St. Louis Jr. Blues (11-3-0-0, 22 pts) vs. Nashville Jr. Predators (8-2-3-0, 19 pts)
VENUE: Affton Ice Rink, Affton, Mo.
GAME TIMES: November 5 at 7:00 PM, November 6 at 1:00 PM (all times Central)
WHERE TO FOLLOW: All Jr. Blues home games are streamed live in high definition on HockeyTV.com (subscription required). Join Jr. Blues Director of Media Kevin Gier and Grant Francis on the call. On Twitter, follow @JrBluesGameday for live updates.
WHO’S HOT FOR THE JR. BLUES: Joe Nolan (Arlington Heights, Ill.) had a great weekend during the Jr. Blues’ series split last weekend in Peoria. Against the Mustangs, the defenseman scored three goals and added an assist.
JUNIOR BLUES GET MONTHLY HONORS: Goaltender Hunter Smith (Flower Mound, Tx.) was named as runner-up in the NA3HL’s Vaughn Goaltender of the Month award for October, on the strength of his 4-0-0 record for the month with a 1.84 GAA and .936 save percentage overall. Nick Balestra (Ballwin, Mo.) and Trevor Wilhelm (St. Louis, Mo.) were both named as honorable mentions in the NA3HL Bauer Forward and Defenseman of the Month awards, respectively.
ALUMNI UPDATE: Frankie Melton, who played parts of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with the Jr. Blues, currently leads the NAHL in goals: in 15 games for the Shreveport Mudbugs, the forward has scored 14 times, and is in third place in the league in overall points with 20. Also in the NAHL, Adam Roeder (Jr. Blues 2013-14) has captained the Janesville Jets to first place in the Midwest Division, adding ten points (3G+7A) in the process. On the college front, defenseman Kyle Meeh (Jr. Blues 2012-2014) scored his first NCAA point last weekend in his first game for Saint Mary’s (NCAA DIII-MIAC), recording an assist in a 3-3 tie against St. Thomas. Also, forward Trey Dodd (Jr. Blues 2012-13) has played in both games for Brown (NCAA DI-ECAC), but has yet to record a point.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Jr. Predators sit three points behind the Jr. Blues in the Midwest Division standings, but were swept in last weekend’s series at Evansville, losing 3-2 in both fixtures. However, the Preds picked up a point on Saturday, as that loss was in overtime. Coached by former NHL Predators stars JP Dumont and Chris Mason (whom Blues fans remember well from his time in St. Louis), they are led by forward Logan Orem with 18 points (8G+10A). Interestingly, the Jr. Preds are tied for the league lead in overtime losses, having had three defeats in the extra session.
JUNIOR NOTES: This will be the second of three series between the Jr. Blues and Nashville, as they split their first two meetings.
