably in 4th place with a 20-16-3-1 record for 44 points, just two points behind the Jets and five points behind the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. A three game series against the Minnesota Magicians this weekend could have major implications on the playoff picture for the Jr. Blues as a sweep could catapult them into second place.
