FRASER, Mich. – Fresh off winning a national championship last season, the Metro Jets are gearing up to taste the same success in their first USPHL season in 2018-19.

The Jets begin their quest tonight in Lansing against the in-state rival Lansing Wolves.

“We traditionally always play our first regular-season matchup right out of the gates, whereas some teams are still preparing,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “We take pride in getting guys to buy in early and put them in positions to succeed. We will more than likely be a little rusty as expected, but early in the season our goal is to focus on getting better every day. We look forward to playing against a tough opponent in Lansing." 

Metro returns several players from last season, in addition to some new faces at all positions.

Goaltender Brian Tallieu is starting his third season in Jets colors and is ready to get the season started.

“My expectations are that we all come to the rink with a good mindset and work on habits to help benefit not only ourselves, but our team as well,” Tallieu said. “What happened last year was incredible and it’s only going to push us harder to give ourselves a chance to win. If everyone buys in to what Metro has provided for a lot of guys in the past, we’ll be successful.”

All Jets home games this season will be played at Fraser Hockeyland and new to the schedule this season will be USPHL Showcase events that will provide added exposure to the players looking to play college hockey.

“We are fortunate to be in a tough division with every game needing to be earned,” Quenneville said. “One of the elements on the enhanced schedule this year that we are excited about are the showcases. More exposure and more opportunities with the additional showcases attract more scouts. We take pride in providing advancement opportunities, and this new platform helps us do that even more."

Jets forward Rhett Limback (pictured), who assisted on Jhuwon Davis’ national championship-clinching goal in overtime last March, sees a vast amount of potential in the new edition of the Jets.

“We have a lot of new faces in the building this year so early on it's just about getting them on board with playing Metro Jets hockey and getting everyone to buy in collectively,” Limback said. “Last year, obviously, we had a lot of success, but this year is a new chapter, and we know all of the teams will be hungry to knock us off the pedestal. All of the older guys know what it takes to make it all the way, and we're trying to help the younger guys get there, too. 

“This year, we're looking forward to carrying on the winning tradition that has been set in place from prior years. Ultimately, we're all here to get ready to play at the next level, but it would be pretty cool to get after another title this year.”

After tonight, the Jets come home to Fraser on Sunday for a 3:30 p.m. home opener against Lansing. It’s also Family Night and all tickets are just $5 and available on game day at the ticket office inside the arena.

Davis said last season is in the past and now, he and the rest of the team are squarely focused on the present.

“The Metro Jets are always expected to be a top team throughout the year, but what we are expecting early in the season is to build good habits and fundamentals now so we can win throughout the year,” said Davis. “We knew how hard it was to win a national championship. We are just going to focus on getting better day by day to get us back to where we were last year. We have a new team and a new opportunity to do something big in a different league. 

“We want to show everyone how good Metro Jets hockey is no matter where we go.”

Photo/Jeff Lawler