'Tough night' in store as Jets' IceCaps play final game in St. John's

Saturday night will see the final game played in St. John's for the Winnipeg Jets farm team, as the roster gets ready to make the move to Winnipeg.

The IceCaps team name will remain in St. John's, but with a new team — the Montreal Canadiens' farm team.

Captain Jason Jaffray has played for the IceCaps for the full four years the team has been in St. John's, and said there will be a "lot of mixed feelings" as the team plays its final weekend series in the province.

"I've played here for the last four seasons, I kind of feel like my kids have grown up in this city. It's going to be a tough night. Emotional wise, it's going to be tough," said Jaffray.

"The last salute to the fans is going to be tough and it's going to be a tough weekend, but hopefully a fun weekend."

Jaffray added he's even heard of a rumour of a young fan's petition to "Keep Jaffray" in St. John's circulating through the stands, and that level of affection and support from the fans is something other teams have become envious of.

"Stuff like that just kind of makes this place that much more special," he said.

"You know how much the people care in this city, how much they've grown to love you over the last four years ... and just moments like that just make being here that much more special."

In his long career as an AHL player, Jaffray said the enthusiasm at a packed Mile One Centre on a Tuesday night is something "you don't get anywhere else."

On Friday night, the IceCaps edged the Springfield Falcons 4-3.

With this win, St. John's has won back-to-back games for the first time since March 6.

Follow along with the weekend games in our live blog.