DECATUR, Ill. – As part of a six-goal explosion in the second period en route to a 10-2 win over the Decatur Blaze Sunday afternoon at the Decatur Civic Center, completing the weekend sweep, one goal noticeably stood out over the others.
Garrick Smith scored at 16:02 of the period to give the MJDP a 5-0 lead, and as he skated by the team bench for post-goal fist bumps (pictured), Smith was smiling from ear to ear.
Quite the moment for the 18-year-old who lost his father, Kevin, suddenly last Wednesday morning.
“Seeing Garrick score that goal and smile is always an amazing thing to see,” said Metro Jets defenseman Brendan Rachfal, who had two goals and an assist Sunday. “It takes a lot after news like that to come out this weekend and play like he did. I’m proud of him and we will all be there for him through everything.”
Mitch Forton posted a hat trick for the MJDP, but like Rachfal, was excited to see Smith score that goal.
“There are absolutely no words to describe Geno’s goal,” Forton said. “We all had a feeling he was going to get one and when that play developed and when he buried, we were electrified as a team. It was a huge moment for Geno and the Metro family and all you can really do is appreciate the family dynamic that we have here. He’s family and we’re with him all the way no matter what. It was truly special to see him get one this weekend.
“Jets fly together.”
Jake Aslanian also had two goals and an assist, while Max Hartwell recorded four assists, captain Brayden Tayles tacked on three assists, and Patrick Hays went for a goal and an assist. Nick Twombley and Anthony Cinato added two helpers each, and Tommy Purton picked up a goal as well.
Caden Fisher stopped 28 shots in goal as the MJDP outshot the Blaze 57-30.
“We got off to a great start, much better than last night, and put Decatur on their heels early with two big goals in the first,” Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell said. “Caden Fisher was very good today. If you were to just look at the box score, you would only get half the story. It was a 2-0 game for half of it and Fisher was a huge part of that. He was calm, collected, and made saves look easy.”
For Decatur, Stepan Skvirskii scored both goals in the third period, and Tanner Rusnak and Cooper Stewart combined to make 47 saves.
“It was really good to see guys like Forton and Purton chip in on the offense,” Lovell said. “We knew going into this weekend we’d be missing our two leading goal scorers, so it was great to see others step up and deliver. Today, we delivered in a big way. Nice finish to a solid weekend, and it should give this group plenty of confidence going into the Chicago showcase.”
After Tuesday’s MHC-Detroit Fighting Irish game at 2 p.m., all three Metro Jets teams head to Orland Park, Ill., for the USPHL Chicago Showcase Dec. 18-20.
“The sweep this weekend keeps the confidence high,” said Forton. “We’re rolling, and we plan to stay rolling.”
All showcase games will be streamed on HockeyTV.com.
