HUDSON, N.H. – The defending USPHL national champion Charlotte Rush snapped the Metro Jets’ season-opening 20-game winning streak with a hard-fought 4-3 win Saturday morning at Cyclones Arena.

The two teams were tied 1-1 after one period and 2-2 after two periods before Charlotte scored two goals late in the third period to escape with the victory.

Chad Noetzel had a goal and an assist for the Jets, while Cristian Adragna (pictured below) and Josh German scored to go along with a pair of helpers from Jets captain Cody Mastay.

Louis-Pierre Fortier played well but took the loss in goal for the Jets.

Also Saturday, the Jersey Whalers scored a late goal of their own to down the MJDP 1-0 at Skate 3.

Goaltender Freddy Soderberg (pictured front) finished with 20 saves as the MJDP outshot the Whalers 29-21.

“We are proud of our guys and all the wins they had this weekend, but more importantly, they handled themselves professionally throughout the event,” Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said. “These formats are difficult to go 4-0 in with such short breaks between games, but our guys battled through and found a way to compete with everything they had left in the tank on the last day. Even though both teams fell short by a goal, both their opponents played hard on their first game of the event unfortunately. Regardless, our guys won a lot of games and garnered even more attention. We already have several NAHL and NCDC call ups in the next couple weeks again and even more NCAA schools looking at our players. I’m the end, that’s the point, and that’s why we operate to providing the most amount of opportunities and exposure.

“We’ll enjoy this short break and look to keep going into December with even more difficult games and another showcase in Chicago. Two teams both in first place in their respective divisions says something, but our focus will continue on getting better as the season develops.”

After time off for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Jets will host the Lake Erie Bighorns at Mount Clemens Ice Arena December 4-5. Game times are 4:30 p.m. for the opener and noon for the finale.

The MJDP next plays on the road against the Decatur Blaze December 4-5 with game times 8:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

TYNGSBORO, Mass. – The Metro Jets and MJDP teams each won both of their games on Friday at the USPHL Islanders Hockey Club Showcase.

Opening the day, the Jets downed the Philadelphia Hockey Club 5-2 from the Cyclones Arena in nearby Hudson, N.H.

Alex Schaumburger, Matt Cole, Kam Hellman and Andreas Fleutot all had a goal and an assist in the win, while Ryan Messing also scored and Will Augustine made 19 saves in goal.

“Our forwards showed today why they’re so dangerous,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “We made some very nice skilled plays and used our speed for goals. They were timely goals, too. Philly had a little push to try to get back in the game a couple times in the third, but we always answered back with a goal. Great to see.”

In the nightcap (pictured below), Fleutot scored twice as the Jets beat the Northern Colorado Eagles 5-2 at Gallant Arena on the campus of Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass.

Schaumburger, Nick Ceccarini and Owen Limback also scored, and Daniel Miscavish earned the win between the pipes with a 20-save performance.

“Tonight, we weren’t at our best but still found a way to win,” said Lovell. “Good teams find ways to win even when they’re not the sharpest. Circumstances were tough. It was our third game in a short period of time, the ice conditions were not very good, and we were playing another tough, physical opponent, but we managed to overcome those things.

“We got some big saves from Danny which helped settle the bench down, and like last game, we scored timely goals. We know we can be better, but I’m proud of how we battled through things tonight.”

For the MJDP, the team rattled off a 3-0 win over the PAL Jr. Islanders and then a 4-1 win over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. Both games were played at Skate 3 in Tyngsboro, Mass.

In the Jr. Islanders game, Ethan Ryan (pictured front) stopped all 24 shots fired his way and Vincent Westman, William Boyer and Steven Miller all scored.

“Boys played much better this afternoon than last night,” Jets assistant coach Tina Ciraulo said. “They played smarter and competed until the end. It’s always good to have other players find the back of the net. Having Westman and Boyer get their first junior goals for us to help with the win was great to watch, but the boys couldn’t have pulled it off without Ryan in net. He had some big saves, kept us in the game, and got the shutout.”

Finishing off the day, Miller and Austin Combs each had a goal and two assists in the win over the Jr. Rangers.

Stone Bishop added a goal and an assist and Nolan Bruxvoort also scored to back Mason Kelly’s 25 saves in net.

“Proud of the guys for grinding out a win, considering it’s a lot of hockey for one day,” Ciraulo said. “We got some timely goals and even bigger saves from Mason Kelly, who was the difference. These formats are always tough but, hopefully, the guys can ride this momentum into tomorrow’s game and finish this off with another two points.”

The Jets play the Charlotte Rush Saturday at 10 a.m. from Cyclones Arena and the MJDP skates with the Jersey Whalers at 1:30 p.m. at Skate 3.

All showcase games are available on HockeyTV.com.

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Metro Jets opened the USPHL Islanders Hockey Club Showcase with a 3-1 win over the host Islanders Thursday night at Gallant Arena on the campus of Merrimack College.

Anders Grongstad (pictured below) netted a pair of goals in the win, while Alex Schaumburger also scored, and Louis-Pierre Fortier (pictured front) finished with 18 saves in goal.

“Good win tonight against a tough, quality opponent,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “We knew it was going to be a tight checking game, but we managed the puck well for the most part. Got some big saves when we made the odd mistake and converted on the power play at the right time. Good start to the weekend.”

Also Thursday night at Gallant Arena, the MJDP fell 4-3 to the Springfield Pics.

Austin Combs and Steven Miller posted a goal and an assist each, while Jonathan Martin scored, and Stone Bishop tacked on two assists. Freddy Soderberg made 26 saves between the pipes in suffering the defeat.

“Not good enough,” Lovell said. “Proud of how we battled back into the game in the third, but we can’t show up for one period and expect to win. We were chasing the game all night. We know we can be so much better.”

Friday, both teams play two games each.

The Jets play the Philadelphia Hockey Club at noon from Cyclones Arena and then the Northern Colorado Eagles at 8:50 p.m. back at Gallant Arena, while the MJDP plays the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders at 1:30 p.m. and the Connecticut Jr. Rangers at 9 p.m., both from Skate 3.

All showcase games will be available on HockeyTV.com.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets and MJDP teams were in action Saturday, and each picked up two points with victories in their respective games.

The MJDP finished off a home-and-home sweep of the Fort Wayne Spacemen with a 5-3 win at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

Robert Grasso and Steven Miller scored two goals apiece and Carson Finney added a goal and two assists in the victory as Freddy Soderberg made 29 saves in goal.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we will take the two points,” Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell said. “Freddy was huge for us again in net. We have a lot to work on. Our puck management was extremely poor in both the ‘D’ zone and neutral zone. We’re going to have to clean up those areas if we want to have success next week in Boston.

“Nice to see (defenseman) Jonathan Martin back in the lineup for us after being sidelined from an appendectomy. He was very solid all weekend.”

Martin had been out the past five weeks but returned for the Fort Wayne games and did not look out of place.

“Obviously, it feels good that we managed to get four important points this weekend after two tough losses last week,” said Martin, who had two assists Saturday night. “It wasn’t our best game, but we got off to a good start that we knew we would need, which gave us an important 2-0 lead. After that, we started to be sloppy and let them come back into the game, but Freddy had a great game in goal which led to the win.

“I think this weekend will give us a confidence boost ahead of our big showcase next week.”

Blake Ferris scored twice, and Austin Buck had a goal and two assists for Fort Wayne. Goaltender Mikhail Melnikov finished with 26 saves in taking the loss between the pipes.

On home ice at Mount Clemens Ice Arena, the Jets downed the Columbus Mavericks 5-1 behind two goals and an assist from Chad Noetzel, including a penalty shot midway through the first period.

“It was kind of surprising they called a penalty shot, honestly,” Noetzel said. “I don’t think I’ve had one before. I can’t give any secrets out, but luckily my move worked so it was a good goal, and we could feed off that the rest of the game.”

Seth Francois, Kam Hellman and Cristian Adragna added goals for the Jets and Dakota Kott and Braydon Lewis had two assists apiece to back Daniel Miscavish’s 23 saves in goal.

“It wasn’t one of our best games, a little sloppy in all three zones, but the players stuck with it and still manage to play through the adversity and find the back of the net,” said Jets associate coach Dan Pszenyczny. “Danny came up with big saves when we needed him to, and the 5-on-3 penalty kill for two minutes early in the second period was a big moment in the game for us.”

Ethan Bishara netted Columbus’ lone goal and goalie Frank Murphy stopped 40 shots.

Next weekend, both the Jets and MJDP head to the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase in suburban Boston.

The Jets, who finish the weekend with a 4:30 p.m. game Sunday against the Wooster Oilers at Alice Noble Ice Arena, play the Islanders Thursday at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Philadelphia Hockey Club Friday at noon, Northern Colorado Eagles Friday at 8:50 p.m., and wrapping with the Charlotte Rush Sunday at 10 a.m.

The MJDP will play the Springfield Pics Thursday at 8:20 p.m., the PAL Junior Islanders Friday at 1:30 p.m., the Connecticut Junior Rangers Friday at 9 p.m., and then the Jersey Whalers Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The Metro Jets and MJDP teams were in action Saturday, and each picked up two points with victories in their respective games.

The MJDP finished off a home-and-home sweep of the Fort Wayne Spacemen with a 5-3 win at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

Robert Grasso and Steven Miller scored two goals apiece and Carson Finney added a goal and two assists in the victory as Freddy Soderberg made 29 saves in goal.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we will take the two points,” Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell said. “Freddy was huge for us again in net. We have a lot to work on. Our puck management was extremely poor in both the ‘D’ zone and neutral zone. We’re going to have to clean up those areas if we want to have success next week in Boston.

“Nice to see (defenseman) Jonathan Martin back in the lineup for us after being sidelined from an appendectomy. He was very solid all weekend.”

Martin had been out the past five weeks but returned for the Fort Wayne games and did not look out of place.

“Obviously, it feels good that we managed to get four important points this weekend after two tough losses last week,” said Martin, who had two assists Saturday night. “It wasn’t our best game, but we got off to a good start that we knew we would need, which gave us an important 2-0 lead. After that, we started to be sloppy and let them come back into the game, but Freddy had a great game in goal which led to the win.

“I think this weekend will give us a confidence boost ahead of our big showcase next week.”

Blake Ferris scored twice, and Austin Buck had a goal and two assists for Fort Wayne. Goaltender Mikhail Melnikov finished with 26 saves in taking the loss between the pipes.

On home ice at Mount Clemens Ice Arena, the Jets downed the Columbus Mavericks 5-1 behind two goals and an assist from Chad Noetzel, including a penalty shot midway through the first period.

“It was kind of surprising they called a penalty shot, honestly,” Noetzel said. “I don’t think I’ve had one before. I can’t give any secrets out, but luckily my move worked so it was a good goal, and we could feed off that the rest of the game.”

Seth Francois, Kam Hellman and Cristian Adragna added goals for the Jets and Dakota Kott and Braydon Lewis had two assists apiece to back Daniel Miscavish’s 23 saves in goal.

“It wasn’t one of our best games, a little sloppy in all three zones, but the players stuck with it and still manage to play through the adversity and find the back of the net,” said Jets associate coach Dan Pszenyczny. “Danny came up with big saves when we needed him to, and the 5-on-3 penalty kill for two minutes early in the second period was a big moment in the game for us.”

Ethan Bishara netted Columbus’ lone goal and goalie Frank Murphy stopped 40 shots.

Next weekend, both the Jets and MJDP head to the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase in suburban Boston.

The Jets, who finish the weekend with a 4:30 p.m. game Sunday against the Wooster Oilers at Alice Noble Ice Arena, play the Islanders Thursday at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Philadelphia Hockey Club Friday at noon, Northern Colorado Eagles Friday at 8:50 p.m., and wrapping with the Charlotte Rush Sunday at 10 a.m.

The MJDP will play the Springfield Pics Thursday at 8:20 p.m., the PAL Junior Islanders Friday at 1:30 p.m., the Connecticut Junior Rangers Friday at 9 p.m., and then the Jersey Whalers Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Ethan Smith’s end-to-end goal with less than four seconds remaining in overtime lifted the MJDP to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Fort Wayne Spacemen Friday night at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

On a power play late in the extra session, Smith took the puck from goaltender Freddy Soderberg behind his own net and skated down the ice, wristing the winner past Antoine Robidoux.

“They iced it down and I saw we had like 12 seconds left on the clock, so I just skated in, got a quick shot, and I got lucky, and it went in,” Smith said. “This is a big win. We knew they would be a tough team coming into our home rink and knew we had to bring it to them.”

#USPHLPremier: Ethan Smith with his first goal of the season sends the @MetroJetsHockey #MJDP into victory lane, as he scores the #OTGWG in the 4-3 victory over the @FWSpacemen. pic.twitter.com/ogalAux13z — USPHL (@USPHL) November 13, 2021

Steven Miller had a goal and an assist in the win, while Aidan Shannon and Stone Bishop scored in regulation and Soderberg finished with 35 saves.

“It wasn’t a pretty hockey game, that’s for sure,” Metro Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “I guess sometimes, good teams find ways to win. That’s what we did tonight. The message here at the end of the game was that it certainly wasn’t our best effort, and just imagine now if we could put three periods together.”

Fabien Pilon, Logan Robins and Matteo Daita scored for the Spacemen, and Robidoux finished with 28 saves in suffering the loss in goal. Kyle Remo chipped in two assists.

The two teams meet again Saturday night at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse in Fort Wayne, Ind. Game time is set for 8:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

PITTSBURGH – The Metro Jets’ offense was in full force over the weekend as the team swept the Pittsburgh Vengeance at the Alpha Ice Complex.

Alex Schaumburger posted two hat tricks in the wins and now sits third in the USPHL Premier with 19 goals and sixth with 34 points.

“The first game, we came out slow but then started to pick it up later in the game,” said Jets assistant coach Tina Ciraulo. “We need to make sure we come out hard and work hard every game, every period. Pittsburgh plays hard and fights to the end even with the short bench that they have.

“Second game, we played much better. We looked more like a team. When we play hard, handle pucks, and play like a team, it’s fun to watch.”

Sunday afternoon, Schaumburger’s hat trick went along with a goal and an assist from Nick Ceccarini and Cristian Adragna and single goals from Matt Cole, Ryan Messing, Seth Francois and Patrick Hays in a 10-1 victory.

“It felt great to pop another on the ‘D’ side of things,” said Hays. “We work on plays like that in practice and I just stayed patient and snuck in back door and buried when I had the chance.”

Anders Grongstad and Andreas Fleutot each chipped in two assists and Will Augustine finished with 18 saves between the pipes.

“We knew coming in that we had to take it to them,” said Hays. “It was a great weekend with ups and downs per usual. It was a really good team effort this weekend. Everybody on the roster chipped in one way or another. We’re happy to get the four points and get back and refocus this upcoming week.”

In the opener Saturday night, Schaumburger’s three goals and Louis-Pierre Fortier’s 23 saves in goal led the Jets to a 6-2 win.

“It was an OK game, one of our slower games this season, but we were able to play through a little adversity and finish out the game,” Schaumburger said. “The hat trick felt good, but obviously all praise goes to my teammates who were on the ice with me because without them, none of those opportunities would be created.”

Cole, Herman Ahokas and Chad Noetzel also scored with Joey Carpenter and Dakota Kott collecting two assists apiece.

The Jets play next Saturday at home, hosting the Columbus Mavericks at 4:30 p.m. from Mount Clemens Ice Arena before going on the road to play the Wooster Oilers Sunday at the Alice Noble Ice Arena with a 4:30 p.m. puck drop.

In other weekend action, the MJDP suffered two losses at home to the Chicago Cougars at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Friday night, Steven Miller and Aidan Shannon scored and Freddy Soderberg made 26 saves in a 5-2 defeat.

Then Saturday afternoon, Stone Bishop had a goal and an assist, Austin Combs and Nick Twombley scored, and Mason Kelly and Ethan Ryan combined to stop 28 shots in a 6-3 setback.

The MJDP next plays a home-and-home series next weekend with the Fort Wayne Spacemen, starting at Mount Clemens Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and wrapping at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Two games meant two shutouts for the Metro Jets on Saturday.

The Jets blanked the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones 11-0 at Mount Clemens Ice Arena and then the MJDP team followed that up with a 3-0 win over the Detroit Fighting Irish at Southgate Ice Arena.

On home ice, Matt Cole (pictured front) posted two goals and an assist, Kam Hellman and Owen Limback added a goal and three assists each, and Daniel Miscavish made 18 saves between the pipes.

“The boys played good tonight, and everyone contributed to the win,” said Jets assistant coach Tina Ciraulo. “Sometimes when the score is like that, the game can get a little rougher than normal, but we’re not a team that’s going to sit back and take it. The boys finished strong. Now we will get back to work on Monday and focus on the next weekend.”

Alex Schaumburger, Niko Murgic and Dakota Kott all had a goal and a pair of assists, Jets captain Cody Mastay went for a goal and an assist, and Chad Noetzel and Andreas Fleutot had two helpers apiece.

“When the score gets lopsided, I mean, there’s still so much more to the game – focusing on all the little things like backchecking, handling the puck, crisp passes, blocking shots, winning puck battles, etcetera,” said Limback. “For a team that goes far regardless of any sport, they do all the little things right. We want to be one of those teams. Another thing to focus on was being shutdown in our D zone, and that all starts with Danny. He played a great game, and he deserved the shutout for sure.”

Ryan Messing, Anders Grongstad and Herman Ahokas also scored in the win.

Cincinnati goalie Jack Cooper finished with 42 saves in suffering the defeat.

The Jets head on the road next weekend to play the Pittsburgh Vengeance from the Alpha Ice Complex. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Saturday night and then 11:40 a.m. for the finale Sunday.

In Southgate, Freddy Soderberg put together a 41-save performance for the MJDP.

“Glad we got the road win tonight, but I think we could have been better,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “Goalies for both teams were very good and, ultimately, I think Freddy was just better. We need to have more of that killer instinct and put teams away, leave no doubt. We had plenty of opportunities with the man advantage to put the game completely out of reach, but we didn’t do that. We let DFI stay in the game, and we took way too many penalties ourselves, which kills momentum, and just makes the game tougher to manage.

“We will take the two points and use this game to learn and continue to develop, as we have a tough opponent coming up next weekend in Chicago that we will need to be ready for.”

Nick Twombley had a goal and an assist, while Robert Grasso (pictured below) and Owen Ott scored, with Ott’s his first junior hockey goal.

“The boys knew what we had to do right out of the gate,” Ott said. “Special teams did a job on both sides of the puck, and Freddy stood on his head in net. Some bounces went our way and we capitalized on the other team’s mistakes to come out with the two points.

“On my goal, I was in the offensive zone corner and went to pass to the backdoor tap in, but it ended up between the goalie’s legs and in the net. Totally planned.”

Ethan Smith tacked on two assists in the victory.

For the Fighting Irish, goaltender Collin Guelcher made 40 saves.

Next weekend, the MJDP hosts the Chicago Cougars for two games at Mount Clemens Ice Arena. Game times are 7:30 p.m. Friday night and 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – It was a successful USPHL Detroit Showcase over the weekend at Mount Clemens Ice Arena on numerous levels for the Metro Jets organization.

On the ice, the Jets and MJDP teams went a combined 7-1 against their opponents.

Off the ice, a slew of college and higher-level junior hockey scouts took in the games that started Friday morning and wrapped Sunday afternoon.

“First off, I would like to thank everyone on staff, our arena staff and all volunteers that helped make this event a success again this year,” Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said. “The competition on the ice was strong and the response from scouts and people in attendance was great. As for our Jets organization, I am proud how our coaches and players represented themselves. The on-ice record is not the most important element of the ice, but these were all regular-season points on the line that our group took advantage of.

“Our goal is to continue to build on our model and focus on our next showcase out east here in a few weeks.”

The Jets ran the table at the showcase, defeating the Fort Wayne Spacemen and Detroit Fighting Irish on Friday, the Chicago Cougars Saturday and then the Midwest Blackbirds Sunday.

JETS 7, Fort Wayne 2

Anders Grongstad went for two goals and an assist, Nick Ceccarini added a goal and two assists, and Jets captain Cody Mastay and Dakota Kott picked up two assists each to back Will Augustine’s 18 saves in goal.

Cristian Adragna collected a goal and an assist and Niko Murgic, Andreas Fleutot and Kam Hellman also scored in the win.

JETS 8, Detroit 1

The Jets overwhelmed the Irish, registering nearly 70 shots in the shortened showcase game format. All eight goals came in the first half of the game before the Jets let off the gas.

Braydin Lewis registered two goals and two assists and Alex Bedenko and Hellman contributed a goal and an assist each. Alex Schaumburger, Chad Noetzel and Grongstad all recorded two helpers each.

Ryan Messing, Patrick Hays, Mastay and Fleutot all notched one goal as Daniel Miscavish stopped 13 shots between the pipes.

JETS 4, Chicago 0

Louis-Pierre Fortier turned aside all 17 shots he faced to lift the Jets to the shutout.

Seth Francois, Mastay and Schaumburger all had a goal and an assist, Herman Ahokas scored, and Noetzel chipped in with two assists.

JETS 12, Midwest 1

After the Blackbirds opened the scoring, the Jets scored the next 12 for the victory.

Schaumburger had the hat trick, Fleutot added a goal and three assists, Ceccarini chalked up four assists, Matt Cole added two goals plus a helper, Lewis and Messing a goal and two assists each, and Grongstad two goals.

Joey Carpenter added three assists, and Owen Limback, Ahokas and Noetzel all rang up two assists.

Hellman and Mastay scored singles while Augustine and Isaac Hyde combined to make 13 saves in the Metro crease.

On the MJDP side, wins came at the hands of the Columbus Mavericks and Wooster Oilers Saturday and the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones Sunday. The lone loss was Saturday against the Pittsburgh Vengeance and coach Steve Kruk, a former Jets coach who was part of the staff that led the team to the 2018 national championship.

Pittsburgh 3, MJDP 1

Robert Grasso netted the lone goal and Freddy Soderberg kicked out 29 shots in goal.

MJDP 6, Columbus 4

Steven Miller scored twice, while Matt Vanderworp and Jake Lavack went for a goal and an assist each.

Duke Allen and Carson Finney added goals and Ethan Ryan and Mason Kelly combined to 39 saves, with Kelly getting the win in relief.

MJDP 6, Wooster 3

Nolan Bruxvoort tallied a pair of goals, and Stone Bishop and Grasso had a goal and an assist apiece. The Jets went 1 for 1 on the power play and controlled the majority of the game with 32 shots.

Austin Combs, Nick Twombley and Samuel Westerberg all tacked on two assists, and Miller and Finney also scored to back Kelly’s 17-save outing in goal.

MJDP 1, Cincinnati 0

Bishop scored the game’s only goal and Soderberg pitched a 26-save shutout. This was the first time the Cyclones have been shut out this season and the only game the USPHL’s leading scorer Drake Barnish was held scoreless after breaking the season record of 13 games with at least one point.

This weekend, the Jets play two games at home this weekend at Mount Clemens, hosting Wooster Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop and then hosting Cincinnati Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The MJDP travels to play the Fighting Irish Saturday at 7:30 p.m. from the Southgate Ice Arena.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Ryan Messing and Nick Ceccarini each recorded two goals and an assist to lead the Metro Jets over the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones 9-3 Sunday night at Heritage Bank Center.

Kam Hellman and Matt Cole posted a goal and two assists apiece to back Louis-Pierre Fortier’s 20 saves between the pipes.

“We started out really sloppy, but the boys started to realize the time and space Cincy was giving us, and took advantage of it on the scoreboard,” said Messing. “Good teams find ways to get it done, and that’s what we did here tonight.

“It felt great to put a couple in tonight, but a lot of credit goes to my lineys ‘Gronger’ (Anders Grongstad) and ‘Cess’ (Ceccarini) because we were all finding offense tonight. Time to get back to work this week and prepare for our home showcase this coming weekend.”

Alex Bedenko and Grongstad chipped in a goal plus a helper, while Andreas Fleutot also scored, and Braydin Lewis tacked on two assists in the win.

“All in all, it was not our cleanest game,” Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said. “We made a few mental mistakes and missed assignments in our zone. Credit to the Cincy goalie (Blake Mitchell) for making some big saves and keeping them in it early, but as the game developed, we took over offensively as a group. Messing, Ceccarini and Grongstad scored some big goals for us and led the charge, and Fortier made some timely saves in the second when we were in penalty troubles.

“We will take the two points and move on and redirect our focus to the important showcase weekend at home coming up.”

Mitchell made 47 saves, Brendan Walk scored twice, and JT Hosack added the other goal for the Jr. Cyclones.

Earlier Sunday, the Decatur Blaze jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the MJDP and salvaged a weekend split with a 7-3 win at the Decatur Civic Center.

Robert Grasso scored twice in the loss, while Joey DeMitchell also scored, Matt Vanderworp had two assists, and Ethan Ryan and Mason Kelly combined to stop 28 shots in the Jets net.

Decatur goalie Randon Striplin made 45 saves for the win.

Both teams will be in action this weekend at the USPHL Detroit Showcase, hosted by the Jets at Mount Clemens Ice Arena Friday through Sunday.

More showcase info is available at Detroit Showcase (www.metrojetshockey.com).

All USPHL games are available at HockeyTV.com.