With renewed energy after the Christmas break, the second half of the season officially begins against the Atlanta Capitals at home in the Children’s Health StarCenter in Euless this Saturday night.
The last time the Jr. Stars set foot on the ice was in Blaine, Minnesota, for the NA3HL Showcase, where they secured the overtime win against the Norwich Sea Captains with a score of 4-3. Ilnur Madiarov sealed the game-winning goal as Quillon Bowman notched the win between the pipes. The Jr. Stars finished the NA3HL Showcase with a 1-2 record, losing to the Great Falls Americans and the Minnesota Loons in their first two outings.
The Atlanta Capitals were turning the corner before the Christmas break, starting with the series against the Jr. Stars, where they picked up their first win on the season after losing 17 straight games with a score of 5-1. They used that momentum to win two games against the Louisiana Drillers and two more during the Showcase against the Norwich Sea Captains and the Yellowstone Quake. The Capitals have leapfrogged the Austin Ice Bats for 7th in the South Division with a 5-19-1-0 record and 11 points.
This weekend will be the second meeting between these two teams this season, with the Jr. Stars holding the season series lead 2-1.
Mid-Cities is 8-18-0-0 with 16 points and sit 6th in the South Division, 6 points out of the final playoff position. The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. start for Sunday. A schedule change will see game time at 1 p.m. on Monday at the Children’s Health StarCenter in Euless.
Mid-Cities Jr. Stars Records:
Overall: 8-18-0-0
Last Ten: 3-7-0-0
Home Record: 4-9-0-0
Away Record: 4-9-0-0
Atlanta Capitals Records:
Overall: 5-19-1-0
Last Ten: 5-4-1-0
Home Record: 4-9-0-0
Away Record: 1-10-1-0
Mid-Cities Jr. Stars Leading Scorers:
#27 Ilnur Madiarov (18G 11A 29P)
#7 Kyle Russell (6G 20A 26P)
#91 Michael Kennedy (9G 12A 21P)
Atlanta Capitals Leading Scorers:
#21 Kaleb Miller (13G 14A 27P)
#17 Kirill Nikulichev (10G 15A 25P)
#19 Nick Mumford (7G 13A 20P)