ST. LOUIS JR. BLUES WEEKEND PREVIEW: FEBRUARY 15-16

Feb 15, 2019

St. Louis Jr. Blues (30-7-3, 63 pts) vs North Iowa Bulls (27-10-2, 56pts)

VENUE: North Iowa Arena, Mason City, Iowa

GAME TIMES: February 15 and 16 at 7:30 pm (all times Central)

WHERE TO FOLLOW: All Jr. Blues games are streamed live on HockeyTV.com (subscription required). On Twitter, follow @JrBluesHockey for live updates, as well as on Instagram @STLJrBlues.

A QUICK RECAP: St. Louis saw their division lead narrowed to five points last weekend after a 1-1-1 split at Coulee Region. Standouts on the weekend were Nate Sargent (3 G, including the game-winner on Saturday) and Matt Monreal (2 G on Saturday): both were named Honorable Mention Stars of the Week by the NA3HL.

BE A BUDDY: The Jr. Blues’ annual Brendan’s Buddies game, presented by Sindel Noble Attorneys, is coming up on March 1 against Wisconsin at 7 pm. Read all about Brendan and his cause here.

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME: The Jr. Blues would like to congratulate Jake Faulkner, Mason Kruger, Ivan Galaguzov, Sean Hofstetter, Mikael Foucher, head coach Chris Flaugher, and broadcaster Kevin Gier on being picked to represent the Jr. Blues at the 2019 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament in Attleboro, Massachusetts outside Boston. Click here for player profiles.

I PLAY FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Check out our great article about the three Jr. Blues alumni representing Team USA at the 2019 Winter World University Games in Russia.

SCOUTING THE BULLS: North Iowa expected stiffer competition in the new West Division and they have received it: they lie second on the log, 8 points behind Granite City and five points ahead of third-place Rochester. As always, North Iowa has a balanced offensive attack, with 13 players having 20 or more points, led by Matt Dahlseide (15 G, 38 A) and Peter Verstegen (26 G, 17 A). Goaltending for Todd Sanden’s men will look a little different this series, as normal starter Dysen Skinner has been called up by the Minnesota Magicians of the NAHL: expect veteran Connor Poczos (7-1-0, 2.22 GAA, .917 SV%) to get the nod between the pipes. St. Louis and North Iowa split the return series back in October, North Iowa winning the Blues’ home opener 3-2 before falling 3-1 in the second game.

JUNIOR NOTES: For our final home weekend against Wisconsin on March 1-2, the Jr. Blues will be hosting College Night (discounted entry with school ID) featuring Dollar Drafts on Friday, and Missouri Hockey Appreciation Day (free entry for youth players wearing a club jersey) for the home finale on Saturday.