Jets pick up where they left off, big opening weekend

For the first time, all three divisions of the United States Premier Hockey League’s three Premier Midwest Region were in action this past weekend.

In the Great Lakes Division, the Metro Jets began play with a pair of road wins, taking a 5-2 decision from the Columbus Mavericks in its regular season opener Friday night then moving on to Wooster and pounding the host Oilers 12-1 Saturday.

Also on Saturday, the Mavericks moved on to Toledo and dropped a 4-1 decision to the Cherokee, playing its first game of the year.

The Midwest-West saw several teams jumping in including the Dells Ducks who split with the Chicago Cougars from the Midwest-East, taking the first game Friday 5-4 in overtime but the Cougars hitting the win column Saturday with a 4-2 decision.

Other Midwest-West Division play on Friday night saw the Minnesota Moose opening its season with a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Mullets. On Saturday, the Steele County (Owatonna, MN) Blades knocked off the Rum River Mallards and the Moose wrapped up a 2-0 weekend with a 6-3 win against the Minnesota Blue Ox.

GREAT LAKES DIVISION

Metro Jets 5 @ Columbus Mavericks 2

Metro Jets 12 @ Wooster Oilers 1

The Jets have been the team to beat in the Great Lakes Division for the past decade or more, but just in case served notice to the other six teams with a 17-3 edge in its first two games of 2021-22.

Against the Mavericks the Jets started out with a pair of unanswered first period goals but the Mavs rallied back with two in the second before a late goal put the Jets in front to stay.

That game winner came from Andreas Fleutot (’02/Sallanches, France) with others scored by Kam Hellman (’01/Macomb, MI); Joseph Mocnik (’02/Allen Park, MI); Anders Grongstad (’01/Troy, MI) and Tim Washburn (’01/Davison, MI).

Mavs goals came from Ethan Bishara (’02/Clarence Center, NY) and Nik Jozefiak (’02/Powell, OH). Despite the loss, Zach Waizmann (’03/Dublin, OH) turned in a stellar effort in goal for the Mavs with 53 saves. Daniel Miscavish (’01/Macomb, MI) stopped 23 for the Jets.

The following night, Jets carried a 2-0 lead out of the opening period against the Oilers, but had it all but settled after 40 minutes with a 6-1 lead.

Cristian Adragna (’01/Rochester Hills, MI); Alex Schaumburger (’02/Canton, MI) and Chad Noetzel (’02/Port Huron, MI) scored two goals each with others added by Brayden Lewis (’03/Fort Wayne, IN); Cody Mastay (’01/Westminster, CO); Mocnik; Kam Hellman (’01/Macomb, MI); Ryan Messing (’01/Buffalo, NY) and Grongstad).

Jordan Huffman (’05/McDonald, OH) scored the lone Oilers goal.

Columbus Mavericks1 @ Toledo Cherokee 4

The first goal of the season for the Cherokee came just 20 seconds in and the team was up 3-1 after 20 minutes, adding one more in the second.

Bailey Byrd (’01/Wyandotte, MI); Kieran Carlile (’01/Hartland, MI); Nicklas Millhorn (’02/Brownstown, MI) and Bryce Davis (’01/Elmore, OH) had the Cherokee goals, Tyler Isherwood (’04/Wainfleet, ON) replyng with the lone Mavs’ marker.

Alex Toth (’01/Mentor, OH) absorbed the loss despite kicking out 39 of 43 shots for the Mavericks.

MIDWEST-WEST DIVISION

Cougars 4 @ Ducks 5 (ot)

Cougars 4 @ Ducks 2

After surrendering 21 goals and scoring just five the previous weekend, the Ducks looked more competitive against the Cougars, winning the first game on an overtime goal by Bryce Jacobsen (’02/DeForest, WI).

The following night, the Cougars, who outshot the Ducks badly in both games picked up a 4-2 to snare a weekend split.

Jacob Cartland (’02/Mukwonago, WI) and Caden Glamkowski (’04/St. Charles, IL) both scored twice for the Cougars Friday and Anthony Falzone (’03/St. Charles, IL) stopped 60 shots to keep his team in the game.

For the Cougars, goals came from Brenden Miranda (’03/Romeoville, IL); Michael Sliwinski (’01/Franklin Park, IL); Andreas Zorn (’02/Chicago, IL) and Daniel Danko (‘0s/Skokie, IL).

Teams were even at 2-2 just past the halfway mark of the second period Saturday but Gerdas Palauskas (’04/Lisle, IL) fired the game winner late in the second, his second of the game and Cody Lourenco (’02/Winnipeg, MB) added insurance with his goal in the final period.

Sliwinski had the other Cougars’ goal and Cartland fired both Ducks’ goals.

Ian Young (’01/Lakewood, CO) stopped 27 shots to pick up the win and in the Ducks’ goal, Drew Mosely (’02/St. Louis, MO) handling 57 of 61 for the Ducks.

Minnesota Moose 5 @ Minnesota Mullets 2

The opening game of the season for both teams at Augsburg University Ice Arena, the Moose built a 2-0 first period lead but the host Mullets tied it with two goals in the first half of the second.

The Moose responded almost immediately, restoring the two-goal cushion with two goals in 43 seconds then added another in the third for insurance.

Chase Solberg (’01/Anchorage, AK) scored twice for the Moose with others added by Jackson Terpstra (’01/Jenison, MI); Hunter Barto (’01/Las Vegas, NV) and Luke Van Baalan (’02/Waterford, MI).

Luke Buza (’02/Midland, MI) picked up the win in goal with 23 saves for the Moose.

Jack Seamans (’01/Medicine Lake, MN) and Cole St. Laurent (’02/Iles des Chenes, MB) fired the Mullet goals and Josh Koziol (’02/Elk River, MN) made 33 saves in goal for the Mullets.

Minnesota Blue Ox 3 @ Minnesota Moose 6

The Moose wrapped up a perfect weekend on home ice at the Fogerty Ice Arena in Blaine, MN, in a game of runs.

The Moose built a 3-0 lead early only to have the Blue Ox fight back to a tie in the fifth minute of the final period. The Moose took over again though, firing three more in regulation, the final one into an empty net.

Solberg fired a hat trick to pace the Moose with others for Ike Frankel (’01/San Diego, CA); Cameron Dunn (’03/Holland, MI) and Thomas Purton (’01/Geneva, IL). Buza made another 33 saves for his second win of the weekend.

Blake Glaser (’01/Kearney, NE); Michael Clough (’01/Andover, MN) and Logan Starkey (’02/Chanhassen, MN) scored the Blue Ox goals.

Steele County Blades 7 @ Rum River Mallards 1

The Blades grabbed control with two unanswered goals and added one more in the second before the Mallards hit the board in the sixth minute of the final period. The Blades followed that up with four more before the final. buzzer.

Pacing the offense with a three-goal game was Connor Movalli (’04/Boston, MA) and other Blades’ goals came from: Jackson Blough (’03/St. Joseph, MI); Ethan Secord (’03/Bellingham, WA); Brady Rosbach (’02/New Berlin, WI) and Pierce Lee (’02/Delta, BC). Jacob Snyder (’03/Duluth, MN) stopped all but one of 38 shots he faced.

Parker Comstock (’04/Sartell, MN) scored the lone Mallards’ goal.