WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Since the MTS Centre opened it has hosted an AHL team, several preseason NHL exhibition games and countless concerts but last night as the home town Winnipeg Jets hit the ice for their first game the noise was as loud as any rocker’s concert.
Sure, it’s only preseason, it doesn’t make a difference in the standings it is in fact pointless.
But in Winnipeg it was a return to the NHL for the Jets and their faithful supporters who have been trying to get the NHL to return for fifteen long years, last night for the Jets and their fans it was Christmas in September.
For many teams around the league, pre season is just a warm up for the long nine month journey to the Stanley Cup, arenas around the league are half full with loyal fans, even Toronto, one of the league’s most important markets, only pulled in 13,500 fans for a preseason game. The MTS Centre was packed to the rafters while 500,000 fans watched on TV.
The Jets opened to a loud fan base, and in this split squad game that had one team in Winnipeg to face the Columbus Blue Jackets and another squad in Columbus to take on the split squad of the Jackets, True North decided to keep a good nucleus of stars in the city for their fans.
Captain Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Nik Antropov, and Onderj Pavalec were among the stars who stayed in Winnipeg.
Evander Kane was sent to Columbus. But fast rising rookie and 1st round draft pick Mark Scheifele stayed in Winnipeg and was a key ingredient in the Jets’ victory.
The game started quick with Byfuglien getting into a tussle with a Columbus rookie in front of the Jackets’ bench before being hauled to the sin bin to the pleasure of the home crowd.
Ladd was leading the way on the power play in the first period and he was able to find a streaking rookie Paul Postma in the Columbus zone and at 7:49 Postma banged the puck home and put the MTS Centre into a frenzy. Ladd picked up the assist.
Mark Schiefele was put on a line with Byfuglien because they showed some chemistry during some preseason scrimmages and they continued that feat at 16:50 of the first period when Byfuglien was stopped by Columbus net minder Curtis Sanford but let out a huge rebound and Schiefele found it and popped the puck into the yawning cage. Home side up 2-0.
With the home side still up 2-1 in the second period, more rookies took the Jets flying as Kevin Clark, one of the Jets top defence prospects, took a feed from Schiefele and Postma and put the Jets up 3-1.
The third period was all Jets, with 7th round draft pick Ivan Telegin picking up a goal after being setup by Schiefele and Stuart in the third.
Shortly after that Antropov and Clark combined for assists on Schiefele’s second goal and fourth point of the game.
Antropov again found himself in the play when he was able to feed Ladd and popped in up and over the sprawling Sanford to put the Jets up 6-1 and the MTS Centre was extremely loud.
The Jets outshot the Blue Jackets 35-27 in an overall good showing. The rookies were especially strong and were the story behind the game.
PHN’s three stars of the game
3. Paul Postma, top defence prospect for a team that is lacking on the blue line past the second string, made a name for himself.
2. Andrew Ladd, the Captain seen pointing out mistakes and helping rookies with their positional play and on top of that got two points in the win.
1. Mark Schfiefele, the rookie sensation got on the score sheet four times. The may be a rookie but chances are if he keeps it up, Mark will not be going to St Johns in two weeks.
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