Kalinowski played the past few seasons at Lakeland Arena for the Lakeland High School team and made the jump to Junior A hockey with the Jets after skating in July at the team’s open camp and being invited back to main camp in mid-August, when he signed to play in the North American 3 Hockey League.
Just 16 years old (he turns 17 on Sept. 24), Kalinowski earned the start in both games last weekend at home against the Battle Creek Jr. Revolution to open the season and picked up two wins.
“I was a little nervous, but I felt more comfortable in net after playing in the Toledo and Adrian exhibition games,” Kalinowski said. “I feel like I have an advantage knowing the boards at Lakeland Arena. They are very lively and the glass is unpredictable and we all have to adjust to them.”
As one of three goalies on the Jets’ roster this season with Luke DuBois and Austin Julvezan, Kalinowski knows there will always be internal competition for playing time between the pipes.
”I didn’t know either of the two before the season, but it already feels like we’ve played a season together,” said Kalinowski. “We support each other and feed off each other’s positive reinforcement. We all work hard in practice to push each other so that we are all ready for the weekend’s games.”
Kalinowski, who goes just 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, said his style of play revolves around his small stature.
“Being under 6-foot, I have to play aggressive on the rush and conservative on the power play and penalty kill,” said Kalinowski. “Above all, I’ll do whatever it takes to stop the puck.”
Showing a team-first approach, Kalinowski knows that if everyone is on the same page, wins usually fall into place.
“On a personal level, I want to prepare and push myself so that I can play at the next level,” Kalinowski said. “As for the team, I want to win as many games as we can.”
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
The Jets opened their 2012-13 NA3HL season with a sweep over Battle Creek at Lakeland Arena last Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday night in a 10-4 win, Doug Andrews (two goals, two assists), Ryan Chapie (two goals, two assists) and Mike Gambino (goal, three assists) each had four-point games to back Kalinowski’s 23 saves in goal.
Metro took an 8-0 lead into the third period before allowing four goals to Battle Creek.
Metro captain Matt Stirling had a goal and two assists, while Kyle Shreve (goal, assist), Jeff Monfils (goal, assist) and Tim Foley (two assists) had multi-point games. Travis Hargett and Ian Springfield also scored for the Jets.
Then on Sunday, Metro took a 6-1 win over the Jr. Revolution.
Hargett and Monfils notched two goals apiece for the Jets, while Andrews recorded four assists and Stirling added three helpers. Springfield and Chapie added single goals for Metro and Alex Holm tacked on a pair of assists. Kalinowski finished with 31 saves in goal.
“(Last) weekend, I liked the fact that we scored goals,” said Metro coach Jason Cirone. “Offensively, we don’t have any issues. I like our team camaraderie and the fact that when I get on someone, one of his teammates is going to pull him aside and tell him not to worry about it and keep playing.”
The Jets (2-0-0-0) head to Cleveland this weekend for a two-game set with the Jr. Lumberjacks.
Game time Saturday night is 6:30 p.m. with a 1:15 p.m. matinee wrapping the series up on Sunday.
The last time these two teams met was in the opening round of the NA3HL playoffs last March, with Cleveland eliminating the Jets, two games to one.
JET STREAKS
Andrews, also an alternate captain for the Jets, was named the NA3HL’s 3rd Star of the Week for his eight-point weekend. Chapie earned an honorable mention.
With his eight points, Andrews is tied for the NA3HL scoring lead with Cleveland’s Andrew Mitch.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Defenseman Steve Oleksy, who played for the Jets during the 2004-05 season, will skate in the American Hockey League again this year with the Hershey Bears, the top affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.
After graduating from the Jets, Oleksy played one year for the Traverse City North Stars of the North American Hockey League and then three years at Division I Lake Superior State University.
At the pro level, the 26-year-old Chesterfield native has played for the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers, Toledo Walleye and Idaho Steelheads, IHL’s Port Huron Icehawks and last year with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. He also has AHL experience with the Lake Erie Monsters.
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