By MorinvilleNews.com Staff
Morinville – Sunday night’s home-ice contest against the North Edmonton Red Wings was a different affair from last year’s matchups. Rather than facing a strong club that dominated the West Division in 2010, the Jets squared off against a bottom-dwelling club with just two wins in 15 outings. But the Red Wings did not hand the Jets their 7-5 victory; they made them work for it. And the Jets did just that.
After Red Wing Zac Carr lit the lamp for his club, the Jets and Red Wings answered each other’s goals throughout the first period, the Jets getting the upper hand with a 3-2 lead heading into the middle frame. Two of the three Jets’ goals were scored on the power play.
Second period action saw the Jets pick up another three goals to the Red Wings one. Again, two of Morinville’s goals were scored on the power play.
With a 6-3 lead to start the third period, the Jets let an even-strength goal get past them before picking up another power play goal to answer it. North Edmonton’s final goal, scored on the power play with 3:35 left in the game was too little too late to give them an opportunity of taking the contest to overtime.
Sunday’s win brings the Jets to an 11-3-1 record. With 23 points in the standing, they sit four points ahead of their closest West Division rivals, the Spruce Grove Regals and Beverly Warriors – two teams tied for second spot. Overall, the Jets sit solidly in third spot in the league – three points behind the Edmonton Royals and four points behind the league-leading Sherwood Park Knights.
The Red Wings contest showed the Jets are well capable of rippling their opponent’s mesh on the power play. With 20 power play goals this season, Sunday night’s game accounted for 25 per cent of the season power play goal tally. If the club can maintain that momentum and work to reduce penalty time (a situation that has cost the club 17 goals this season) they should have no problem being well positioned crossing the half season mark.
The Jets travel to Spruce Grove Wednesday night, there to close or widen the gap between themselves and the Regals. Sunday’s home game will see the Jets take on the 7-6-0 Beaumont Chiefs. Game time is 6:45 p.m. at the Ray McDonald Sports Centre.
