Danny Brown scores the game winner against the Toledo Cherokee Saturday night. 

Jr. Blues Beat Cherokee 5-2!

The third place Toledo Cherokee looked to be the Jr. Blues biggest test of the season.  The Cherokee certainly did not disappoint the large St. Louis home crowd as they scored the games first goal on a power play.  Late in the first period, Michael Davies tied the score, with Tony Jost and Cory Spradling assisting. 

The second period started poorly for the Jr. Blues.  The Cherokee took the lead early in the period.  Then the Jr. Blues were placed two men short.  After one penalty was killed, defenseman Mike Hewkin was checked heavily into the boards, knocking the wind out of him.  As the play continued, Ken Jacobsmeyer lost his stick but Danny Brown was able to clear the puck.  Brown applied pressure as Jacobsmeyer picked up a new stick from the bench.  Then Jacobsmeyer intercepted a Cherokee pass and sniped a perfect shot against the much traveled Brett Reeves.  Moments later, Brown and Jacobsmeyer teamed up again on a 2 on 1 break.  This time Jacobsmeyer was driving the net as Brown fired a quick shot for the goal.  

With a 3-2 lead starting the third period, the Jr. Blues played a smart but aggressive period.  With five minutes remaining, Shawn Gawrys won a battle in the corner and cycled the puck to Zach Barron, Barron then hit Kyle O'Kane as he cut to the net giving the Jr. Blues an insurance goal.  But the game wasn't over as the Jr. Blues found themselves 2 men short again with 2:41 remaining in the game.  With the Cherokee goaltender pulled the Jr. Blues scratched out the penalty kill.  Netminder Devan McConnell made the save of the game robbing the Cherokee half way through the power play. Then Joey Vitale blocked a shot, ran over the Cherokee defenseman to clear the zone and finished the play beating the Cherokee to the puck as he deposited the empty net 6 on 3 short handed goal.

Toledo  1-1-0-2
St. Louis  1-2-2-5

Shots:
Toledo   5-18-13-36
St. Louis  11-12-12-35

Scoring:
Ken Jacobsmeyer 1 goal, 1 assist
Danny Brown  1 goal
Michael Davies  1 goal
Kyle O'Kane   1 goal
Shawn Gawrys  1 assist
Tony Jost  1 assist
Cory Spradling  1 assist
Zach Barron   1 assist
Branden Moran  1 assist

Devan McConnell made 34 saves on 36 shots.

October 26th vs. Toledo Cherokee

Michael Davies scored a hat trick in the 3rd period and added an assist to lead the Jr. Blues to a weekend sweep of Toledo.

Michael Davies Third Period Hat-Trick Sparks Big Jr. Blues Comeback!

The Cherokee showed in the first period why they are one of the top teams in the CSHL.  The Cherokee jumped out to a 3-1 lead.  Tony Jost scored the Jr. Blues lone goal with Cory Spradling and Michael Davies assisting.

The second period was dominated by the Cherokee as they scored the only goal of the period with 35 seconds remaining.  The Cherokee held the Jr. Blues to only 6 shots in the second period.

The game then fell into the hands of Michael Davies. Certainly a great pair of hands to hold the Jr. Blues fate.  Early in the period, Davies scored to close the gap to 4-2.  With the Jr. Blues successfully killing their 7th penalty, Larry Kopecky undressed the Cherokee defenseman and goaltender on a spectacular short handed play.  The Jr. Blues continued to pressure, and converted a power play goal with Davies netting the tying goal with 9:20 remaining in the game.  Three minutes later, Davies electrified the crowd with his third goal of the period after he circled the Cherokee defense.  Larry Kopecky then netted an empty net goal in the last minute of play.  The big come from behind win proved to be a great test for the young Jr. Blues who continue to impress the CSHL.

Toledo  3-1-0-4
St. Louis  1-0-5-6

Shots:
Toledo   12-13-10-35
St. Louis  10-6-12-28

Scoring:

Michael Davies  3 goals, 1 assist
Larry Kopecky 2 goals
Tony Jost 1 goal, 1 assist
Cory Spradling 2 assists
Shawn Wring   2 assists
Pete Wildhaber  1 assist

Derek Szesny recorded his 8th win making 31 saves on 35 shots.

Ken Jacobsmeyer scored twice but the Jr. Blues only salvage a tie vs. Metro.

The Jr. Blues started their game Saturday night fairly well.  Ken Jacobsmeyer scored a short handed goal and a power play goal to give the Jr. Blues a 2-0 first period lead.  On the short handed goal, Jacobsmeyer intercepted a pass at the Jets blue line and snapped a quick shot from the slot.  His power play goal was an easy tap in as Derek Janssen slid a perfect pass through the goal mouth to an awaiting Jacobsmeyer.  Although they led by two, the Jets out played and out worked the Jr. Blues in the period.

The second and third periods were much like the first.  The Jets outplayed the Jr. Blues scoring two second period goals.  The Jr. Blues barely competed in the third and had several good scoring chances in over time but were unable to convert.  

St. Louis 2-0-0-0-2
Metro 0-2-0-0-2

Shots:
St. Louis 7-4-6-6-23
Metro 10-10-8-1-29

Scoring:
Ken Jacobsmeyer 2 goals
Derek Janssen 1 assist
Pat Dolan 1 assist

Devan McConnell made 27 saves on 29 shots.

October 19th vs. Motor City Chiefs

Shawn Gawrys continued his strong play scoring 2 goals to lead the Jr. Blues over Motor City.

Big First Period Lifts the Jr. Blues!

After an embarrassing performance the night before, the Jr. Blues showed a marked improvement in their game.  Michael Davies scored the games first goal on a quick shot that deflected in the net off of a Motor City defenseman.  The Jr. Blues then took advantage of 3 quick goals in the last 1:39 of the first period.  Shawn Gawrys started the flurry with a long wrist shot with Zach Barron  and Kyle O'Kane each getting an assist on the goal.  Seconds later, Gawrys scored a beautiful goal on a breakaway.  Pat Dolan registered an assist on the play.  The final goal came with the Jr. Blues shorthanded.  Joey Vitale picked up a Jim Jost clearing tip in the neutral zone and scored on another breakaway.

Larry Kopecky converted a rebound in the second period to close out the scoring for the game.  Derek Szesny recorded his second shutout of the season in his 7th victory.

St. Louis 4-1-0-5
Motor City 0-0-0-0

Scoring:
Shawn Gawrys 2 goals
Joey Vitale 1 goal, 1 assist
Michael Davies 1 goal
Larry Kopecky 1 goal
Pete Wildhaber 1 assist
Zach Barron 1 assist
Kyle O'Kane 1 assist
Pat Dolan 1 assist
Jim Jost 1 assist
Mike Hewkin 1 assist

Derek Szesny recorded his second shut out making 22 saves.

Shawn Gawrys scored his first goal in the losing effort at Grand Rapids.

Jr. Blues Suffer First Loss!

The Jr. Blues started Saturdays game with a flurry of shots.  Shawn Gawrys scored a pretty goal off of a perfect Kyle O'Kane feed.  Moments later, Mike Keeven scored his first CSHL goal, firing a rocket from the point.  From that point on, the Jr. Owls took control of the play, scoring quickly to cut the Jr. Blues lead to 2-1 after the first period.

Grand Rapids dominated the second period as the Jr. Blues only managed 5 shots on goal for the period.  Devan McConnell kept the score close but the Jr. Owls took the lead late in the period with a power play goal.

The Jr. Blues had two shorthanded chances early in the third period, but failed to score.  Grand Rapids turned right around and scored on a power play to give the Jr. Owls a 4-2 lead.  Grand Rapids added two more goals before the Jr. Blues could answer with their third goal.  Derek Janssen scored on a Danny Brown pass for the Jr. Blues only goal of the period.  The 6-3 loss was the most goals allowed in 67 games for the Jr. Blues.

St. Louis 2-0-1-3
Grand Rapids 1-2-3-6

Shots:
St. Louis 8-5-19-32
Grand Rapids 10-11-12-33

Scoring:
Derek Janssen 1 goal
Shawn Gawrys 1 goal
Mike Keeven 1 goal
Danny Brown 1 assist
Kyle O'Kane 1 assist

Devan McConnell made 27 saves on 33 shots

Derek Janssen scored with 1:12 on the clock to salvage a win in Grand Rapids.

Derek Janssen Saves the Weekend for the Jr. Blues!

The Jr. Blues had something to prove on Sunday as they were still smarting from a bad loss Saturday night.  After a scoreless first period, Larry Kopecky scored the games first goal early in the second period on a breakaway.  Grand Rapids answered quickly scoring two goals and taking the lead.  Late in the period, Pete Wildhaber sniped a power play goal from the point to tie the score 2-2 after two periods.

The third period was a high tempo, hard fought period.  With 6:58 remaining, Michael Davies scored to give the Jr. Blues the lead.  Davies was set up by a perfect drop pass from Danny Brown on a two-on-one break.  With the game seemingly in hand, the Jr. Blues drew a questionable penalty with two and a half minutes to play.  The Jr. Owls took advantage and scored to tie the game with only two minutes to go.  The game was now to be decided on one play.  Derek Janssen used his speed to create a scoring opportunity.  Janssen sniped a perfect shot off the goal post to win the game with 1:12 to play.

St. Louis 0-2-2-4
Grand Rapids 0-2-1-3

Shots:
St. Louis 11-14-11-36
Grand Rapids 12-11-11-34

Scoring:
Pete Wildhaber 1 goal
Derek Janssen 1 goal
Larry Kopecky 1 goal
Michael Davies 1 goal
Danny Brown 1 assist
Mike Hewkin 1 assist
Joey Vitale 1 assist
Mike Keeven 1 assist

Derek Szesny recorded his 6th victory making 31 saves on 34 shots.

Devan McConnell had another strong outing stopping 28 of 29 shots to pick up his 3rd win.

Jr. Blues Sneak By the Force!

The Jr. Blues started a new rivalry with their first ever game vs. the Chicago Force.  Many of the players from the two hockey communities have done battle for years.  The game was an exciting, high-paced showcase of skill on both squads.  After a scoreless first period, Kyle O'Kane scored in the second off of a Shawn Gawrys feed.  Later in the second, Tony Jost scored off of a quick cycling play with Cory Spradling and Michael Davies picking up the assists.  The rest of the period, Devan McConnell kept the Jr. Blues in front with several key saves.

The Jr. Blues began the tense third period with a slim 2-0 lead.  Zach Barron eased the tension with a power play goal with 7 minutes to play.  The Force came back with 6 minutes to go in the period.  Devan McConnell played well in the net stopping 28 of 29 shots.

St. Louis 0-2-1-3
Chicago 0-0-1-1

Shots:
St. Louis 16-8-12-36
Chicago 10-11-8-29

Scoring:
Shawn Gawrys 2 assists
Kyle O'Kane 1 goal
Tony Jost 1 goal
Zach Barron 1 goal
Pete Wildhaber 1 assist
Mike Keeven 1 assist
Cory Spradling 1 assist
Mike Davies 1 assist

Devan McConnell made 28 saves on 29 shots.

Joe Vitale's return helps power the Jr. Blues in weekend sweep of Chicago.

Reunited Line Dominates the Force!

The last time Joe Vitale, Jimmy Jost and Larry Kopecky played together was the National Championship game last April.  The three players were the most productive line in that National tournament and with the return of Joe Vitale, the line is back in full force.

Vitale started the scoring as he converted a rebound off of a Larry Kopecky shot in the first period.  Jim Jost picked up the second assist on the play.  Kyle O'Kane gave the Jr. Blues a two goal lead, roofing a perfect shot that sent the water bottle soaring.  Shawn Gawrys started the play by making a spectacular pass to O'Kane.  Shortly after, the reunited line struck again.  Vitale scored his second of the game with assists going to Kopecky and Mike Keeven.

The second period featured end to end action as both teams displayed their skating skill.  But the Jr. Blues were able to capture the momentum once again.  The next Jr. Blues goal was an amazing display of tic-tac-toe passing with Cory Spradling tapping the final pass into an empty net.  Tony Jost and Michael Davies helped make the spectacular play off of a 3-1 rush.  Kyle O'Kane scored his second of the day on a late power play goal to give the Jr. Blues a commanding 5-0 lead heading into the third period.

The third period was a great testament of the never say die attitude of the Chicago Force.  The Force scored two goals, peppering the St. Louis net with 16 shots in the period.  In the end Derek Szesny was too sharp and ended the game with his 5th win of the season.

St. Louis 3-2-0-5
Chicago 0-0-2-2

Shots:
St. Louis 16-24-7-47
Chicago 12-13-16-41

Scoring:
Joe Vitale 2 goals
Kyle O'Kane 2 goals
Larry Kopecky 2 assists
Cory Spradling 1 goal
Jim Jost 1 assist
Shawn Gawrys 1 assist
Tony Jost 1 assist
Michael Davies 1 assist
Mike Keeven 1 assist

Derek Szesny made 39 saves on 41 shots.

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