The Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets scored four goals in the third period of a 6-3 North American Hockey League win to stun the Kenai River Brown Bears Friday night at the Janesville Ice Arena.
Janesville scored five straight goals to rally from a two-goal deficit, lifting the Jets to 23-13-4 in the NAHL Midwest division and in a tie for third with the Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues. Meanwhile, the Brown Bears dropped to 3-40-1, last among all teams in the NAHL, and now ride a seven-game losing streak into Saturday’s 4 p.m. (AKST) matchup with the Jets.
Kenai River led 3-1 late in the second period, but a power play goal by Jeff Alderfer with 58 ticks remaining the frame started a landslide that the Bears couldn’t stop.
Another power play goal, this one by Taylor Fernandez, tied it up at the 2:53 mark of the third period, and with 11:21 left in the game, Jake Bresser pulled off the go-ahead winner to put the Jets in the lead for the first time all night.
Michael Maloney scored an insurance goal with 6:38 to go, and Adrian Holesinsky converted on another power play with 2:15 left to seal the win.
Overall, Janesville was 3 for 8 on the power play in another game that saw penalties hurt the Bears. In all, Kenai River suffered 11 penalties for 43 minutes of penalty kill time.
Kenai River defenseman Davis Sebald was ejected early in the third period for a spearing call, which helped to set up the game tying Fernandez goal.
Kenai River struggled to put pucks on net, as Janesville outshot the Bears 53-16 overall.
A fighting penalty just 14 seconds into the game foreshadowed what was to come, as Janesville’s Pat Gazzilo and Kenai River’s Kyle Martin were both sat for major misconduct penalties.
The Bears opened up the scoring, as Connor Nilson slipped the puck by Janesville goalie Jack LaFontaine at the midway mark of the first period. A Dawson DiPietro goal just two minutes later tied up the affair for the Jets.
Joey Sardina and Miro Lehtimaki scored in the second period, putting the Browns Bears up 3-1 and forcing Janesville head coach Joe Dibble to pull LaFontaine in favor of Blake Weyrick. LaFontaine ended up saving 8 of 11 shots.
With Weyrick in goal, the Jets found new life. Kenai River forward Mike Taormina was charged with a slashing penalty about a minute after Lehtimaki’s goal, and Alderfer converted on the ensuing power play opportunity.
Ultimately, Weyrick saved all five shots he encountered in goal. Magnus Lindhe stopped 47 of 53 shots in the net for Kenai River.
Friday
Jets 6, Brown Bears 3
Kenai River 1 2 0 —3
Janesville 1 1 4 —6
1st period — 1. Kenai River, Nilson (Fasegha, Hank), 9:57; 2. Janesville, DiPietro (Holesinsky, Sellar), 12:00. Penalties — Kenai River 4 for 19:00; Janesville 2 for 15:00.
2nd period — 3. Kenai River, Sardina (Goodmanson, Hank), pp, 2:57; 4. Kenai River, Lehtimaki (Sardina, Martin), 16:13; 5. Janesville, Alderfer (Roye, Sellar), pp, 19:02. Penalties — Kenai River 4 for 8:00; Janesville 3 for 6:00.
3rd period — 6. Janesville, Fernandez (Paskus, Smith), pp, 2:53; 7. Janesville, Bresser (Grissom, Hoffmann), 8:39; 8. Janesville, Maloney (Paskus, Bates), 13:22; 9. Janesville, Holesinsky (Winborg, Fernandez), pp, 17:45. Penalties — Kenai River 3 for 16:00.
Shots on goal — Kenai River 6-5-5—16; Janesville 17-18-18—53.
Goalies — Kenai River, Lindhe (53 shots, 47 saves); Janesville, Weyrick (5 shots, 5 saves), LaFontaine (11 shots, 8 saves).
Power plays — Kenai River 1 for 2; Janesville 3 for 8.
