Duluth East goaltender Jo Jo Jeanetta says he's not placing any undue pressure on his own shoulders just to satisfy the belief that hockey teams need a hot goalie to advance in the playoffs.
He's just out to have a good time.
Jeanetta definitely had a good time Saturday afternoon, saving all 26 shots in the Greyhounds' 4-0 victory over Andover in a Section 7AA high school boys hockey semifinal at the DECC.
Phil Johnson scored the first two goals and assisted on the third as 12th-ranked East (18-5-4) stretched its unbeaten streak to 11 games and earned a spot opposite Elk River (17-7-3) in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. championship game at the DECC. The Elks beat Forest Lake 5-0 in the first semifinal.
"Jo Jo came up big and our penalty-kill did a good job," East coach Mike Randolph said. "We told our guys at the end of the second period that this wasn't a 3-0 game. The only reason it was 3-0 was because of Jo Jo."
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Jeanetta made a pair of acrobatic saves late in the opening period and another key stop on Taylor Portner on the doorstep of the goal late in the second period to preserve East's advantage.
"In the first 10 to 12 minutes of the game, I didn't see anything at all," Jeanetta said. "Their first shots came on the power play [in the first period] and all I could do was sprawl out. I was fortunate and my team bailed me out. My defense has been there all year, and they're shining at the right moment."
Johnson's ability to be in the right place at the right time helped as well. The junior forward deflected Jayce Paulseth's slap shot from the point over goalie Matt Ray's stick at 9:02 of the first period.
"It was a lucky break, but we'll take it every time," Johnson said.
In the second period, just as Kyle Lutzka left the penalty box and went to the bench, Johnson jumped on the ice and took a perfect cross-ice pass from defenseman Andy Welinski to score at 4:17 of the second period for his second goal of the game, fourth of the playoffs and 13th of the season.
"Andy did a great job at getting the puck away from the forward and got a great pass to me and I put the shot in the lower-left side," Johnson said.
Johnson also fed Kenny Mellin out front for a tap-in goal at 15:51 of the second period for a three-goal lead, while Dom Toninato finished the scoring on an assist from Kevin Brazerol at 12:06 of the third.
East owned a 36-26 advantage in shots on goal.
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"We think we earned chances today, but we just couldn't get one by their goalie," coach Bill Thoreson said of his Huskies (17-8-2). "If you get one to go, that can change the momentum and shake a goalie's confidence as well. But [Jeanetta] was terrific today and made the big stops when he needed to."
Andover 0-0-0--0
Duluth East 1-2-1--4
First period -- 1. Phil Johnson (Jayce Paulseth), 9:02.
Second period -- 2. Johnson (Andy Welinski), 4:17; 3. Kenny Mellin (Johnson, Jake Randolph), 15:51.
Third period -- 4. Dom Toninato (Kevin Brazerol), 12:06.
Saves -- Matt Ray, A, 32; Jo Jo Jeanetta, DE, 26.
