FOXBORO, Mass. – In their final showcase of the 2022-23 season, the Metro Jets and MJDP teams combined for six wins in eight games at the SSK Presidents’ Day Showcase at the Foxboro Sports Center.
The Jets defeated the Connecticut Jr. Rangers 5-0, Springfield Pics 8-2, Northern Cyclones 4-1, and Bridgewater Jr. Bandits 5-1.
“Pretty pleased with our game this weekend,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “They played with a playoff mentality and came away with four wins. We weren’t sure how the guys would approach these games knowing they didn’t really mean anything in terms of positioning in the standings. We preached habits and details all week long in an effort to make sure that the team was prepared for not only this showcase but looking ahead to playoffs.
“Most importantly, these showcases give our players an opportunity to play top competition in front college scouts, which ultimately is what this is all about – development and moving players on to the next level.”
The MJDP earned a 7-3 win over the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs and a 2-1 victory over the Boston Advantage with losses to the Utica Jr. Comets 5-2 and Islanders Hockey Club 1-0.
“Overall, the weekend was good, but we still need to be more consistent with our game,” Jets associate coach Tina Ciraulo said. “We got a lot of offense the first game but then all of a sudden in the second and third games, it dried up and we got away from what made us successful. We came here knowing that we needed points. We’re in a battle for positioning in our division, so coming away with four points against top competition from the Atlantic divisions is a job well done in our minds. We put ourselves in the driver’s seat going into the last weekend of the season against Chicago.
“More importantly, what these showcase weekends are about is exposing our players to the best competition and getting them in front of top college programs for next-level opportunities.”
This weekend, both teams wrap the regular season. The Jets play a home-and-home series with the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones (Friday at Mount Clemens at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday on the road at the Heritage Bank Center at 3 p.m.), while the MJDP plays two away games versus the Chicago Crush at the Addison Ice Arena (Friday at 7:50 p.m. Central time and Saturday at 2:20 p.m. Central time).
All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.
