Mite #2 'saves' hold on first place

Originally published on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 8:50pm

2-1 win over Bruins is sixth straightvictory in NIHL

It was definitely worth the price of admission.
Actually, as Jaguar Mite #2 Coach Bob Ambroffi pointed out immediately after the game, since it cost spectators nothing, Sunday evening’s game between the Jaguars and the Chicago Bruins actually was worth far more than the price of admission.
Free or not, what spectators saw on Inwood Ice Sunday evening was a classic, hard-fought, hockey game that saw the Jaguars come out on the positive end of a 2-1 final tally.
It could have all been different, however, if not for a strong defensive performance by the Jaguars, including one particularly stellar play by goalie Luke Brzezinski about two-thirds of the way through the second period. The play, which may forever be known around Jaguar Mite #2 as “The Save,” preserved – at least for the time being – the Jaguars’ tenuous lead.
The Jaguars were leading 1-0 when a Bruins forward got free in the Jaguars’ defensive zone and drew a point-blank bead on the Jaguars’ net. The Bruin shot high over Brzezinski left shoulder, toward a seemingly open portion of the net. Instead of celebrating a game-tying score, however, the Bruins were left with shocked expressions on their faces as Brzezinski’s glove shot up – seemingly out of nowhere – and speared the shot.
Even Brzezinski admitted after the game that he was not sure he had made the save. He had. The most-spectacular of the 9 saves he made on the evening.
Conversely, the Bruins’ goalies, Sammy Deconcilis and Andrew Rugg, combined for 18 saves on the night. The two shots they couldn’t save, however, were enough to give the Jaguars the victory.
After a scoreless first period, it was the Jaguars who lit up the scoreboard first. Blake Brenczewski found the back of the net, after assists from Evan McDonald and Ryan Louthan, with 6:18 to play in the period. Due in part to “The Save,” the Jaguars still held the lead as the period came to a close.
The Bruins did, however, manage the equalizer with 8:27 to play in the game, as Danny Bagnole snuck a puck past Brzezinski. Assists went to Frankie Cardinale and Chris Deconcilis.
Instead of succumbing to the obvious change in momentum, however, the Jaguars seized back control of the game quickly, regaining their one-goal margin 1:12 later, as Trevor Hudak scored during a flourish of activity in front of the net on assists from Jarrett Goodwin and Lukas Bomba.
The Jaguars then buckled down into a defensive posture for the final 6:55 of the game, holding off the Bruins and earning the victory they needed to preserve their hold on first place in the White Tier of the Silver B Level of the Mite Division of the Northern Illinois Hockey League. At the end of play on Sunday, the Jaguars were sitting at 14 points and enjoying a two-point lead over the Chicago Jets and a three-point lead over the Chicago Bulldogs, both of whom recorded 4-0 wins earlier on Sunday.
The win on Sunday, the sixth straight in NIHL play for the Jaguars, also marked a sort of milestone for the Joliet-based squad. With having successfully avenged an early season 3-1 loss to the Bruins, the Jaguars have now defeated every other team in the Silver B White Tier at least once.
Jaguar Mite #2 will next be in action at 4:25 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, when they host the Chicago Bulldogs on Inwood Ice.