Springfield Jr. Blues vs Kenai River Brown Bears | Sept. 29th & 30th | The Nelson Center
It was a rough start for the Springfield Jr. Blues, dropping the opening contest of their 25th anniversary season to divisional rival Janesville 5-3. However, the team turned it around in Blaine, MN at the NAHL Showcase.
Springfield rode timely scoring and great goaltending to a 3-1 record that puts them in a tie for 2nd place in the NAHL Midwest division with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, who will visit The Nelson Center next weekend. But first, Springfield will play host to the Kenai River Brown Bears on Friday and Saturday night.
Friday night kicks off with Happy Hour from 6:00-6:45pm with puck drop at 7:05pm.
Saturday Night is Kids Club Night at the Nelson Center with puck drop at 6:05pm. Kids Club members receive free admission and free skate rental for the post-game skate with the Springfield Jr. Blues. For information on joining the Kids Club, fans can email info@jrblues.com or call 217.525.2589
Fans can purchase tickets for this weekend by CLICKING HERE and SAVE off the price at the door!
KENAI RIVER BROWN BEARS
Tale Of The Tape:
Record: 1-3-0-0, 2 Pts. (4th in Midwest)
Goals Per Game: 4.00/Game
Goals Against Average: 3.25/Game
Scoring Leaders: Gil Garcia (4 GP, 5 Goals-2 Assists-7 Points), Luke Radetic (4 GP, 3 Goals-2 Assists-5 Points)
Forward To Watch:
Luke Radetic: The Springfield Jr Blues and their fans should be familiar with Luke Radetic by now. Radetic played his rookie NAHL season with the Springfield Jr. Blues in 2015-16 and played well against his former team last season. Against Springfield in 2016-17, Radetic scored 3 goals and had 1 assist while averaging over 4 shots per game. The Chesterfield, MO native is off to a fast start this season and Springfield should keep a very close eye on him.
Manning the Blue Line:
Cameron McDonald: At the ripe age of 16 years old, Cameron McDonald was able to put up some eye-popping numbers at the NAHL Showcase. In his past two games, McDonald has tallied 5 assists including 4 in the Brown Bears previous game against the Minnesota Wilderness.
Between The Pipes:
Artur Pavliukov: The Lithuania native was rather impressive in his 3 games at the NAHL showcase. Pavliukov stopped 97 of 103 shots faced to a tune of .942 save percentage and 2.18 Goals Against Average. At 6’3, the Springfield players won’t have much net to shoot at, but will hope to break through against the Kenai River net-minder.
SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES
Tale Of The Tape:
Record: 3-2-0-0, 6 Pts. (T-2nd in Midwest)
Goals Per Game: 2.40/Game
Goals Against Average: 3.00/Game
Top Scorers: Fletcher Fineman (5 GP, 3 Goals-0 Assists-3 Points), Jordan Muzzillo (5GP, 2 G-1 A-3 Pts.), Bradley Marek (4 GP, 1 G-2A-3 Pts)
Forward To Watch:
Bradley Marek: The newest member of the Springfield Jr. Blues made a splash at the NAHL showcase. Marek, a 16 year old native of Big Rapids, MI, has 3 points in his first 4 NAHL games. The Michigan State commit will play in his first game at The Nelson Center this weekend, so Springfield fans be sure to give him a BIG welcome.
Manning The Blue Line:
Fletcher Fineman: In his first 51 games with the Springfield Jr. Blues, Fletcher Fineman had 0 goals to his name. In his last 6 games, dating back to last year, the Union College commit has 4 goals and currently leads the team with 3 goals on the season.
Between The Pipes:
Juraj Ovecka: The Springfield Jr. Blues goaltender was the talk of the town coming out of the NAHL Showcase. Ovecka posted a 3-0 record with a 1.65 goals against average and a .954 save percentage. With his performance, the Slovakia native was awarded with the NAHL Midwest Division Star of the Week.
