FRASER, Mich. – The MJDP used two goals each from Kam Hellman and Mitch Forton to defeat the Detroit Fighting Irish 7-1 Wednesday afternoon at Fraser Hockeyland.
Coming into the game just 2-5-0 in February, the MJDP rebounded nicely in front of Caden Fisher, who finished with 21 saves.
“This game was a confidence booster for us to get some goals,” said Metro Jets associate coach Jamie Lovell. “We’ve played 5-6 games lately where we can’t get over that 2-3 goal hump. It was nice that we could find the back of the net here today.”
Seth Beagle collected a goal and an assist while Brendan Rachfal and Alex Washburn also scored and Austin Ieuter tacked on a pair of assists.
“We’ve been in a rut, so it was good for the boys to bring it together and put a good margin on that team,” Forton said. “It was good to put up seven.”
The MJDP wraps up the regular season this Saturday and Sunday at home against the Decatur Blaze. Game times are 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
“Decatur is fighting for home-ice advantage in the playoffs and they really want that, so they’ve got a lot to play for here, and so do we,” said Lovell. “We want that first-place spot and we need these games. We want to solidify our spot at the top of this division and make sure we have that first-round bye come playoff time.”
In Pittsburgh, the Jets swept the Rockets Hockey Club with a 4-1 win at the Alpha Ice Complex.
Will Jentz posted a pair of goals and Conner Graham added a goal and three assists to back Will Augustine’s 32 saves between the pipes.
“This was one of our more complete games this season,” Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said. “Our guys answered the challenge this week by playing one of the top programs in the country and beating them twice. They are well coached and competed hard, but we did a great job tilting the ice today and putting more pressure on their ‘D.’ We knew they would come out hard after yesterday, but we made it hard on them to find any momentum. Our ‘D’ did a great job again limiting their chances and when we needed a save, we got them from Will.
“We got contributions from everyone today and overall, a big series for us to come out on top of here late before heading into playoffs.”
Nick Beeman also scored and Nick Ceccarini chipped in with a pair of assists.
“I think the key to the win today was our ability to tilt the ice and managing the puck in our offensive and defensive zones,” said Beeman. “It was definitely great to come out of the games with two big wins against a good team. Especially heading into playoffs, we were looking to play playoff hockey, blocking shots and handling pucks, and we did a good job of that the last two games.”
The Jets finish the regular season Friday night at the OhioHealth Chiller North in Lewis Center, Ohio, with an 8 p.m. game against the Columbus Mavericks.
Rounding out the Wednesday wins, the MHC defeated the Motor City Hockey Club 4-1 at the Redford Ice Arena.
Ethan Ryan (pictured front) made 36 saves, while Connor Hilliker and Brent Wolf had a goal and an assist and Connor Stebbins and Jack Day also scored.
“Today was a bit of a flat start for us,” Jets associate coach Dan Pszenyczny said. “The first half of the game was a bit sloppy. We were forcing and overhandling pucks in all three zones. Once we settled down, started making simple plays and found our energy, the ice started to open up for us and we took advantage of it. Ryan played a solid game in net, came up with a few big saves when we needed it, and managed the puck well.
“Hopefully, we can take the momentum from this game into tomorrow’s game.”
The MHC heads to play the Fighting Irish at the Southgate Ice Arena Thursday at 1 p.m.
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