PITTSBURGH – Four different players scored Tuesday afternoon as the Metro Jets doubled up the Rockets Hockey Club 4-2 at the Alpha Ice Complex.

Justin Song, Alex Schaumburger (pictured front), Anders Grongstad and Will Jentz posted goals for the Jets, while Louis-Pierre Fortier made 28 saves in goal for the win.

“That was a big win for our guys,” Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said. “The Rockets are a good team and didn’t back down at any point. Our ‘D’ did a great job tonight breaking up plays and slowing down their forwards. LP made a couple big saves in the second to keep the lead, and our forwards managed the puck well as the game progressed. Overall, our guys committed to getting in lanes. It was a compete team effort, but we know that team will be hungry to push back tomorrow. We will be ready.”

Ryan Messing and Joey Johnson each had two assists for the Jets.

“Today’s game was a huge boost for us going into playoffs,” said Grongstad. “The Rockets are a top seed in their division and the type of team we will play at nationals. Winning big games like this shows the work we’ve been putting in.

“We’re expecting the Rockets to come out with vengeance tomorrow. It will be a high-paced intense game.”

Harris Blackwood scored both games for the Rockets and Nolan Woodring stopped 28 shots between the pipes.

The two teams meet again Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Also Tuesday, Brennan Zatelli (pictured below) scored two third-period goals, Ethan Smith assisted on both, and Sal Carabelli made 43 saves as the MHC fell 4-2 to the Detroit Fighting Irish at Fraser Hockeyland.

The MHC travels to Redford to play the Motor City Hockey Club Wednesday at noon.

In other action Wednesday, the MJDP hosts the Fighting Irish back at Fraser with a 2 p.m. opening faceoff.

All USPHL games are streamed on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – The Metro Jets, fresh off clinching their seventh straight division championship Saturday night in Toledo, didn’t take their foot off the gas Sunday at home, downing the Wooster Oilers 7-1 at Fraser Hockeyland.

After taking a 2-0 lead after one period on goals from Matt Cole and Ryan Messing, the Jets exploded for five in the second period of the sticks of Nick Cecarini, Cristian Adragna, Cole, Conner Graham and Stefan Frantti (pictured front).

Kyle Burke scored late in the period for Wooster, while the third period was scoreless.

“What we appreciated the most was our first 40 minutes,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “Our guys played the right way, focused on good habits.”

Adragna added two assists for a multi-point game and Will Augustine finished with 16 saves in goal.

“The first couple period, we got hot, we snapping the puck around, getting pucks deep,” said Messing after playing in his 100th junior game. “Third period, we were kind of slow, but it didn’t matter because of our hot start. We were buzzing out there.”

Luke Bell made 40 saves in taking the defeat between the pipes for Wooster.

The Jets next head to Pittsburgh Tuesday and Wednesday to play the Rockets Hockey Club from the Alpha Ice Complex. Game times are 2 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday.

“We’re preparing ourselves for playoff hockey,” Lovell said. “We want to prepare ourselves against better opponents. That’s what we’re going to do here coming up.”

In the Fraser nightcap Sunday, the Fort Wayne Spacemen scored late in the third period to tie the game and then collected the lone goal in the shootout to knock off the MJDP 4-3.

Tim Washburn (pictured below), Nick Twombley and Garrick Smith scored for the MJDP and Daniel Miscavish finished with 29 saves through 65 minutes.

Riley Pitchure, Larry Yellowknee and Noe Perez scored and Jordan Belley stopped 25 shots in goal before turning aside Kam Hellman, Max Hartwell and Herman Ahokas in the shootout.

Charles-Andre Cypihot scored in the second round of the shootout. Miscavish stopped attempts by Perez and Darick Louis-Jean.

“We were leading the whole game and we did a lot of great things,” said Lovell. “Just a couple mistakes at the end there and we let Fort Wayne back into the game. That’s too bad.”

The MJDP next hosts the Detroit Fighting Irish Wedbesday at 2 p.m. from Fraser Hockeyland.

All USPHL games are streamed live on HockeyTV.com.

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Metro Jets tied the game late and then defeated the Toledo Cherokee 3-2 in overtime Saturday night at the Team Toledo IceHouse.

Alec Lindecker knotted the game at 2-all 14:28 into the third period and then Conner Graham’s second goal of the game won it at 4:11 of extra time.

“What a great game to be a part of,” said Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell. “Great atmosphere, a tough atmosphere. This is a very hard building to play in and we’ve had to do it five times this season out of six total games. I’m still not sure how that works, but I’m proud of our guys for coming into a hostile environment and not letting it affect them, even after giving up a goal 30 seconds in.

“We just stayed focused and started tilting the ice in our favor. Our second period we felt was dominant but only one goal to show for it. Credit to their goalie (Joey Cormier, 40 saves) for keeping it tied. We have a lot of young talent, but at this time of year, we need our veteran players to step up. Graham and Lindecker showed why they are our leaders and I think that’s huge for our young guys to see what it’s going to take to win these types of games.”

Jets goaltender Louis-Pierre Fortier finished with 35 saves in picking up the win in goal.

The Jets next play the Wooster Oilers Sunday at 3:30 p.m. from Fraser Hockeyland.

Kicking off the day’s action Saturday, Tate Potteiger (pictured front) turned aside all 43 shots he faced as the MHC blanked Wooster 3-0 at the Alice Noble Ice Arena.

Anders Florek, Ethan Smith and Ronny Zamojski all scored in the victory, the MHC’s second in three games.

“It was a great game for the guys,” said Jets associate coach Dan Pszenyczny. “They brought the energy today for all three periods. All four lines and seven ‘D’ played a smart game. ‘Z’ (Brennan Zatelli) and Florek had a great game, and Tate was stellar in goal tonight. Best game I’ve seen him play this year.

“The confidence for this team is high right now after this game.”

Wooster goalie Rob Holden stopped 20 shots in taking the loss.

The MHC next plays the Detroit Fighting Irish on Tuesday at 2 p.m. from Fraser Hockeyland.

Also Saturday, the MJDP fell 4-2 to the Fort Wayne Spacemen from the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

Brendan Rachfal and Hugo Fonovic scored and Caden Fisher made 20 saves between the pipes.

“It’s a disappointing result to say the least,” Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said. “This time of year, we can’t let poor reffing, bad bounces, or excuses be the reason we are on the wrong side. We had 51 shots against that kid and missed opportunities. We need to capitalize on our chances. We will be ready tomorrow and the guys know it. Imagine if we weren’t taking stupid penalties either. That might have helped.”

Earning the win, Fort Wayne netminder Cedric Lariviere finished with 49 saves.

The same two teams play again Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Fraser Hockeyland.

All USPHL games are streamed live on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – The Metro Jets picked up four key points this weekend after sweeping the Lake Erie Bighorns at Fraser Hockeyland.

The Jets defeated Lake Erie 8-1 Sunday night and then 6-2 Monday afternoon.

“We’ll take the four points, and we’re still in a battle here for first place in our division,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “We have a big game coming up on Saturday (in Toledo), so we needed these points, to beat the teams that are below us. It’s not necessarily about that all the time. We have to play the right way.”

In Sunday’s win, Cristian Adragna went for two goals and an assist, while Conner Graham (pictured below) and Joey Johnson each had a goal and two assists to back Will Augustine’s 19 saves in goal.

“We came out slow and they came out hard,” Adragna said of the 2-1 score for the Jets after the first period. “We made it 4-1 in the second and carried that over into the third.”

Nathan Vazquez, Braydin Lewis and Alec Lindecker (pictured front) all had a goal and an assist, Matt Cole added a goal, and Jack Mueller tacked on three assists.

Monday afternoon, Lindecker scored twice, Graham had another one-goal, two-assist game, and Adragna contributed a pair of helpers as Louis-Pierre Fortier earned the win between the pipes with a 16-save outing.

“I liked how the boys responded in the third,” Lindecker said. “We started out slow today in the first, same as yesterday, but we responded and put up five, so it was good.”

Anders Grongstad tallied a goal and an assist and Nick Ceccarini and Stefan Frantti chipped in one goal apiece.

Saturday’s game in Toledo is set for an 8:30 p.m. opening faceoff.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – Newcomer Jack Day posted a goal and an assist in his junior hockey debut in helping the MHC shut out the Motor City Hockey Club 3-0 Thursday afternoon at Fraser Hockeyland.

Day joined the team earlier this week and said the organization has been very welcoming in the short time he has been in Fraser.

“I felt pretty good out there today, and the boys were there for me for my first game here,” Day said. “It’s been good support, on and off the ice, and it’s just been great.”

He popped his first goal at 18:44 of the third period.

“They turned it over in the defensive zone and we had pressure on the puck,” said Day. “I read the play, hopped up in the play, and went five-hole.”

Brennan Zatelli (pictured below) and Brent Wolf (pictured front) also scored, Matt Vanderworp tacked on two assists, and Sal Carabelli stopped all 18 shots for the shutout between the pipes.

Motor City goaltender Ethan Roy made 39 saves in suffering the defeat.

The MHC plays next on Friday, Feb. 19 in a 7 p.m. matchup with the Toledo Cherokee at the Team Toledo IceHouse.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

ERIE, Pa. – The Metro Jets will settle for a series split with the Pittsburgh Vengeance after getting shut out 2-0 Thursday morning at the ErieBank Sports Park.

The Jets had defeated Pittsburgh 2-1 Wednesday afternoon.

“Outshooting and outchancing a team this time of year is not enough,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “We gave up a soft goal in the second and Pittsburgh found life. They committed to blocking shots, and doing whatever it took to win a game. We just played OK and OK doesn’t get you anywhere. I get that everybody wants to win, but I would rather work with people who hate to lose.

“Our guys better show up for a full game this afternoon.”

Jets goalie Will Augustine made 24 saves in taking the loss in goal.

The Jets play the Lake Erie Bighorns at 3:30 p.m., while the MJDP plays Pittsburgh, also at 3:30 p.m. from Erie.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

ERIE, Pa. – The Metro Jets and MJDP both rebounded in major ways Wednesday afternoon, each taking a victory at the ErieBank Sports Park.

The Jets used six different goal scorers to knock off the Lake Erie Bighorns 6-0, while the MJDP defeated the Pittsburgh Vengeance 2-1.

For the Jets, Cody Mastay had a goal and two assists, Jack Mueller (pictured front) and Cristian Adragna each posted a goal and an assist, and Matt Cole (pictured below) chipped in two assists.

“A big difference in approach this afternoon,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “I thought our guys did a great job managing the puck and getting to the net. We controlled the play and made the game hard on them for 200 feet. We know this weekend they will be fired up to come back at us, but we will be ready.”

Conner Graham, Jason Crossland and Ryan Messing added goals and Louis-Pierre Fortier turned aside all 12 shots fired his way as the Jets outshot Lake Erie 39-12.

The Jets host the Bighorns Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and Monday at 11 a.m. at Fraser Hockeyland.

The MJDP used a 13-save effort from goalie Daniel Miscavish to pick up the win over Pittsburgh.

“Very good effort today from top to bottom,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “The close score was not indicative of how we think the game actually was. We controlled the play throughout most of the game but just didn’t convert on our chances as much as we should have. We got into penalty trouble in the second half which gave Pittsburgh a chance, but our PK was solid and Daniel Miscavish shut the door. That’s a great bounce-back game for him after a disappointing effort in his last appearance, so I’m happy for him. Happy for all our guys, really. We needed that win today against a strong and confident Pittsburgh team, who was coming off a big win themselves.”

Tommy Purton and Tim Washburn scored for the MJDP while Miscavish lost his shutout bid with 27 seconds left in the third period.

“We needed to get back some of that swagger we lost over our past few disappointing games,” Lovell said. “As we get closer to the end of the regular season, we fully expect them to carry this into the home stretch.”

The MJDP next plays a home-and-home series with the Fort Wayne Spacemen Feb. 20-21, with the second game at Fraser Hockeyland for a 6:30 p.m. puck drop. The first game is at 7:15 p.m. from the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse in Fort Wayne.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

ERIE, Pa. – The Metro Jets continued their longstanding rivalry with the Pittsburgh Vengeance Tuesday afternoon at the ErieBank Sports Park, taking a late 2-0 lead and hanging on for a 2-1 win.

Nick Ceccarini and Conner Graham (pictured front) scored for the Jets, while Louis-Pierre Fortier (pictured below) made 21 saves in goal for the victory.

“The guys did a good job controlling the play offensively,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “Their goalie (Noah Bonvissuto, 28 saves) made some timely saves and we just couldn’t get that next one, but (Ryan) Messing, (Matt) Cole and Ceccarini scored a big goal in the second and got one more which proved to be enough. We still need to clean up a few things coming out of our zone, and we will be better in those areas tomorrow.

“We know Pittsburgh will push back like they did in the third, and we will be ready for a big one tomorrow.”

The Jets and Pittsburgh rematch Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. before the Jets play the Lake Erie Bighorns at 3:30 p.m.

Also Tuesday in Erie, the Bighorns defeated the MJDP 8-3.

Kam Hellman and Joey Mocnik each had a goal and an assist, while Mitch Forton also scored and Caden Fisher finished with 18 stops between the pipes.

“We got punched in the mouth today,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “That was a wakeup call, that’s for sure.

“Nothing went our way tonight. Lake Erie came to play. We outshot them (39-26), and outchanced them, but they outscored us. It wasn’t good enough and our guys know that. We will be better tomorrow and respond the right way. We need to create our own luck, plain and simple.”

The MJDP plays Pittsburgh Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.

WEST DUNDEE, Ill. – The MJDP picked “a hard-earned loser point,” according to Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell after the MJDP lost 4-3 in a shootout Saturday night to the Chicago Cougars at Canlan Ice Sports.

Down 3-1 late in the third period, Hugo Fonovic (pictured front) brought the MJDP to within 3-2 at 12:31 and then Nick McDougall (pictured below) tied it 3-3 at 15:55.

“We were completely outplayed in the first period and lucky to come out of it tied,” Lovell said. “It’s amazing that we weren’t behind by 2-3 goals, and it’s a credit to Daniel Miscavish for doing his job and keeping us in the game. Chicago is a much-improved team with all their new additions and our guys just couldn’t handle their pressure for two periods and trying to be too cute when we did get offensive chances.

“We challenged them going into the third period, and they responded. I was very proud in how they responded.”

Tim Washburn scored in the first period for the MJDP and Miscavish finished with 33 saves between the pipes.

Chicago’s Asher Motew also made 33 saves and stopped Kam Hellman, Max Hartwell and Herman Ahokas in the shootout. Simon Motew scored the only goal for the Cougars.

“I think this was a good learning weekend for this group and, hopefully, now they understand what it’s going to take if you want to be successful come playoff time,” Lovell said.

The MJDP is now idle until this coming Tuesday when they play the Lake Erie Bighorns at 3:30 p.m. from the ErieBank Sports Park.

All USPHL games are streamed on HockeyTV.com.

WEST DUNDEE, Ill. – The MJDP opened its two-game series with the Chicago Cougars Friday night with a 3-1 loss to the Cougars at Canlan Ice Sports.

After a scoreless first period, Chicago took a 1-0 lead at 14:55 of the second period on a Simon Motew goal, but Seth Beagle answered for the MJDP at 15:27.

Jozef Martancik then made it 2-1 on a Chicago power play at 16:59 of the third period before sealing it with an empty-net goal at 19:13.

“That game had a playoff-like atmosphere,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “It was back and forth, both teams were playing well. We just came up on the wrong end of it at the end. I just wish we could have played the third period 5 on 5 more. We got into penalty trouble and took away from any momentum we had been building.

“Whether the penalties were questionable or not, we can’t, as team, allow that to happen.”

Caden Fisher stopped 29 shots in suffering the defeat, while Michael Lenhart made 34 saves for the win between the pipes.

“These are the games we want for our players and their development, so we will learn from what happened here tonight and come back tomorrow ready for battle,” Lovell said.

The two teams play again Saturday night at 9 p.m. Eastern.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.