MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets swept the Toledo Cherokee by identical 5-2 scores over the weekend, winning Friday night in Toledo and then Saturday night on home ice at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.
With the wins, the Jets claim the Coney Cup, a trophy symbolic of the team’s growing rivalry over recent years.
“It’s nice to have something to play for in the middle of the season, but we know what our end goal is here,” Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell said. “We want a championship, and we want the real trophy at the end.”
In the win at home, Carson Finney posted a goal and two assists, Ugo Lollier netted a pair of goals, and Jack Waldo and Ethan Hellman scored one each. Carson Beattie added two assists in the win.
Taylor White picked up the win in goal making 18 saves after relieving Carson MacKenzie 9:45 into the first period after Toledo took a 2-1 lead.
For Toledo, captain Jacob Ammar and Kaden Coon scored and Austin Nowak finished with 39 saves in goal.
Opening the series Friday night at the Team Toledo IceHouse, Lollier had two goals with an assist, Emrik Froding chipped in a goal and an assist, and Tyler Bautko and Tyler Husted also scored. Finney and Mason Cole each recorded two assists and White turned aside 16 shots between the pipes.
“We played very well tonight,” said Lovell. “Our first period was as close to a perfect road period you could get in a coach’s eyes. We gave them nothing and controlled the play from the get go, and then we got even better to start the second period. I would have liked our third period to look a little more like the first two offensively, but we still managed the puck very well.”
Will Poolton scored both goals for Toledo, Brett LoGelfo assisted on both, and goalie Caleb Kril made 41 saves.
In the Elite Division, the Jets defeated the Fort Wayne Spacemen 4-3 in overtime Friday afternoon at Mount Clemens on a Blake Botterill goal at 3:04 of the extra session.
John Spiridonakos registered a goal and an assist, Caleb Simpson and Robert Poliski also scored, and Avery Byron notched three assists to back Zach Robert’s 29 saves in goal.
The Spacemen were led by Joe Richardson, who had a goal and an assist, and Oleksandr Zinoviev and Timur Teplitskyi, who scored one apiece. Brendan Kusbel finished with 31 saves for Fort Wayne.
Also Friday afternoon at Mount Clemens, Fort Wayne downed the MJDP team by a 4-1 count.
Jake Taylor scored the lone goal and Austin Muirhead stopped 31 shots in goal.
This week, the Jets play at Battle Creek Friday at 7 p.m. from The Rink Battle Creek and at Columbus Saturday at 7 p.m. from the OhioHealth Chiller North, the MJDP is at Motor City Wednesday at 1 p.m. from Big Boy Arena in nearby Fraser and at Battle Creek Saturday at 7 p.m., while the Jets Elite team is at Motor City Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. and hosts Motor City Friday at 12:30 p.m.
All USPHL games are available on FloHockey.tv.
