'Jackets Win On The Road
 
Saturday's game had all the trappings that lead to an uninspired effort for a team, perhaps even an upset loss.  A long bus trip, an unfamiliar opponent, an earlier start time than normal.  The list goes on, but 'Jackets did what they had to do and avoided said trap and the upset loss.  There were a few tense moments, but overall the 'Jackets played well on their way to a 6-2 win over Lawrence on Saturday in Appleton, Wis.

The 'Jackets dominated play in the opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Vikings 15-3 and outscoring them 1-0.  Justin Faryna (Fr. Calgary, Alberta) drove the net and put home a rebound just 2:38 into the game to give the 'Jackets the lead.  It was Faryna's first goal of the season.

In the second, the Vikings made some adjustments and came out hard.  The evened the game at 1-1 when Marc Howe got behind the defense and scored on the breakaway, beating Jim Patterson (Jr. Kamloops, British Columbia) with a backhand for his fourth goal of the season.  Midway through the period, with the Vikings carrying the majority of the play, they took their first lead.  Again it was Howe, picking up the puck in the slot and stickhandling around Patterson, shooting it into an empty net to make it 2-1.  The Yellowjackets then went on the power play and wasted little time in tying the game.  Art Clark (Sr. Bloomington, Minnesota) got the puck at the top of the left circle and let a wrist shot go that beat Lawrence goaltender Evan Johnson high on the glove side to make it 2-2 at 11:41 of the period.  The 'Jackets took the lead for good just nine seconds later.  Tyler Fletcher (Sr. Calgary, Alberta) took a pass and carried into the Lawrence zone, letting a wrist shot go that beat again high over the glove to make it 3-2.  It went to 4-2 at 15:06 when Fletcher banged home a rebound in the crease for his sixth of the year.  Kyle Leahy (Fr. Fort St. John, British Columbia) and Josh Kesler (Fr. Naperville, Illinois) assisted on Fletcher's first two goals.  Fletcher then completed his first career hat trick at 17:27 of the second period.  Josh Seifert (Sr. Superior, Wisconsin) intercepted a pass at the Lawrence blue line and fed Fletcher in the slot, who redirected it past Johnson to make it 5-2.  It was Fletcher's team-leading seventh goal of the season.

In the third, the 'Jackets closed out the scoring with their second power play goal of the game.  Braden Desmet (Sr. Strathmore, Alberta) had the puck in the right corner, feeding a pass to the right circle where Jesse Junkermeier (Jr. Minnetonka, Minnesota) one-timed it past Johnson for his first of the season at 10:03 of the third period to make it 6-2.  Lawrence made a goaltending change after the sixth goal, and the 'Jackets continued to pressure hard, but were unable to add any more goals to the total.

Patterson finished the game with 28 saves to improve his record to 3-0-0.  Johnson finished with 23 saves and Michael Baldino, who came in in relief for the Vikings, stopped all six shots he faced.

The Yellowjackets went 2-6 on the power play and were a perfect 6-6 on the penalty kill, improving their mark on the season in each category.  Each team took seven penalties for 14 minutes, most of them coming in the third period.

The Yellowjackets (3-2-0, 0-2-0 NCHA) return home this weekend and return to conference play with a two-game series against UW-Eau Claire.  The Blugolds are currently fifth in the NCHA standings with one point after opening their conference season last weekend against UW-River Falls.  Game time on Friday night will be 7:05 p.m. and can be heard live locally on KUWS 91.3 FM, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.  If you are outside the local listening area, you can tune in on the Internet at www.kuws.fm.  Jon Garver will have the call.