| Late Rally Gives 'Jackets Win |
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A win is a win. For followers of the
Yellowjackets, that's the philosophy that you must take after
Friday's game against Marian. Throughout much of the contest,
the 'Jackets were sloppy and inconsistent. Three times they
led in the game, yet they struggled to put the Sabres away until a
late rally saw them score three times in the final six minutes en
route to a 5-3 win at home.
After falling behind 1-0 on Nick Henkemeyer's second goal of the
season, the 'Jackets tied it up when Kyle Leahy (Fr. Fort
St. John, British Columbia) scored his first of the season
at 13:04 of the first period. Leahy was driving the net to
bang home a rebound when he was taken to the ice. The puck hit
his skate and crossed the line but because it wasn't sent in with a
"distinct kicking motion" the goal was allowed to stand.
In the second, the 'Jackets took their first lead of the game at
12:55. Logan Isley (Jr. Bonnyville, Alberta)
centered a pass from the right wing, finding Jesse
Junkermeier (Jr. Minnetonka, Minnesota) who directed it
past Marian goaltender Alex Bjerk to make it 2-1.
Marian would come back to tie as part of a seesaw third period.
Justin Cormier scored on a bad-angle shot from the left wing to make
it 2-2 at 7:20. The 'Jackets would rebound and take the lead
for a second time with a little help from the linesman. On the
rush, the puck glanced off the linesman and onto the stick of
Justin Faryna (Fr. Calgary, Alberta). Faryna
sent a shot on goal that was stopped, but Bjerk knocked it in with
his leg to make it 3-2. It was Faryna's third goal of the
season. Less than a minute later, however, Marian would tie it
again. Spotty play in the defensive zone left Marian with a
2-0 and Nick Cinquegrani scored his second of the season to tie the
game at 15:17. Two minutes later, however, the 'Jackets would
take the lead for good. Faryna had the puck down low and
carried out to the front of the net, waiting out Bjerk who sprawled
to make the a poke check and put the puck over him to make it 4-3.
The 'Jackets closed out the scoring when Talon Berlando (Jr.
Drumheller, Alberta), a few strides inside Marian's line,
put one in the empty net to make it 5-3.
Faryna paced the offense with his two goals, while Isley had three
assists and Chris Wilson (Sr. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan)
had two assists.
Garrett Tinkham (Fr. Paradise, Texas) making his
second straight start, made 30 saves in the game while improving to
2-1-0 on the season. Tinkham, coming off a shutout, got a
piece of the first two goals that were scored on him, while the
third goal came on a rebound. The 30 saves improved his save
percentage for the season to .900. Bjerk, meanwhile, made 26
saves for the Sabres.
Both teams were perfect on the penalty kill, as the 'Jackets went
0-2 on the power play while Marian went 0-5. The 'Jackets took
five penalties for ten minutes while Marian took two for four
minutes.
The 'Jackets (5-2-1, 1-2-1 NCHA), who have played seven of eight at
home to start the season, are now on the road until mid-January.
The first game of the road marathon is Saturday when they travel to
the Twin Cities to take on St. Thomas. Game time on Saturday
is 7:00 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 via the Internet
at www.kuws.fm. Jon Garver
will have the call. |
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