Midwest East 1st Seed
31-8-3-2 (67 points)
MJDP enters the National Championship tournament as the top team from the Midwest East Division. They could surprise at Nationals as the division was clearly deeper than in the past, as witnessed by some exciting playoff series.
After drawing a bye through the first round, MJDP entered against the Detroit Fighting Irish and quickly found themselves facing some serious adversity when the Irish grabbed a win in the first contest.
“In a short series playoff format like this, anything can happen,” said MJDP General Manager Justin Quenneville in an email interview. “We didn’t see much of them during the season because of our schedule [The Irish were the lone Midwest East to take part in Hub City Tampa].
“Undoubtedly, their goaltender stood on his head. It was just a matter of time before we took care of business and secured the series. Even though we significantly outshot and outchanced our opponent, they had a little more luck in Game 1 and snuck out a win. Our guys collected themselves and brought another level in Games 2 and 3.”
Adversity is nothing new to this squad. Quenneville says they have become accustomed to overcoming long odds.
“Our guys faced adversity all year, “ said Quenneville. “We play a tough schedule with so many out of division games and our guys know there are always tough games ahead. Midway through the year we had some big time wins against Pittsburgh, Chicago and Minnesota Blue Ox which showed people we are here to stay.
“That preparation and training helped our guys down the stretch when they faced some opponents who [bolstered] their lineups,” he added. “In the end, winning our division and sticking to the process here our group continued to build character and get stronger which paid off. Having a tight race down the stretch to ultimately win the division helped our guys stay focused as well.”
Having a tough schedule like that and feeling it has something to prove could be beneficial for MJDP with the big games coming up.
“Our guys play in your face and with a chip on their shoulder. We have balance in the lineup, play physical, fast, and when we are disciplined, we are a hard team to play against,” said Quenneville. “Being one of the younger teams in the league, our guys have collectively raised their maturity and approach to the game throughout the year.”
MJDP 2021 USPHL Premier Nationals Schedule:
(All games at Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex, Chesapeake, Va.)
Thurs., March 18, vs. Florida Eels, 10:40 a.m.
Fri., March 19, vs. Minnesota Blue Ox, 9:20 p.m.
Sat., March 20, vs. New York Aviators, 4 p.m.
