St. Louis Jr. Blues (5-5-1, 11 pts) vs. Peoria Mustangs (11-3-1-1, 24 points)
VENUE: Owens Center, Peoria, Illinois
GAME DATES AND TIMES: Two-game set. Saturday, January 2 at 6:45 pm CT and Sunday at 1:15 pm CT.
WHERE TO FOLLOW: All Jr. Blues games are streamed live and in high definition on www.hockeytv.com (subscription required). Follow our Twitter @JrBluesHockey for live updates.
NOTES RETURN TO OWENS: These will be the third and fourth games that the Jr. Blues have played at the Owens Center in the last 30 days. The Blues took on the Oregon Tradesmen in Peoria Dec. 4-5 due to a lack of suitable ice in St. Louis. The Notes dropped a 5-2 decision Friday night before winning 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.
CARLSON EARNS STAR OF THE WEEK: Goaltender Owen Carlson picked up Bauer/NA3HL Central Division Star of the Week honors for his performance between the pipes: he stopped all 18 shots he faced making a relief appearance on Friday before turning aside 32 of 34 Tradesmen shots Dec. 5. Forward Vinny Servizzi was honored as an Honorable Mention selection on the back of his three goals scored in the series.
EXCELLENT SERV-ICE: Vinny Servizzi has netted five goals in the last four games. The former Chaminade Collegiate Prep is enjoying a historic start to his time sporting the Note. His four-game goal streak is the longest to start a Jr. Blues career since the 2015-16 season. That year, Zach Mitchell found the back of the net in ten consecutive games before receiving an NAHL call-up to Brookings.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: Peoria has been the strongest team in the Central Division over the last 10 games. The Mustangs are 8-2 in that span. Peoria currently sits in second in the division, trailing Rochester by six points for the top spot. Goalie Cole Walter ranks in the top 3 in the division with a 1.70 GAA. Walter has proven to be one of the most durable goalies in the NA3HL. He currently ranks fourth in the league with 740 total minutes on the ice. He ranks third in the league with three shutouts. The Mustangs won eight straight from Nov. 14 to Dec. 19. Ethan Chesney paces the team with 16 points. He and Connor Bennett have each netted eight goals this season.
JUNIOR NOTES: Watch the Jr. Blues social media pages for information on games that will be rescheduled in 2021. The Jr. Blues can be found on Facebook @STLJrBlues. The team is also on Instagram @stljrblues and now on TikTok @stljrblues. On behalf of the entire Jr. Blues team, coaching staff, support staff, and family, we wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and, most importantly, safe new year!
#JRBLUES#
