Jr. Blues Dominate Jr. Owls, Win 4-0!

 

In a game that easily could have been a large blowout, the Jr. Blues beat the Grand Rapids team for the second time this weekend.  After a scoreless first period, Tim Jost scored the only goal of the second period.  Brendan Sheehan forced an errant pass that Jost picked off and quickly shot it past the hot Grand Rapids goaltender.  The third period saw the Jr. Blues finally convert their scoring chances.  Chris Saracino scored a power play goal off a Tim Jost pass.  Then moments later, Saracino scored his second power play goal.  This time Scott Keeven won the face-off to C.J. Jung who passed to Saracino for the goal.  Max Barron then completed the scoring converting a passing play from Kyle Gouge and Grant Everett.  Goaltender Robby Moss started another shutout streak as he successfully handled 21 shots.

 

Grand Rapids 0-0-0-0

St. Louis 0-1-3-4

 

Shots:

Grand Rapids 7-4-8-21

St. Louis 17-17-15-49

 

Goals/Power plays

Grand Rapids 0/7

St. Louis 2/8

 

Scoring:

Chris Saracino 2 goals

Tim Jost 1 goal, 1 assist

Max Barron 1 goal

Scott Keeven 1 assist

CJ Jung 1 assist

Grant Everett 1 assist

Kyle Gouge 1 assist

Robby Moss made 21 saves for the shutout.

Jr. Blues Skate Past Jr. Owls!

 

This game was a great crowd pleaser with a little bit of everything.  With both teams skating at full intensity the Jr. Blues scored the only goal of the first period.  Kyle Gouge scored on a backhander off a Grant Everett pass.  Ryan Holzum also assisted on the goal.

 

The second period was a wild one with seven goals being scored.  Ryan Kretzer scored a short-handed breakaway goal to give the Jr. Blues a 2-0 lead.  But the Jr. Owls scored seconds later to make it 2-1.  Bret Morrell then put the Jr. Blues up by two again as he blasted a shot past the goaltender on the power play.  Ryan Holzum poked the puck to Morrell winning a battle in front to get the assist.  Just one minute later, the Jr. Owls scored again cutting the lead to 3-2.  Ryan Kretzer then scored on a perfect passing play on a 5-on-3 advantage.  Bret Morrell hit Chad Larkowski in the corner and Larkowski hit Kretzer back door for the goal.  The Jr. Owls wouldn't go away and scored a power play goal themselves to cut that lead to 4-3.  With just 11 seconds remaining in the period, Eddie Effinger scored on a perfect shot off the rush on the power play.  Bret Morrell and Dan Weiss assisted on the goal. 

 

The Jr. Blues finished the game strong in the third period scoring the only goals.  On the power play, Bret Morrell hit Tom Lange streaking into the zone.  Lange faked the shot, beat the defenseman and hit Ryan Loach who was driving the net for the goal.  Special teams go to work again as Eddie Effinger scores a short handed goal late in the third period converting a Ryan Kretzer rebound.   Jr. Blues scored 4 power play goals and 2 short handed goals in the game.  Cal Heeter made 28 saves on 31 shots for the win. 

 

Grand Rapids 0-3-0-3

St. Louis  1-4-2-7

 

Shots:

Grand Rapids 11-8-12-31

St. Louis 18-22-11-51

 

Goals/Power plays

Grand Rapids 2/7

St. Louis 4/8

 

Scoring:

Bret Morrell 1 goal, 3 assists

Ryan Kretzer 2 goals, 1 assist

Eddie Effinger 2 goals

Chad Larkowski 2 assists

Ryan Holzum 2 assists

Ryan Loach 1 goal

Kyle Gouge 1 goal

Dan Weiss 1 assist

Grant Everett 1 assist

Tom Lange 1 assist

Cal Heeter made 28 saves on 31 shots

Jr. Blues Bounce Back in Third Period to Beat Cleveland!

 

The Jr. Blues dug themselves a huge hole in the Showcase's first game.  Down 3-0 entering the third period, most would have counted the Jr. Blues out.  But, the resilient Jr. Blues came to life in the third period.  Ryan Holzum sparked the come back as he took an offensive face-off early in the period.  Holzum walked the center and then beat the goaltender with a backhander to get it going for the Jr. Blues.  Grant Everett converted a Brendan Sheehan pass with a quick shot top shelf.  With the Jr. Blues now smelling a come from behind win, they continued to pressure.  Tom Lange converted a Max Barron pass on the power play to tie the game with 10 minutes remaining.  The Jr. Blues pressured throughout the rest of the period.  Chad Larkowski hit Eddie Effinger with a perfect pass on a two on one break.  Effinger one-timed the puck across his body on the forehand to give the Jr. Blues their first lead with 3 minutes to play.  Ryan Kretzer scored an insurance goal with 40 seconds remaining after Effinger won a battle in the corner and fed Kretzer behind the net.  Kretzer faked one way and went the other and scored on the jam.  Rob Moss had his shut-out streak ended at 180 minutes.  Moss held on despite giving up 3 second period goals and recorded the win.

 

St. Louis 0-0-5-5

Cleveland 0-3-0-3

 

Shots:

St. Louis 11-9-19-39

Cleveland 7-13-3-23

 

Goals/Power plays

St. Louis 1/3

Cleveland 0/2

 

Scoring:

Eddie Effinger 1 goal, 1 assist

Ryan Kretzer 1 goal

Tom Lange 1 goal

Grant Everett 1 goal

Ryan Holzum 1 goal

Dan Weiss 1 assist

Brendan Sheehan 1 assist
Chad Larkowski 1 assist
Max Barron 1 assist
Rob Moss made 20 saves on 23 shots.

Jr. Blues Sweep Toledo Again!

 

The Sunday match-up was a good one as both teams were scoreless in the first period.  The Cherokee were held off the board the first half of the game as the Jr. Blues successfully killed 5 penalties and only having one power play opportunity in the same span.   Late in the second period, the Jr. Blues created an odd man rush.  Ryan Loach saw defenseman Joe Combs join the play and hit him with a perfect pass.  With everyone thinking shot, Combs returned the pass and Loach perfectly backhanded the goal.  Tom Lange started the play in the neutral zone.  Then, with the Cherokee tackling a man driving the net, the Jr. Blues were given a power play chance.  Right off the face-off, another Cherokee took a spearing penalty putting the Jr. Blues up 5 on 3.  The Jr. Blues made easy work of the opportunity.  All 5 players were involved.  Larkowski back to Morrell to Effinger down deep to Kretzer hitting Gouge for the one-timer in the slot for the goal.  Spectacular passing play put St. Louis up 2-0.  Then, in the closing seconds, with both teams a man short.  Pat Dolan hit Tom Lange from deep in his zone with a perfect pass at the far blue line.  Lange undressed the Toledo goaltender giving St. Louis a 3-0 lead.  The third period was a smart one for St. Louis limiting the Cherokee to weak outside shots.  Toledo broke the shutout with 3 minutes remaining but never again put pressure on the Jr. Blues.  Cal Heeter was spectacular particularly in the second period making numerous outstanding saves.  Heeter made 36 saves to record his 11 victory for the season. 

 

The victory gave the Jr. Blues a weekend sweep against the Cherokee out scoring them 9-1.  The season was a sweep also for the Jr. Blues out scoring Toledo 23-5 in their 4 meetings this season.  The Jr. Blues amazingly inch closer to their 5th consecutive CSHL League Championship with the sweep. 

 

St. Louis 0-3-0-3

Toledo 0-0-0-1

 

Shots:

St. Louis 9-18-8-35

Toledo 9-10-18-37

 

Goals/Power Plays

St. Louis 1/7

Toledo 0/7

 

Scoring:

Tom Lange 1 goal, 1 assist

Ryan Loach 1 goal

Kyle Gouge 1 goal

Joe Combs 1 assist

Pat Dolan 1 assist

Ryan Kretzer 1 assist

Eddie Effinger 1 assist

Cal Heeter made 36 saves on 37 shots.

Jost' Hat-Trick and Moss's
Shutout Downs Toledo!

The Jr. Blues knew the Cherokee had a score to settle after sweeping them back in St. Louis in October.  But Robby Moss was spectacular in the first period making 16 saves.  Tim Jost got the scoring going midway through the period as he converted a two on one break.  The play started with a perfect breakout pass by Pat Dolan to winger Ryan Loach.  Loach then quickly hit Tom Lange who flew past one defender and then sent Jost in alone with a perfect pass.  With the Jr. Blues on the power play, the Cherokee attempted an aggressive forecheck.  The Toledo forward made a bad pass from behind the St. Louis net and the puck went clear to the far blue line.  Tim Jost anticipating the play, took the puck on a clear breakaway and buried the shot past the goaltender to give the Jr. Blues a 2-0 first period lead. 

The second period was a great one for the Jr. Blues as they exploded for four goals.  Ryan Kretzer finished a great scoring play with all five Jr. Blues handling the puck on the power play before finishing the play.  Eddie Effinger and Chad Larkowski assisted the goal.  Then, with the Jr. Blues dominating and pressuring the Cherokee, Bret Morrell intercepted a clearing pass and blasted a shot the goaltender could only get a piece of.  Tim Jost then completed his hat-trick with another great forechecking display by the Jr. Blues.  Joe Combs and Ryan Loach combined to keep the puck in the zone.  Loach then fed Lange who found Jost alone in front as he made no mistake.  To finish the scoring, Dan Weiss blasted a shot from the point for a power play goal with Chad Larkowski and Ryan Kretzer assisting.   

Robby Moss and the Jr. Blues shut down the Cherokee in the third period.  Moss recorded his second consecutive shutout and extended his scoreless streak to 155 minutes.  Moss was injured in late October and saw his first CSHL game this weekend.  Great to see him picking up right where he left off!

St. Louis 2-4-0-6
Toledo 0-0-0-0

Shots:
St. Louis 10-17-5-32
Toledo 16-9-13-38

Goals/Power Plays
St. Louis 3/8
Toledo 0/7

Scoring:
Tim Jost 3 goals
Ryan Kretzer 1 goal, 1 assist
Tom Lange 2 assists
Chad Larkowski 2 assists
Ryan Loach 2 assists
Dan Weiss 1 goal
Bret Morrell 1 goal
Eddie Effinger 1 assist
Robby Moss made 38 saves for the shutout.