MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Five games are in the books as all three Metro Jets teams were in action over the past week.
The Jets picked up two wins on home ice, the MJDP team notched its first win of the 2025-26 season, and the Jets Elite squad lost a close game on the road.
Kicking off the week Wednesday afternoon at the PSM Icehouse in Fort Wayne, Ind., Will Smith scored two goals, Aidan RaCosta one, and Brendan Dreisbach made 30 saves in goal as the Jets Elite team fell 4-3 to the Fort Wayne Spacemen.
Emerson Swint and Alex Kryukov scored two goals each for Fort Wayne, Dylan Parks added two assists, and goalie Austin Schaertel stopped 32 shots for the win.
“It’s still early in the year and we have a lot of young players still finding their way,” Jets associate coach Danny Vanderwiel said. “Have to give credit where it’s due. That was a bit of a different Fort Wayne team than we played last week as they were coming off four wins and that was our second game of the year.
“Excited for the opportunity to keep working on our habits and details. There is plenty we can clean up.”
Also Wednesday in Fort Wayne, the Spacemen knocked off the MJDP with two late goals for a 5-3 win.
Ronnie Lubbers, Paulius Uzusienis and Lucas Benavides-Forte scored for the Jets and Arnaud Paradis turned aside 27 shots in goal.
“I thought we took major steps in the right direction today and that our overall 200-foot game was substantially better today than it had been in our first two games,” said Jets associate coach Jake Howie. “Unfortunately, ‘close’ and ‘almost’ doesn’t get you anything in hockey and those are the games that you just have to push over the finish line. Quite a few positives we can build off of today, though, and some things we can use as teaching moments to grow from.”
Bogdan Vysotsky potted two goals for Fort Wayne, Nikita Voloubiev had a goal and an assist, and Evan Wilson and Rylan Wempe scored one apiece.
Spacemen goalie Sumner Wood made 34 saves.
Friday back at Mount Clemens Ice Arena, the Jets and MJDP played a matinee double header.
The Jets defeated the Battle Creek Kernels 8-2 in the opener and then the MJDP came from behind to beat the Fresh Coast Freeze 5-3 in the second game.
Luka Pivec scored two goals with two assists, Jaxon Stone added two goals and an assist, Aidan Charron popped a goal and two assists, and Ayden Hartzell notched a goal and an assist to back Jakub Obzera’s 26 saves in goal for the Jets.
Isaac Bunk and Cory Anderson also scored, captain Jake Taylor posted three assists, and Jayden Provencher and Gabe Outman recorded two assists apiece
For Battle Creek, AJ Prioli scored both goals, Ethan Miller assisted on both, and goaltender Galvin Reagan finished with 37 saves.
Down 3-2 to the Freeze after 40 minutes, the MJDP rallied with three goals in the third period to grab the win.
Benavides-Forte scored two goals with an assist, Blake Brackett, Caleb Curto and Jarrett LaGrow also scored, and Cam Cyrus and Paradis combined to make 17 saves between the pipes.
Ben McClaine and Daniell Luska had two assists each.
Shaun Stevens recorded a goal and an assist for Fresh Coast, while Charles Huntoon and Emersen Lippert each scored and Logan Eshelman added two assists.
Fresh Coast goaltender Colin Porn made 47 saves.
“I didn’t think we had our best stuff for the large part of the game today, but props to our guys for battling and sticking with it to get two points,” said Howie. “Winning at this level is never easy, but it was good to get the first win on the year and now we can build and keep getting better on a daily basis.”
Wrapping up the weekend Saturday night, the Jets and goaltender Philip Hall blanked Fresh Coast 8-0 at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.
Hall made 13 saves and Ryan Glomboske scored three goals, Joel Paterson a pair of goals, and Stone a goal and three assists.
Pivec added four assists, Taylor a goal and two assists, Ryder Novock a goal and an assist and Provencher and Tyler Fleming registered two assists apiece.
Freeze goalie Jakob VanZweden made 58 saves.
Next week, the Jets travel to Nashville for two with the Red River Spartans Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. The MJDP hosts Fort Wayne Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. and the Jets Elite hosts Fort Wayne Wednesday at 12:15 p.m.
All USPHL games are available on blackbearsports.tv.
