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Junior Notebook: Metro Jets Continue Fast Start in NA3HL

By Tom Robinson - Special to USA Hockey, 09/20/17, 7:45AM MDT

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NAHL gets underway, showcase awaits this weekend

Metro Jets Continue Fast Start

The Metro Jets, who were perfect through four games, and the Northeast Generals, who won their first three, are off to the fastest starts in the North American 3 Hockey League.

Metro swept the Dayton Falcons, 10-0 and 7-3, Saturday and Sunday.        

Connor Inger, Mathieu LaForest and Joey Bruce had two-goal games to back Jacob McClelland’s 13-save shutout.

The Jets overcame a two-goal effort from Brandon Holt by scoring five straight goals at one point.               

Northeast went on the road to sweep the Oswego Stampede, 6-3 and 5-1, the same two days.               

Jacob Kelly had two goals in the first win.

Fedor Lopaev had a hat trick and Lucas Souza made 33 saves in the second.

NAHL ROUNDUP: The North American Hockey League opened the regular season with a single game the afternoon of Sept. 14.            

The Northeast Generals won the season opener, 4-2, when David Fessenden made 20 saves total and held the visiting Johnstown Tomahawks scoreless for the first two periods.          

Matthew Wiesner scored two goals and Mark Sturma made 27 saves when Northeast won again the next day, 5-1.

Johnstown salvaged a 3-2 win in the third game of the series on Andary Andrew’s goal in the final six minutes.

Mitchell Gibson did not allow a goal in his first 125 minutes in goal for the defending Robertson Cup champion Lone Star Brahmas. He won a 3-0 shutout over the Shreveport Mudbugs before losing a 1-0 shootout after he had stopped 28 shots in regulation and overtime.

Matt Hanewall had two goals and two assists Saturday to lift the Janesville Jets over the Springfield Junior Blues 5-3 in Gary Shuchuk’s debut as the team’s head coach.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights are the only team at 2-0 so far, after winning a pair of games, including one in overtime, over the New Jersey Titans.

The remainder of the 23-team league is getting started during the 15th annual NAHL Showcase Sept. 20-23 in Blaine, Minnesota.

EASTERN LEADERS: Travis Pelke stopped 37 of 38 shots in two games to help the Philadelphia Revolution improve to 4-0 in the Eastern Hockey League.

Alex Ochterbeck scored in each game as the Philadelphia Little Flyers also started 4-0.               

Bryan Colburn, who had the first two game-winning goals, had a three-assist game in a 7-2 victory over the Total Athletic Seahawks to move the Walpole Express to 3-0.

RMJHL PLANS: The Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League will open its third season Sept. 29 when the Colorado Rampage plays at the Steamboat Wranglers.

The RMJHL is under new leadership with Adrian Veidemen serving as commissioner.

Veideman won back-to-back national championships at Denver University in 2004 and 2005 and served as captain of the Pioneers as a senior in 2006-2007. He went on to play nine years of professional hockey in North America and Europe.

Pat Bingham is the new head coach of the Rampage. Bingham has been in the Rampage youth organization since spending 15 seasons coaching in professional hockey.

The Breckenridge Bolts will be one of the five league members this season. Breckenridge had a team in the league in the first season. Kory DeKoevend will be head coach.

The league, which also includes the Colorado Thunderbirds and Pikes Peak Miners, plans a 40-game schedule built around Friday-Saturday series.

QUICK HITS: Benjamin Ward, a first-year forward with the NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness has committed to play at St. Cloud State University. Ward had 78 points last season while helping the Monticello Moose to the Minnesota State High School League Class A Tournament championship game.

The Omaha Lancers and Waterloo Black Hawks are the first teams to reach 2-0 in the United States Hockey League preseason. Matt Koopman has a goal and two assists for Waterloo.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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