Jets dominate, strike oil in Wooster, hang 10-spot in decisive road win
WOOSTER, Ohio – The Metro Jets exploded for six goals in the second period in toying with and defeating the Wooster Oilers 10-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Alice Noble Ice Arena.

Likewise, the MJDP also won, getting a late Seth Francois goal to snap a 2-2 tie and down the Fort Wayne Spacemen 3-2 at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

Both teams now increase their leads at the top of their respective divisions in the USPHL – the Jets in the Great Lakes by three points over the Toledo Cherokee and the MJDP in the Midwest East by three points over the Chicago Cougars.

In Wooster, Cristian Adragna registered a goal and three assists, Cody Mastay two goals and an assist, Ryan Messing and Conner Graham two goals, and Owen Limback three assists to back Will Augustine’s 27 saves in goal.

The Jets outshot Wooster 75-28.

“We had a slow start but in the second period, guys started to play our game,” Jets coach Tina Ciraulo said. “It was nice to watch them move the puck well and take it to them. Feels good to go into our Thanksgiving break on a win.”

Jason Crossland and Joey Johnson had a goal and an assist apiece, Matt Cole a goal, and Nick Beeman added two helpers.

“It felt great today to get this win as a team,” said Augustine (pictured front). “We’re starting to finish more of our chances and make the scoreboard reflect how the game went. It makes my job super easy in net when I only have to come up with a handful of saves. This game was extremely fun to watch. We dominated the whole game, killed off a few huge penalties, and kept finding ways to put the puck in the net.”

The Jets are now off until Thursday, Dec. 3 when they host the Columbus Mavericks at 2 p.m. at Fraser Hockeyland in the front end of a home-and-home set that wraps the following night at 8 p.m. at the OhioHealth Chiller North in Lewis Center, Ohio.

Aside from Francois’ goal at 14:36 of the third period in Fort Wayne, Patrick Hays netted a pair of goals with an assist to give Caden Fisher the win between the pipes.

“Really solid effort from start to finish,” Metro associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “I could go down the lineup and mention each player for number of great little things they did. The close score I don’t think tells the proper story of this game. We committed to doing little things, we hounded pucks, and our transition game looked really good. Only negative, I suppose, was we only had three goals to show for the scoring chances we had. Missing the net a lot and made their goalie look good at times with our shot selection.

“We are winning games the right way, locking things down at the end when we were protecting a one-goal lead. This is a confident group right now and we are really pleased with how they are playing going into the holiday break.”

Hays agreed with Lovell.

“We were working them in their zone really well,” said Hays (pictured below). “Their goalie played a hell of a game, but the score doesn’t reflect how well we played. We stuck to keeping the puck in their zone and dominated them down there.

“Goals are scored in front of the net so that’s where I went for them. (Joey) Mocnik fed me in the dead area for the first one. Then (Tim) Washburn fed me back door for the second one. Same with the last goal, went to the net, battled a little bit, and got an assist.”

Next up for the MJDP is a two-game series at Fraser Hockeyland Dec. 5-6 versus Chicago. Game times are 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

The MHC is in Columbus on Saturday, Dec. 5 for an 8:30 p.m. puck drop with the Mavericks.

All games this season are available on HockeyTV.com.

DYER, Ind. – The Metro Jets used five different goal scorers and a stingy defense to defeat the Chicago Cougars 5-3 Friday afternoon at the Midwest Training and Ice Center.

Will Jentz and Cody Mastay each posted a goal and an assist, while Nick Ceccarini (pictured), Matt Cole and Cristian Adragna added a goal each in the game played at the home of the Midwest Blackbirds, necessitated by Illinois health protocols.

“This group was on their game today, and it was fun to watch,” said Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell. “Our transition game was very good, and we used our speed on this bigger ice sheet to control the play. Credit to Chicago’s goaltender (Michael Lenhart, 48 saves), who played very well and gave them a chance to stay in the game, but we still have to find a way to separate ourselves on the scoreboard and convert more scoring chances. We had a full two-man advantage and didn’t convert. We played almost the entire second and third periods in their zone but still Chicago is within a goal from tying the game.

“It’s not enough to just look good and dominate a team; we need to score. Our PK was very good, and we got a huge save from LP when it was a one-goal game. The team locked it down the rest of the way.”

Jets goalie Louis-Pierre Fortier finished with 15 saves as the Jets outshot the Cougars 53-18.

Alex Schaumburger chipped in with two assists for the Jets.

“We came out heavy at the beginning and were all over them the whole game,” said Metro defenseman Braydin Lewis. “The boys came through with some clutch goals to get us the two points.

“We’ve been staying focused by just getting the work done on and off the ice and getting better every day, which is the main goal. The coaching staff has been top notch by getting us games when teams are unable to play due to COVID and keeping us motivated through these times.”

Kevin Johnston scored twice for Chicago and Danny Mannarino notched one.

The Jets next play on the road Tuesday against the Wooster Oilers. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Alice Noble Ice Arena.

In other action, the MHC plays in Wooster Sunday at 2:45 p.m. and the MJDP plays in Fort Wayne against the Spacemen Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. from the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.

All games will be streamed on HockeyTV.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The MJDP took a slight detour for their road trip this week, but it wound up being worth it after a 3-1 win Wednesday afternoon over the Columbus Mavericks at the OhioHealth Chiller North.

The Mavericks outshot the MJDP 35-31, but Daniel Miscavish shut the door making 34 saves.

With the win, the MJDP is now in first place in the USPHL Midwest East Division.

“First off, I would like to thank Columbus for their efforts in getting this game in with everything going on,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “Unfortunately for our guys, we did not play our best. We were weak on pucks, soft in the neutral zone, and couldn’t string together consistent offensive zone time for more than a couple shifts.

“The good news is ‘Misky’ showed up, made some timely saves, and ultimately was the difference. We will take the two points and get home with a win at least.”

Nick Twombley, Seth Francois and Patrick Hays scored in the win, while Miscavish’s shutout was ruined with an Ethan Bishara power-play goal at 14:25 of the third period.

Columbus goalie Tyler Dorion made 28 saves in suffering the defeat.

The MJDP next plays on the road Saturday night against the Chicago Cougars from the Leaf Centre. Game time is set for 8:35 p.m. EDT.

Streaming of the game will be available on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – Joey Johnson played a year of junior hockey in Canada last season, but with 2020 being mired in COVID-19 restrictions, the Midland, Mich., native looked at more options for the 2020-21 season and discovered the Metro Jets.

Since the season began, the 2000-born blueliner has been a minutes-eater for the Jets on the back end.

“Playing in Canada wasn’t looking promising this year,” Johnson said. “Fortunately, (Jets assistant coach) Randy Wilson contacted me about playing for the Jets. I came down for a few practices and liked what I had to see. I feel I can bring good puck movement and skating ability to the team.

“The opportunity for development and exposure to play college hockey are appealing. The Jets are one of the most successful teams in the USPHL. Always a contender every year and a well-run organization.”

Through 14 games this season, Johnson has cashed in for 10 points on two goals and eight assists.

More than points, Johnson is a valuable piece to the Jets team, according to Metro coach-GM Justin Quenneville.

“Joey has been a nice addition here on the back end,” said Quenneville. “He has junior experience, high hockey IQ and brings a strong skill set to the lineup here. We also can help him with some situational habits that will translate to the NCAA and, more importantly, get him in front of the schools at that level. He already has several NCAA programs contacting us about him, and that likely won’t stop as the season moves on.”

Johnson has been elated with how the season has gone from a personal standpoint as well as from a team standpoint.

“We are off to a good start,” said Johnson. “Some areas to work on, but no complaints about the 13-0-1 start.”

In the short term, Johnson has his eyes on winning a championship this season with the Jets. After that, he wants to play at the NCAA level and pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

FRASER, Mich. – The MHC had the potential game-tying goal waved off late in the third period Tuesday afternoon and wound up falling to the Wooster Oilers 6-4 at Fraser Hockeyland.

After Ethan Smith’s goal at 16:30 brought the MHC to within 5-4, a goal at 18:48 was nullified when the Wooster net was off the pegs.

Aidan Dempsey’s empty-net goal at 19:17 sealed the game for Wooster.

“We played very well the first two periods,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “I actually don’t know what happened in the third. We did a lot of good things the first two periods and then shot ourselves in the foot in the third. The guys just had a seven- or eight-minute lapse and it cost us the game.”

The MHC and Wooster were tied 3-3 going into the third period.

Brent Wolf opened the scoring on the first shift of the game 28 seconds into the first period and Jackson Moleski added one at 10:16 of the first period before Gavin Walters (pictured) tallied at 8:14 of the second period.

The Oilers then put three on the board in the third period sandwiched around Smith’s goal.

“We were still right there at the end,” Lovell said. “The net gets knocked off, all that kind of stuff, but we shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place.”

Ethan Ryan finished with 36 saves in goal for the MHC, while Ronny Zamojski added two assists. Wolf and Smith had assists to record multi-point games.

For Wooster, Sebastian Smith and Nathan Kniesteadt each posted a goal and two assists, Colby Slate had a goal and an assist, Kyle Burke and Nicholas Krestan scored one apiece, and AJ Kandel tacked on two assists to back goaltender Luke Bell’s 27 saves.

The two teams will meet again on Sunday in Wooster at 2:45 p.m. from the Alice Noble Ice Arena.

“If they just play like they did the first two periods here tonight, we’ll have no problem,” said Lovell. “It’s about playing every shift, playing for 60 minutes, and not having those breakdowns in our own zone. We’ve given up too many goals with this group and it’s starting to wear on them.

“We have no problem scoring, but we have to do a better job in our own zone. We’re going to shore those things up and get the guys ready to go here on Sunday.”

All games are available on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – All Seth Beagle wanted this past summer when he attended the USPHL’s NCDC Combine at Fraser Hockeyland was to, hopefully, turn some heads and open the eyes of junior hockey scouts and coaches.

Beagle did that and more, getting the attention of the Metro Jets, who signed him on the spot.

“I met Coach Q (Justin Quenneville) at the NCDC Combine and he offered me a spot on the team,” Beagle said. “The thing that appeals to me about the team is how much the program tries to make you a better player and move you on to the next level. The one thing I knew about the team before coming here was how much they do just that.”

This season, the 2002 birth year who turns 18 on Dec. 18 has registered two goals and five points skating for the MJDP team.

“I feel like I can bring a lot to the team when it comes to offense and can also help out on the defensive side of the puck,” said Beagle, a Sandusky, Mich., product who played for Ubly High School in 2019-20. “The first 5-6 weeks of the season were good, and we were still getting used to playing together as a team, but now I think we are fully clicking together and playing way better.”

Quenneville agrees with his young forward.

“We saw Seth for the first time at the combine and he noticeably did some things on the ice that had several teams approaching him during the event,” said Quenneville. “After talking to him about his goals and presenting him with our platform, we were excited for him and his decision to invest in himself. Ultimately, that is what our program is about. Seth is an offensive-minded player who had a strong season with his high school program, and now he gets to skate, train and compete in an environment built for hockey players.

“Like most players from high school, he will have a transitional curve at the junior level he will need to work through, but so far, he has done a great job focusing on the little things and has noticeably been better with his decision making on the ice. He wants to learn and continue to develop. Our program allows a player like him invest in himself and take his game to the next level. He’s got size, skates well and has a good skill set. I only see him getting better every week.”

This season, Beagle said his goal is to play in the last game of the season and come out on the winning side.

His long-term goal is to “play competitive hockey as long as I possibly can.”

PITTSBURGH – Four different players scored as the Metro Jets downed the Pittsburgh Vengeance 4-2 Sunday afternoon to complete a weekend sweep at the Alpha Ice Complex.

Jets captain Matt Cruz and Joey Johnson each tallied a goal and an assist and Will Augustine finished with 30 saves in goal for the win.

“Another great effort from start to finish,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “These were two big wins against a tough division rival. We managed the puck and controlled the play in the offensive zone well. The only negative we could look at, I suppose, is the fact the score didn’t reflect the how dominant we actually were. It would have been nice to find some more goals with all the offensive zone time and the amount of quality shots we had.”

Ryan Messing and Will Jentz (pictured) added goals for Metro.

“We came into the weekend looking for four points, and the boys all bought in to complete that no matter where the game is,” said Jets defenseman Jack Mueller, who drew an assist on Jentz’s goal. “Everyone played their roles and played together. Simple Jets hockey.”

Lovell added that having two goaltenders play solid hockey during the two wins was a major positive to the pair of victories.

“I’m sure our goalies would appreciate a little more of a goal cushion,” said Lovell. “Have to give big credit to Will Augustine today and LP Fortier last night for staying focused and making key saves when we needed them to. Not easy to go long periods of time without a lot of action and then have to make a big save on a breakaway or odd-man chance. They did their job, and that’s huge for our group.”

For Pittsburgh, Evan Victor and Nick Sweet scored, while Briad Odstrchel assisted on both and Andrew Kelly made 54 saves.

The Jets next host the Wooster Oilers on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. from Fraser Hockeyland.

In Dyer, Ind., at the Midwest Training and Ice Center, the Midwest Blackbirds rallied to defeat the MHC 2-1 to take both ends of that weekend series.

Ronny Zamojski scored for the second time in as many games on a late first-period power play and Sal Carabelli turned aside 32 shots in goal.

“We started off with good energy and getting pucks to the net,” Jets associate coach Dan Pszenyczny said. “Got up a goal in the first and started to control the play, but then in the second, we found ourselves taking lazy and unnecessary penalties. That took our momentum away and we couldn’t get back into our game. Sal played a strong game in the pipes.

“Just need to reset and get ready for Tuesday.”

The MHC plays at home Tuesday against Wooster at 2 p.m.

In other action, the MJDP plays two games this week at the ErieBank Sports Park in Erie, Pa., against the New York Aviators. Game times are 8:05 p.m. Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The MJDP then heads to play Wooster next Sunday at 2:45 p.m. at the Alice Noble Ice Arena.

All games will be available on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – Metro Jets goaltender Michael Kambouris made the most of his first-ever start Saturday afternoon, making 23 saves as the MJDP defeated the Detroit Fighting Irish 6-1 at Fraser Hockeyland.

After Detroit’s Carter Schluckbier gave Detroit the early 1-0 lead at 5:42 of the first period, Kambouris (pictured) slammed the door the rest of the way and the MJDP netted six unanswered goals to grab the victory.

“I felt really good,” Kambouris said. “At the beginning of the game, I was pretty nervous, but after the first period, I just started buzzing and the boys started buzzing as well.”

In front of Kambouris, Tim Washburn struck for a goal and two assists and Austin Ieuter, Mitch Forton and captain Brayden Tayles all had a goal and an assist.

Alex Washburn and Hugo Fonovic added goals and Joey Mocnik chipped in with a pair of helpers in the win.

“Our guys took them a little lightly early based on the last game we beat them,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “Even though we sustained most of the pressure and had the lead after the first, it was important to address a few things in the locker room. We made some adjustments and scored a few more to open the game up. In the end, it was not our best performance, and we were inconsistent at managing pucks out of our zone, but we will take the two points and focus on the next two games coming up in Erie.”

Quenneville also said that Kambouris was a major bright spot for the MJDP.

“For his first start, I thought he did a great job and looked confident throughout the game,” Quenneville said. “He wasn’t tested a lot, but he did his job and got us some key whistles early on. Big first win for him and proud of him for how far he has developed his game.

“(Jets goaltending coach) Randy Wilson has done a great job with him and with all our goalies again this year.”

Detroit goalie Daniel McCarthy finished with 36 saves.

The MJDP next plays two games in Erie, Pa., at the ErieBank Sports Park against the New York Aviators next Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. and then Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

In Pittsburgh Saturday night, Cristian Adragna’s goal at 16:51 of the third period snapped a 2-2 tie and the Jets held on to down the Pittsburgh Vengeance 3-2 from the Alpha Ice Complex.

“It was a planned draw that just turned into a broken play,” said Adragna. “Puck went up to my D-man and I came out and got a piece of it. I saw (Jason) Crossland had some space with the puck, so I just got my feet moving and he made a great play getting it up quick. I knew the ‘D’ was on me. I just had to protect the puck and saw the goalie coming out strong, so I just had to wait him out a little and bury the puck.”

Cody Mastay registered a goal and an assist in the win, Nick Ceccarini added a single goal to back Louis-Pierre Fortier’s 20 saves.

“It was a good character win for the guys tonight,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “Pittsburgh played a tight defensive style tonight and were blocking shots and making us earn every inch of ice in the offensive zone. I think we controlled the play but still couldn’t find the back of the net to put the game away. Credit to their goalie (Noah Bonvissuto), who made some big saves and gave his team a chance to win. He is one of the best goalies in our division and league and he did his job tonight.

“Proud of our guys for staying with things and not getting frustrated and eventually, it paid off. Now we have to come back with an even better effort tomorrow. Hard to beat a team on back-to-back nights, but I know our guys will be up for the challenge and will be ready.”

For Pittsburgh, Nic Coppola and Sawyer Lownsdale scored, and Bonvissuto made 31 saves in suffering the loss in goal.

“We kept them hanging around too long and it was a hard-fought game, so I know they’re going to come out tomorrow with everything they got,” Adragna said. “We not only have to match that but be better and play some disciplined hockey and capitalize on our chances.”

The two teams rematch Sunday at 11:40 a.m.

Also Saturday night, the MHC dropped an 8-6 decision to the Midwest Blackbirds from the Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, Ind.

Anders Florek and captain Brandon Plummer each tallied twice, while Connor Hilliker and Ronny Zamojski scored one apiece and Jackson Moleski tacked on two assists.

Tate Potteiger took the loss in goal for the MHC.

“It was a frustrating game,” Jets associate coach Dan Pszenyczny said. “We were back and forth for the first period and a half and then we got lazy with the puck, forcing things that weren’t there and not taking advantage of situations to score.

“We’ll make a couple small tweaks to the lineup tomorrow. We know we need to bring the effort and energy that we brought for the third period for the whole game.”

Shane Dotto and Derek Eaton each posted two goals and an assist for Midwest and Josh Venable had a goal and two helpers.

In goal, Jack Webster picked up the win.

Both teams play again Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

All USPHL games are streamed on HockeyTV.com.

FRASER, Mich. – The Metro Jets trailed 2-1 after the first period but rallied to take a 5-3 win over the MJDP Tuesday afternoon at Fraser Hockeyland.

Conner Graham (pictured front) had a goal and an assist, while Will Jentz contributed two assists to back Will Augustine’s 15 saves in goal.

Andres Grongstad, Alec Lindecker, Alex Schaumburger and Joey Carpenter also scored for the Jets.

For the MJDP, Tim Washburn, Austin Ieuter and Tommy Purton scored, Alex Washburn and Patrick Hays notched two assists apiece, and Caden Fisher made 34 saves between the pipes.

After the game, the teams embraced at center ice and saluted the spectators (pictured below).

The Jets are on the road this weekend to play the Pittsburgh Vengeance – Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 11:40 a.m. from the Alpha Ice Complex – and the MJDP hosts the Lake Erie Bighorns Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 p.m. from Fraser Hockeyland.

In addition, the MHC is on the road to play the Midwest Blackbirds in Dyer, Ind. – Saturday at 8:20 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

All games will be streamed on HockeyTV.com.

WOOSTER, Ohio – Tina Ciraulo earned win No. 1 as a coach with the Metro Jets organization Sunday afternoon.

And it was hardly a nail-biter, as the MJDP knocked off the Wooster Oilers 8-2 at the Alice Noble Ice Arena in a game they led from start to finish.

Joey Mocnik scored twice and added an assist, while Tim Washburn had a goal and two assists, and Jake Aslanian, Garrick Smith, Seth Francois and Brendan Rachfal all tallied a goal and an assist.

The MJDP outshot the Oilers 50-24 and held the home team to just two shots in the third period. Michael Kambouris stopped both shots after Daniel Miscavish made 20 saves through the first 40 minutes.

“Took us a period to get our legs and find our game, but at the start of the second, we finally started to play our game and kept it going to the end and it paid off,” said Ciraulo. “Feels good to get my first solo win, but the credit goes to the boys. If it wasn’t for them turning the game around and playing our game, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Alex Washburn added the other goal and Patrick Hays, Nick Twombley and captain Brayden Tayles all notched a pair of assists.

Kyle Burke and Braydn Krajicek scored for Wooster and Jared Paulsen and Mack Miracle combined to make 42 saves in goal. Miracle came in to relieve Paulsen after Francois’ goal at 14:38 of the second period made it 5-1 in favor of the MJDP.

The MJDP next plays the Metro Jets this Tuesday at 2 p.m. from Fraser Hockeyland.

All games will be streamed on HockeyTV.com.