St. Louis Jr. Blues (4-0-1, 9 pts) vs North Iowa Bulls (4-2-0, 8 pts)
VENUE: Affton Ice Rink, Affton, Mo.
GAME TIMES: October 5 at 7 PM, October 6 at 2 PM (all times Central)
WHERE TO FOLLOW: All Jr. Blues home games are streamed live and in high-definition on HockeyTV.com (subscription required). Jr. Blues director of media Kevin Gier will be on the call. On Twitter, follow @JrBluesHockey for live updates, as well as on Instagram @STLJrBlues.
A QUICK RECAP: The Jr. Blues enter the weekend off of a bye, with their last games played seeing St. Louis take the majority of points at Granite City despite a series split. Forward Dante Jones was named Bauer/NA3HL Central Division Player of the Week for his weekend efforts (3 G, 1 A): he has scored at least one goal in all the Jr. Blues’ matches this season.
HOME SWEET HOME: It’s the home opening weekend for the Jr. Blues, and with it comes a good bit of festivities. Most notable is a special celebration of hockey families this Friday night: kids in club jerseys are admitted free with a parent’s paid admission and will get a coupon for a free Chik-Fil-A kids’ meal while supplies last, and adults are welcome to visit Barc’s Place for Dollar Draft Night, with $1 pints of Michelob Golden and Bud Light.
SCOUTING THE BULLS: North Iowa comes into the series off a weekend split, losing at Rochester before shutting out New Ulm 7-0 in their home opener. Returning forwards Peter Verstegen, Cam Fagerlee and Brendan Studioso lead the line for the Bulls, but the defensive core and goaltending is a largely new one for the men from Mason City. Last year the Bulls won the Central Division’s regular season title, but were shocked by Coulee Region in the division playoffs and failed to advance to the Fraser Cup Finals. St. Louis and the Bulls split last season’s series 2-2, with both clubs holding serve on home ice.
JUNIOR NOTES: Mark your calendars for November 17th, when the Jr. Blues and the Affton Bantam AA team will be having a special fundraiser at Nubby’s BBQ (11133 Lindbergh Business Ct, inside the All American Sports Center). That day the Jr. Blues play Evansville at 4, and the dinner will begin at 6:30 after the conclusion of the game.
