WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – The Metro Jets, MJDP and Metro Jets Elite teams all kicked off 2024 at the USPHL Tampa Showcase, which was held Jan. 3-6 at AdventHealth Center Ice.

The Jets defeated the Florida Eels 10-3, Atlanta Mad Hatters 4-0 and Charlotte Rush 3-2 in a shootout and also fell to the host Tampa Bay Juniors 4-3 in a shootout.

The MJDP team downed the Jersey Hitmen 3-2 in overtime and the Palm Beach Typhoon 6-3 and suffered losses to the Bold City Battalion (4-3 in a shootout) and Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (2-0).

The Jets Elite squad beat Bold City 6-2 before falling 6-5 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, 2-0 to Atlanta, and 6-2 to Tampa Bay.

“We always enjoy coming down to this showcase,” said Jets head coach and general manager Justin Quenneville. “We play many showcases throughout the season and try to provide the best model for our players. With another showcase next month, it’s great for our guys to see different teams outside our division and continue to be tested as we head into the second-half stretch. Teams always bring their best against us, and we represented well. Having success against top competition is important, but not as much as the exposure and opportunities that our players continue to receive. Tampa did a great job again this year and we look forward to returning next year.

“Overall, we are really proud how our guys played given the amount of injuries and illnesses we had. Everyone stepped up and played hard and we credit our preparation as well our guys buying in.”

In particular, the Jets-Rush game had many eyeballs watching, and the contest turned out to be an instant classic between two perennial junior hockey powerhouses.

Mason Cole scored the game’s first two goals before Peter Keese and Jared Weisert scored 3:23 apart in the second period for Charlotte.

The third period and overtime solved nothing, taking the game to a shootout.

Jets goalie Taylor White stopped all three shots he faced, and Tyler Bautko beat Rush goalie Rocco Stolz in the second round to secure the win.

“This is why we come to these showcases, to give our guys the best environment and chance to showcase their talents against the top competition,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “Very proud of how we handled ourselves throughout the entire four games of this event and especially during this last game against Charlotte. That felt like a playoff game. We had a lot of guys banged up and playing through injuries, but you wouldn’t know it by the way we came out with speed and put the pressure on Charlotte right from the drop of the puck. Credit to them for coming back to tie it up – that’s why Charlotte is who they are. They’re never going to fold or give up, but we knew we deserved the two points based on our play today. It took a full team effort from ‘Whitey’ on out.

“Now we will get back home, take some much-needed rest, heal up, and then get back to work developing our players and prepare for in-division games coming up.”

This week, the Jets play the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones Thursday at 3 p.m. on the road from the Queen City Sportsplex before hosting the Nashville Spartans Friday at 7 p.m. from Mount Clemens Ice Arena. The MJDP hosts the Motor City Gamblers Thursday at 12:30 p.m., and the Jets Elite hosts Motor City Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on FloHockey.tv.

LAS VEGAS – For the Metro Jets and MJDP teams, it was four games each, four wins each at the USPHL Las Vegas Showcase, which was held Dec. 17-21 at City National Arena, the practice facility for the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

The Jets defeated the Bakersfield Roughnecks 8-1, the Fresno Monsters 3-1, the Ontario Jr. Reign 7-3, and the Vernal Oilers 7-2.

The MJDP topped the Lake Tahoe Lakers 2-1, the Casper Roughnecks 4-2, the Long Beach Shredders 14-0, and Bakersfield 2-1.

Jets head coach and general manager Justin Quenneville said the high-end competition can only help the two teams moving forward.

“It’s great to see other competition around the country,” said Quenneville. “We haven’t had the opportunity to play the west divisions and we pride ourselves on playing in many showcases. Both teams going 4-0 was great, but the memories and experiences make it even better. The players represented themselves well and played a strong showcase. Now, we take the break and get ready for another tough schedule in Tampa coming up first thing after the new year.

“We are excited.”

Both teams and the Metro Jets Elite team are now idle for the holidays, with all three squads next in action at the USPHL Tampa Showcase, which is scheduled for Jan. 4-6 at Advent Health Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Fla.

JETS/MJDP TAMPA SCHEDULE
JETS ELITE TAMPA SCHEDULE

All showcase games will be available on FloHockey.tv.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets, MJDP and Metro Jets Elite teams were all in action over the past week, going a perfect 5-0-0 over the span that began last Tuesday.

Starting the week at Big Boy Arena in Fraser, the Jets Elite downed the Motor City Gamblers 6-2 Tuesday morning before the MJDP followed that up with a 4-1 win Tuesday afternoon over the Gamblers, also at Big Boy Arena.

The Jets Elite team scored six unanswered after Motor City scored two in the first period.

Jackson Hinkle picked up two goals, while Peter Spiridonakos, Ryan Lemker and Hunter Folgmann each posted a goal and an assist. Blake Botterill added a goal and two assists and Zach Robert finished with 37 saves in goal.

“Our first period was a little slow out of the gates, but we settled in nicely and started to take over the game towards the end of the first,” said Jets associate coach Jake Howie. “There was a lot of special teams play in the game with power plays each way and even some 4-on-4. We were able to capitalize on a few of our power-play chances and then continue to play at their rink really smothering the game. Zach Robert was fantastic in net and really helped bail us out when we did get in trouble but for the most part, we played single and north.

“Awesome first half of the season from the Elite group and excited to see where we go in the second half after the holiday break.”

For the MJDP team, Lukes Nies scored twice and Royal St-Cyr and Pierce Ashcroft added a goal apiece. Oka Forsberg notched two assists and Andrew Parmentier made 28 saves between the pipes.

“Today, we played just an overall solid hockey game,” said Howie. “Thought we did a really good job 5-on-5 tilting the ice and playing down in their end. And because of that, we didn’t give up too many good looks on our net. Thankfully when we did, Parmentier was there to bail us out. Overall, I thought it was just a really nice road game to get two points. Still things we can get better at as always, but we’re in a good spot.”

Friday afternoon, the MJDP used two goals and an assist from Robert Grasso to beat the Battle Creek Kernels 5-1 at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Jacques Lavrack, Enrick Fournier and Robert Poliski added goals while St-Cyr, Jake Taylor and Nicco DeStefanis had two assists each. Robert earned the win in goal stopping 25 shots.

Then Friday evening at Mount Clemens, the Jets defeated the Buffalo Stampede 15-1 behind five goals and three assists from Ugo Lollier and 16 saves between the pipes from Crew Petty.

Carson Finney went for two goals and five assists, Mason Cole two goals and three assists, and Luke Gaffney and Alex Bedenko chipped in a goal and a pair of helpers apiece.

Carson Redd, Emrik Froding and Seve Litz each had a goal and an assist, while Jets captain Devon Mastay picked up three assists and Lucas Cassel and Tyler Bautko tallied two assists each. Ethan Hellman added a goal in the win.

Finishing up the weekend at Mount Clemens, the Jets swept Buffalo with a 20-2 win Saturday afternoon.

Bautko had three goals and four assists, Bedenko and Froding three goals and three assists each, Gaffney a goal and four assists, and Josh Boze two goals and three assists.

Cole and Litz compiled two goals and two assists each, Lollier added a goal and three assists, Tyler Husted recorded two goals with an assist, and Yarne Vaerewyck tacked on a goal.

Lemker collected three assists, Michael Lucia two assists, and Tabor Hatch nailed down the win in goal with a 15-save effort.

The Jets and MJDP teams are now off to play at this week’s USPHL Las Vegas Showcase, which is being held at City National Arena, practice home of the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

USPHL LAS VEGAS SHOWCASE SCHEDULE

All showcase games will be available on FloHockey.tv.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – All three Metro Jets teams were in action over the weekend, with the squads combining for four victories.

The Jets Elite team took both ends of a home-and-home series with the Fort Wayne Spacemen, while the MJDP team split its home-and-home with the Spacemen and the Jets defeated the Columbus Mavericks at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Friday, the Jets Elite took a 6-2 win at home over Fort Wayne as McKenna Baker went for two goals and an assist and Eliot Duerr made 26 saves between the pipes.

Blake Botterill and Peter Spiridonakos each had a goal and an assist, Hunter Folgmann and John Spiridonakos also scored, and Jackson Hinkle and Max Rastello posted two assists apiece.

For Fort Wayne, Aidan Clark and Timur Teplitskyi scored and Brendan Kusbel finished with 31 saves in goal.

The next night at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse, John Spiridonakos’ second goal of the game at 17:07 of the third period stood as the winner as the Jets skated away with a 4-3 win.

Rastello had a goal and a helper and Baker also scored in the victory to back goaltender Ben Vanderdonck’s 23 saves.

Cooper Angelelli recorded a goal and an assist and Joe Richardson and Stepan Kuznets also scored for the Spacemen and Justin Mackley made 33 stops in goal.

“We got the sweep, which is great for the boys, and yes, we are rolling here, but we didn’t play 60 minutes each game,” Jets associate coach Tina Ciraulo said. “We battled back Saturday after being up 3-0 and giving up three goals in the second. To get one late in the third for the win, the boys didn’t let down, just took off 20 minutes. We need to work on playing 60 minutes so we don’t put ourself in those situations. The boys definitely deserve the rest day (Sunday) and then back to work Monday to prepare for Motor City on Tuesday.”

Robert Grasso and Jake Taylor both had a goal and an assist Friday as the MJDP doubled up Fort Wayne 4-2 on home ice.

Andrew Parmentier turned aside 25 shots and Royal St-Cyr and Jack Noonan also scored.

Fisher Moore and Alexis Toussaint scored for the Spacemen and Maxim Zinchenko finished with 30 saves in goal.

Back in Fort Wayne Saturday night at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse’s newly christened Rink 47 in honor of former Jets defenseman and Fort Wayne native Braydin Lewis, the Spacemen downed the MJDP 4-3.

Noonan, Pierce Ashcroft and Oka Forsberg netted the goals for the MJDP and Austin Muirhead kicked out 22 shots in net.

Toussaint scored twice for the home team, Noah Takitani and Broderik Burge added goals, and Ludovick Janvier chipped in two assists as Zinchenko fashioned a 26-save effort for the win.

“Thought we did a lot of good things this weekend,” said Jets associate coach Jake Howie. “Played with a lot of pace and were able to tilt the ice in our favor for a large chunk of both games. At the end of the day, some nights you get the bounces and other nights you don’t, but we did a lot of good things that we can build off of this week with a game against Motor City early in the week and then prepare for a good showcase in Vegas.”

Finishing the weekend, the Jets downed the Columbus Mavericks 14-1 Friday night at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Luke Gaffney, Michael Lucia (pictured below) and Alex Bedenko all had a goal and three assists, Carson Redd and Ethan Hellman each posted two goals and an assist, and Carson Finney and Alex Bautko each struck for a goal and two assists as Carson MacKenzie stopped 14 shots in goal, only allowing a Flechyr Bonwell goal in the second period.

Emrik Froding scored two goals, Mason Cole and Seve Litz (pictured front) each had a goal plus a helper and Yarne Vaerewyck also scored in the win.

Columbus goalies Garrett Ambrose, Kyle Diehr and Anders Smith combined to make 44 saves.

This week, the Jets Elite and MJDP teams head to Big Boy Arena in Fraser for games against the Motor City Gamblers Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The MJDP hosts the Battle Creek Kernels Friday at 2:30 p.m. The Jets host the Buffalo Stampede Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Both the Jets and MJDP then head out west for the USPHL Las Vegas Showcase Dec. 18-21 at City National Arena, playing four games each.

USPHL LAS VEGAS SHOWCASE SCHEDULE

All USPHL games, including showcase games, are available to stream at FloHockey.tv.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets, MJDP, and Jets Elite teams were all in action last week, playing seven games and picking up seven victories.

The Jets Elite team defeated the Motor City Gamblers at Mount Clemens Ice Arena on Tuesday, and then swept the Chicago Cougars Friday and Saturday, also on home ice.

The MJDP beat the Gamblers Wednesday at MCIA, followed by two more wins Friday and Saturday at home over Chicago.

Finishing out the weekend, the Jets shut out the Columbus Mavericks Saturday night on the road at the OhioHealth Chiller North.

Starting the week, the Jets Elite took a 7-3 win over the Gamblers as Peter Spiridonakos went for three goals and an assist. Jackson Hinkle added two goals and Blake Botterill chipped in four assists. John Spiridonakos scored once with an assist and Robert Poliski also scored. Ryan Lemker, Landon Graham and Max Rastello each tallied two assists and Eliot Duerr made 36 saves in goal.

Friday afternoon, Peter Spiridonakos registered two goals and two assists in a 9-2 win over the Cougars. Botterill had two goals with an assist, Tyler Dix scored twice, and John Spiridonakos tacked on three assists. Poliski, Avery Byron and McKenna Baker also scored and Sean O’Connor collected two assists. Zach Robert stopped 22 shots between the pipes.

In the finale Saturday morning, Ben Vanderdonck made 35 saves in a 6-1 win over Chicago. John Spiridonakos and Dix scored two goals each, Baker added a goal and an assist, and Hinkle also scored.

The MJDP started their stretch with a 3-0 whitewash over Motor City with Austin Muirhead getting the 32-save shutout. Royal St-Cyr had a goal and an assist and Austin Combs and Jacob Lawrence also scored in the win.

Continuing against the Cougars, the first game saw Lawrence, Jacques Lavrack and Robert Grasso score and Andrew Parmentier stop 23 shots in a 3-1 victory.

The second game, a 9-2 win for the MJDP, featured River Lewis netting two goals with an assist, Grasso, Jack Noonan, Jake Taylor and Pierce Ashcroft all going for a goal and a helper, and Muirhead finishing with 26 saves. Lavrack, Enrick Fournier and Lawrence also scored, and Combs, St-Cyr and Joseph Martin had two assists apiece.

Then in Columbus, the Jets’ offense was on full display in a 17-0 rout over the Mavericks. Taylor White earned the shutout in goal with a 15-save outing. Carson Redd had two goals and four assists, Lucas Cassel a goal and four assists, Alex Bedenko four assists, Mason Cole and Alex Blankenship two goals and an assist apiece, and Josh Boze and Steven Miller tallied two goals each. Tyler Husted added a goal and three assists, and Tyler Bautko, Luke Gaffney and Jets captain Devon Mastay each posted a goal and two assists. Carson Finney had three assists, Michael Lucia two assists, and Ugo Lollier and Robert Vanderdonck each registered a goal and a helper.

This Friday, a Mount Clemens triple header starts with the Jets Elite and Fort Wayne Spacemen at noon, the MJDP and Fort Wayne at 2:30 p.m., and then the Jets and Columbus at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the Jets Elite is in Fort Wayne at 3:30 p.m., followed by the MJDP and Fort Wayne at 6:40 p.m., both games from the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

All USPHL games are available on FloHockey.tv.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The USPHL and the host Metro Jets presented the 2023 USPHL Detroit Showcase Nov. 16-20 at the Jets home rink, Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

The USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite conferences were in action at the showcase, with the Premier featuring 19 teams and the Elite represented by six teams.

For the Premier teams, five of the six Great Lakes Division teams were in action, along with six teams from the Midwest East Division, six Midwest West Division teams, and two additional teams from the Atlantic Division.

At the end of the five days and 50 games, it was nothing but positivity on all accounts.

“First and foremost, we would like to thank everyone involved in the event,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “From staff, our home facility, volunteers, and everyone that had a hand in running the biggest event this year in our league, we appreciate all the hours put in before and during the showcase. Off the ice, our operations were top notch and praised by many. We recorded just over 90 scouts and the product on the ice was great.

“Additionally, it was great to see our Jets record a 12-0 record collectively. Our players and coaches did a great job representing the Jets.”

JETS RESULTS AT USPHL DETROIT SHOWCASE

The Jets defeated the Hudson Havoc 6-2, the Minnesota Squatch 9-0, the Minnesota Moose 5-0, and the Chicago Cougars 9-1.

The MJDP toppled the Minnesota Blue Ox 7-2, the Minnesota Moose 2-1, the Dells Ducks 3-1, and the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings 5-2.

The Jets Elite bested the Fort Wayne Spacemen 4-1, the Chicago Crush 6-2, the Chicago Cougars 7-2, and the Decatur Blaze 6-1.

Next action for the Jets is the Jets Elite team hosting the Motor City Gamblers next Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., followed by the MJDP team hosting the Gamblers the following day, also at 12:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on FloHockey.tv.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Metro Jets Elite team put up a phenomenal showing this weekend, winning all three of their games at the USPHL Midwest Elite Showcase at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

The Jets defeated the Chicago Cougars 5-1 on Thursday, then followed that up with a 5-3 win over the Chicago Crush Friday before wrapping the event with a 5-4 shootout win over the host Fort Wayne Spacemen on Saturday.

“Couldn’t be happier leaving a showcase 3-0,” said Jets associate coach Jake Howie. “Thought the guys brought an amazing effort all weekend and it consisted of everyone pulling on the rope as a team to get the job done. Forwards all the way back to the goaltenders, everyone had a great trip. Played with a lot of pace and transitioned pucks really well, which led to really high-quality scoring chances. On top of that, I think we’ve made major strides in our ‘D’ zone limiting the grade ‘A’ chances we’re giving our opponents.

“Hopefully, we can keep this ball rolling as we move into our home showcase next week.”

Opening up Thursday John Spiridonakos posted two goals and two assists, Peter Spiridonakos added a goal and three assists, and Jackson Hinkle and Joey Goff scored one each in the victory over the Cougars.

Zach Robert made 21 saves in goal.

Then Friday, John Spiridonakos scored twice and Goff had a goal and an assist in the win against the Crush.

Hinkle and Avery Byron also scored and Eliot Duerr finished with 43 saves in goal.

Finishing up the trip Saturday, Blake Botterill scored a goal, including the shootout winner, and added two assists, and Peter Spiridonakos and John Spiridonakos each posted a goal and an assist with Sean O’Connor also scoring to back Ben Vanderdonck’s 25 saves in goal, plus all three in the shootout.

Meanwhile over the weekend, the Metro Jets beat the Nashville Spartans 3-1 Friday night at Gary Force Acura Ice Arena, but couldn’t finish the sweep Saturday night, getting shut out 3-0 for the team’s first shutout loss since Dec. 19, 2020, when the Pueblo Bulls blanked the Jets.

“Taking the positive that we got the split on a tough, long road trip,” said Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell. “The team just didn’t execute very well the entire weekend, especially on our power play, so that was frustrating because it’s been pretty good for us so far up to this point. Part of that has to be credited to their goalie (Daniel Duzek), who played very well today.

“We will try to address some of these things in the short time we have to prepare for our home showcase this coming week.”

In the win Friday, Ugo Lollier scored twice and Tyler Husted also scored as Taylor White stopped 22 shots for the win in goal.

Saturday night, Carson MacKenzie took the loss between the pipes.

Kicking off the week, the Motor City Gamblers knocked off the MJDP 4-2 last Tuesday afternoon at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Jacques Lavrack and River Lewis scored and Andrew Parmentier made 34 saves.

Coming up next weekend is the USPHL Detroit Showcase, hosted by the Jets, at Mount Clemens Ice Arena. Games start Thursday morning and run through Monday afternoon.

For the full showcase schedules, click HERE.

All USPHL games, including the USPHL Detroit Showcase, will be streamed on FloHockey.tv.

The United States Premier Hockey League and the host Metro Jets are excited to present the USPHL Detroit Showcase, which will be played at the Mount Clemens Ice Arena in Mount Clemens, Mich., from Thursday, Nov. 16 through Monday, Nov. 20.

The USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite conferences will both see action at the showcase, with the Premier featuring 19 teams and the Elite Conference represented by six teams.

For the Premier action, five of the six Great Lakes Division teams will be in action, along with six teams from the Midwest East Division, six Midwest West Division teams, and two additional teams will join from the Atlantic Division.

Five of the Midwest Elite Division teams will be active at the showcase from Friday through Monday, in addition to one Atlantic Division team.

Full USPHL Detroit Showcase Premier Schedule

Full USPHL Detroit Showcase Elite Schedule

Mount Clemens Ice Arena is located at 200 North Groesbeck Highway in Mount Clemens, and is the home of the Metro Jets organization, which includes the Metro Jets and Metro Jets Development Program (MJDP) Premier teams in addition to the first-year Elite Metro Jets team.

College coaches are cordially invited to join the USPHL and the Metro Jets at the USPHL Detroit Showcase, where entry is free for scouts who sign in. There is a scout room located on the main floor, which will have all of the rosters and lineup sheets, in addition to catered food and beverages.

Fans and families will also see great action from start to finish, and can purchase either a day pass for $15 or a full event pass for $25. You may pay by cash or credit or also you can prepay via Venmo (@metrojets).

Hotels in the area have special rates for the event, and these hotels and specific URLs for bookings can be found online at www.metrojetshockey.com/page/show/5371121-detroit-showcase.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets and Metro Jets Elite teams were in action over the long weekend, playing five total games and winning all five.

The Jets swept the Battle Creek Kernels in a home-and-home series, while the Elite squad picked up four points in a home sweep at Mount Clemens Ice Arena over the Decatur Blaze and then downed the Motor City Gamblers Saturday night at Big Boy Arena in Fraser.

Against the Blaze, the Jets won 7-3 Thursday afternoon and 10-1 Friday afternoon.

In the first game, Joey Goff scored three goals with an assist, while Blake Botterill went for a goal and three assists to back Crew Petty’s 17 saves in goal.

Tyler Dix chipped in two goals and an assist and Jackson Hinkle also scored. Sam Hanson, Landon Graham and Caleb Simpson each posted two assists.

For Decatur, Blake Schwendeman made 57 saves and Carter Murphy, Hammad Khan and Jeremy Zarvos scored. Owen Amelkovich tacked on two assists.

Then in the finale Friday, Botterill recorded a goal and three assists, Lukas Nies scored twice with an assist, and Peter Spiridonakos potted a pair of goals as Tabor Hatch finished with 17 saves between the pipes.

Ryan Lemker had a goal and an assist, while Graham, John Spiridonakos, Robert Poliski, and Cameron Maxwell also found the back of the net. Oliver Budd contributed two assists.

Decatur goalie Morgan Heck turned aside 50 shots and Easton Gbeyetin scored the lone Blaze goal.

Making the short trek to Fraser Saturday night, John Spiridonakos registered a hat trick and Ben Vanderdonck made 50 saves in an 8-4 win over the Gamblers.

Botterill added four assists and Dix and Peter Spiridonakos had a goal and an assist.

“The boys came ready to play tonight,” said Jets associate coach Tina Ciraulo. “They focused on keeping it simple and when we had opportunities, we took it and found ways to put the puck in the net. Vanderdonck had a great game for us with some big saves. Of course, there are things we still need to work on, and we will get back to work on Monday to prepare for next weekend.”

Goff, Graham, and Max Rastello added goals and Jack Rivera posted two assists.

Mark Bonnay scored twice with two assists for Motor City, while Patrick Patton and Dustin Fretter each had a goal and an assist. Jack Squire registered two assists and Tyler Houle made 37 saves after taking over for Alex Frink, who gave up two goals on the Jets’ first two shots of the game.

The Jets picked up two straight shutouts over Battle Creek, winning 10-0 Friday afternoon on home ice and then 7-0 Saturday night at The Rink Battle Creek.

In the opener, Tyler Bautko tallied two goals and an assist and Ethan Hellman scored twice as Taylor White made 15 saves in goal for the shutout.

Brock Hart, Luke Gaffney and Seve Litz each had a goal and two assists, while Carson Redd assisted on three goals, Carson Finney had a goal and an assist, and Ugo Lollier and Emrik Froding scored one apiece. Mason Cole chipped in two assists.

Edward Kaiven made 68 saves in goal for the Kernels.

Wrapping up Saturday night, Carson MacKenzie stopped all 18 shots for his fourth shutout in five starts this season.

Litz and Alex Bedenko each had a goal and an assist, Finney a goal plus a helper, while Bautko, Hellman, Robert Vanderdonck, and Yarne Vaerewyck all scored.

“Hard to play in games like this when your opponent sits back and plays safe and defensive,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “We had a lot of time and space with the puck and we were able to make plays at will. We just tried to preach good habits during these two games and focus on playing the right way so that we can prepare for next weekend’s matchup with Nashville.

“I think our guys did a really good job of that for the most part, and now we move into this week of practice and focus on Nashville.”

For Battle Creek, goaltender Sebastian Wigfield stopped 62 shots.

This coming weekend, the Jets are on the road to play the Nashville Spartans from the Gary Force Acura Ice Arena. Game times are 7:30 p.m. CST Friday and Saturday night. The MJDP team hosts Motor City Tuesday at Mount Clemens at 12:30 p.m. (Kids Day all kids get in free), and the Jets Elite team plays three in Fort Wayne, Ind., at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse as part of the USPHL Elite Midwest Showcase – Thursday at 2:10 p.m. against the Chicago Cougars, Friday at 2:20 p.m. against the Chicago Crush, and Saturday at 2:50 p.m. against the Fort Wayne Spacemen.

All USPHL games are available on FloHockey.tv.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets earned four points over this past weekend, getting wins over the MJDP Friday afternoon and the Toledo Cherokee Sunday afternoon.

The MJDP then rebounded with a shutout win on the road over the Columbus Mavericks Saturday night.

Starting off the week, the Metro Jets Elite team fell Wednesday afternoon to the Motor City Gamblers.

Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell was pleased with the team knocking off Toledo 6-3 on home ice at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

“We played really well in the first two periods, put a lot of pressure on their ‘D,’ our forwards were fast, and I think that really helped,” Lovell said. “It’s a rivalry game and we’re trying to develop a hate. We got a lot of new players, so we have to start getting them to learn to develop that hate for the opponent in this rivalry. I think we’re slowly starting to come around to that, and I think it showed here today.”

Alex Bedenko scored twice for the Jets, while Brock Hart had a goal and three assists to back Taylor White’s 18 saves in goal.

“I thought we came out a little slow in the first period and had a one-goal lead going into the second,” said Hart, a new Jets defenseman this season who joined the club with prior USPHL experience. “I think I’m fitting in well, getting along with all the guys. Coming into this season, I feel like I’m in the right place.”

Ugo Lollier added a goal and an assist, while Robert Vanderdonck and Yarne Vaerewyck also scored. Carson Redd and Tyler Husted chipped in a pair of assists apiece.

For Toledo, Wes Hatz scored twice, Will Poolton also scored, captain Jacob Ammar added two assists, and goalies Austin Nowak and Caleb Kril combined to make 36 saves.

Friday afternoon, Carson MacKenzie stopped all 19 shots he faced for his third shutout in four starts to begin the 2023-24 season as the Jets blanked the MJDP 6-0 at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Tyler Bautko had two goals and an assist, Lollier two goals of his own, and Emrik Froding tallied a goal plus a helper. Bedenko also potted a goal and Luke Gaffney tacked on two assists.

Andrew Parmentier finished with 53 saves for the MJDP team.

At the OhioHealth Chiller Easton in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday night, Austin Muirhead pitched a 26-save shutout as the MJDP took a 5-0 decision over the Mavericks.

“Really happy with the response the guys had today after a tough game (Friday),” said Jets associate coach Jake Howie. “Thought we played with a lot of pace and had really good puck support all over the ice, which led to a lot of quality scoring chances. Muirhead was really good in the net for us tonight and was able to backstop us when we did have some breakdowns.

“Any time you go on the road and pick up two points, it’s a good day.”

Jacob Lawrence and Royal St-Cyr each recorded a goal and an assist, while Oliver McClough, River Lewis and Lukas Nies also scored.

Columbus goalie Kyle Diehr turned aside 53 shots in taking the loss.

Kicking off the week Wednesday at Mount Clemens Ice Arena, the Gamblers defeated the Jets Elite squad by a 7-4 count.

Blake Botterill went for a hat trick and John Spiridonakos also scored for the Jets. Peter Spirodonakos added two assists and Zach Robert and Eliot Duerr combined on a 28-save outing in net.

For Motor City, Dustin Fretter had two goals and an assist, Dylan Statham contributed a goal and two helpers, and Trevor Touchton, Mark Bonnay, and Patrick Patton had a goal and an assist apiece as Braedyn Sullivan made 31 saves in goal.

Josh Koza also scored and Asher Taylor popped two assists for the Gamblers.

This week, the Jets Elite hosts the Decatur Blaze for two at Mount Clemens, Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and Thursday at noon, before going to Fraser’s Big Boy Arena to play the Gamblers Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The Jets play a home-and-home with the Battle Creek Kernels, opening up at home Friday at 2 p.m. and wrapping Saturday at 7 p.m. from The Rink Battle Creek.

All USPHL games are available on FloHockey.tv.