ERIE, Pa. – The Metro Jets took the opening end of a two-game series against the Lake Erie Bighorns, winning 10-0 Friday night at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
Anthony Cinato (pictured) led the offensive attack with two goals and three assists and Will Augustine was sharp in goal, stopping all 23 shots fired his way.
“I thought we came out really strong in the first period, made some nice plays for goals,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “And then Will makes a huge save on the only breakdown we had. Had he not made that save, it may have changed the complexion of the game when it was still only 3-0 for us.”
Trevor Granzow added two goals, Justin Renzi posted three assists and Jets captain Brodie Thornton chipped in a goal and two assists.
“It seemed like we kept it easy all game, got off to a good start in the first and didn’t get too comfortable with the lead,” Cinato said. “Our lines are starting to click and not a better time in the year for us to all come together. ‘Lindy’ (Alec Lindecker), Brodie and I came out big and felt like pucks just kept finding us. Glad we could bury a couple.”
Matt Cruz, Nolan Turi, Connor Fredricks-Stebbins, Zak Rais and Brady Hanson also scored for the Jets.
Hunter Meyette made 49 saves for the Bighorns as the Jets outshot Lake Erie 58-23.
The two teams wrap up the weekend series tomorrow at 4 p.m.
“I absolutely think we’ll come out tomorrow building off this energy, but we’re also expecting them to push back,” said Cinato.
“Important thing for our guys now is to refocus and be prepared for a different opponent tomorrow,” added Lovell. “It’s difficult beating the same team on back to back nights, let alone do it on the road. We’ve tried to prepare them for these types of weekends, so I’m confident we’ll be ready come puck drop.”
Saturday’s game will be streamed on www.HockeyTV.com with live updates on the USPHL app.
