MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets will play for the USPHL Great Lakes Division title after sweeping the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones in two straight games over the weekend at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.
The Jets host the Toledo Cherokee this coming weekend for another best-of-three series with the winner advancing to USPHL Nationals in Wayne, N.J., March 20-24.
Friday night, the Jets took a 9-1 win before winning the series Saturday night after a 7-2 victory.
Luka Pivec scored three goals and added an assist in the Friday win, while Pierce Ashcroft scored two goals and goalie Rostislav Efremov made 18 saves.
Jack Schnur and Tim Monaghan each posted a goal and an assist, Donovan Ascencio and Jack Noonan scored one goal apiece, and Miran Janezic and Jaxon Stone chipped in three assists each. Jake Taylor added two helpers.
For Cincinnati, Dominic Nuanes scored and goalies Nick Wah and Carson Balow combined on a 49-save effort.
In the clincher Saturday, AJ Zaccagni scored twice and added two assists and Sutton Majeske and Evan Cote each registered a goal and an assist.
Janezic, Ashcroft and Noonan also scored, Alek John and Jets captain Jack Rivera each tacked on three assists, and goaltenders Andrew Parmentier and Austin Muirhead combined to make 18 saves.
Noah Geggie and Hank Davis scored the Jr. Cyclones’ goals and Wah finished with 45 saves.
This weekend, the Jets-Toledo games at Mount Clemens Ice Arena are set for Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m. and, if needed, Sunday at 2 p.m.
Also last weekend, the MJDP team was swept in the USPHL Midwest Division semifinals on the road by the Chicago Crush and the Jets Elite team went to a deciding Game 3 with the Fort Wayne Spacemen at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse but were also eliminated from the playoffs in the Midwest semifinals.
The Jets Elite team lost 3-2 in overtime Saturday, won 4-2 Sunday, then fell 4-3 in another overtime game.
Saturday, Johnny Tackett forced overtime with a goal in the dying seconds of the third period and also added an assist for a two-point game.
Scott Dewar also scored and Brendan Dreisbach made 64 saves between the pipes.
Hayden Stratman won it for Fort Wayne at 16:05 of overtime.
Robert Gross and Orlando Soergel also scored, Danylo Shpak had two assists, and goalie Brendan Kusbel finished with 30 saves.
Sunday, Jarrett LaGrow, Graysen LaPrise, John Legebokoff and Daniell Luska scored and Cam Cyrus stopped 36 shots in goal for the victory.
Stratman and Tyson Finefrock scored for the Spacemen and Cole Butler made 26 saves in net.
In the finale Monday, Dylan Davis ended the Jets Elite team’s season 34 seconds into overtime.
LaGrow, Luska and Landon Graham scored for the Jets, Braden Graham and LaPrise each chipped in two assists, and Tabor Hatch made 48 stops in goal.
For Fort Wayne, Stratman scored twice, Finefrock had a goal and an assist, Mason Blair added a pair of assists, and Kusbel made 31 saves.
The MJDP squad fell 6-2 Sunday at West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, Ill., and then saw its season come to a close after a 4-2 loss Monday at Orbit Ice Arena in Palatine, Ill.
Ludovick Dussault scored both goals Sunday and Will Belitski made 27 saves in goal.
Mac King scored two goals for the Crush, Jason Gongol put up four assists, and goalie Patrick Johansen made 34 saves.
Xavier Othon, DJ Long, Cyler Brogle and Spencer Kauke also scored for Chicago.
Monday, McKenna Baker and Chris Kobayashi netted the MJDP goals and Ethan Carlone finished with 25 saves between the pipes.
For the Crush, Gongol scored twice, Kauke and Peter White one each, and King contributed two assists to back Aidan Wysoglad’s 33-save performance in net.
All USPHL games are available at FloHockey.tv.
