TAMPA, Fla. – The Metro Jets and MJDP teams opened 2023 with a trip to Tampa to play in the USPHL Tampa Showcase.

The event ran Jan. 5-9 at AdventHealth Center Ice in nearby Wesley Chapel.

Over the course of the showcase, both the Jets and MJDP went 2-2 against tough competition.

The Jets defeated the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 4-1, lost 4-1 to the Charlotte Rush, fell 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Juniors, and then topped the Florida Eels 5-2.

“I would have liked to be a little more successful in terms of wins, but coming away .500 isn’t bad against some of the top teams in our league from the south region,” said Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “We came here to expose our players to scouts and compete with the best in order to continue to develop them and prepare them for what’s to come if we want to play for a championship at the end of the season. Mission accomplished.”

The MJDP squad blanked the Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones 4-0, lost 1-0 to the Jersey Hitmen, edged the Florida Jr. Blades 2-1, and then fell 2-1 in a shootout to the Palm Beach Typhoon.

“Overall, the boys had a good weekend,” Jets associate coach Tina Ciraulo said. “There’s always things we can work on. Definitely need to start finding the back of the net because it’s tough to win games if we can’t score. The showcase format of four games in three days is a lot, but it’s great exposure for our guys. It was nice to go play some different teams in different divisions, and our boys showed that they can compete and play with any other division.”

This coming weekend, the Jets host the Columbus Mavericks Friday night at 8 p.m. from Mount Clemens Ice Arena while the MJDP plays two on the road in Decatur against the Blaze Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CST and Sunday at noon CST from the Decatur Civic Center.

All USPHL games are available on HockeyTV.com.