Springfield, Illinois – The Springfield Jr. Blues, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), are coming off a big weekend where we took three out of four possible points in our series against the North Iowa Bulls. The Jr. Blues currently sit in 8th place in the Midwest Division with a 6-10-2-1 record and 15 points.
We opened our weekend with a 2-1 victory on Friday night after we jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two periods. Erie, PA native Logan Sutton notched a power play in the first, and Zach Howard scored late in the second to give us a two-goal lead heading into the final frame. North Iowa would eventually get on the board midway through the third but could not find a way to tie the game.
JJ Cataldo stopped 34 of 35 to pick up his 6th win of the season as he has proved once again to be the workhorse in the net for the Jr. Blues. Aidan Dyer, Andon Coles, Anthony Ruklic and Isaac Keller all had assists for the Jr. Blues in the contest.
Saturday saw North Iowa jump out to a 2-0 lead after the first period. Zach Howard would cut the lead to one when he scored his second goal of the weekend, but the Bulls would add another late in the period to regain a two-goal lead heading into the third. Trey Jefferis would add two goals in the third period for the Jr. Blues to tie the game, and despite a back-and-forth overtime period, the game headed to a shootout where the Bulls would ultimately win and take a 4-3 victory.
Cataldo stropped 21 of 24 and would take the loss in net. Jake Peterson, Dyer and Keller picked up assists for the Jr. Blues.
The boys will travel to Eagle River, WI this weekend for a matchup with the Windigo on Friday and Saturday. Both games will start at 7 pm CST and can be streamed live on NAHLTV.
