Jeffers ahead Cameron Anderson controls the puck in site visitors throughout a fiftieth annual John MacInnes Holiday Hockey Classic sport in opposition to DePere Saturday on the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)
HOUGHTON — The Jeffers Jets hockey staff has not been house for many of their first 14 video games this season, however they’d an opportunity this previous weekend to play a pair of video games on the MacInnes Student Ice Arena Saturday and Sunday, they usually feasted on the chance as half of the fiftieth annual John MacInnes Holiday Hockey Classic.
Saturday, the Jets scored the sport’s first six objectives en path to a 7-3 win over the DePere Voyageurs. Sunday, they fell behind 1-0, however then scored the subsequent eight objectives to win, 8-1, over the Eastside Stars.
In all, co-captain Brogan Turner scored seven objectives on the weekend to assist lead the Jets to enhance to 11-3-1 on the season.
Jets 7, Voyageurs 3
The Jets ambushed the Voyageurs to the tune of 5-0 within the first interval of their sport Saturday.
It all began with junior ahead Tage Rajala scoring simply 2:44 into the sport. He fired a wrist shot from the left circle that discovered the online. He scored a second objective at 8:38 when he buried a move from sophomore ahead Max Nordstrom.
Turner’s objective at 3:10 was related as he drove down the left boards, however then he minimize throughout in entrance and deked to his backhand to attain.
Freshman ahead Carson L’Esperance then made it 3-0 at 5:29 when he discovered house within the slot and buried a fast shot off a feed from senior ahead Cameron Anderson.
Senior defenseman Griffin Heinonen made it 5-0 on the facility play at 11:46, which put the sport out of attain.
What coach Aaron Helminen preferred within the Jets’ opening interval was that they’d objectives from a number of completely different gamers.
“Everyone wants to contribute on a scoresheet in some manner,” he stated. “So, there was some of that … and, coming out of break, we had a little bit of time off around the holidays and stuff. So, (I) was thrilled with our start for sure in the first period.”
The Jets did transfer forward 6-0 simply 3:24 into the center body when senior ahead Easton Therrian knocked in a rebound off a shot from Nordstrom, who had 4 assists within the contest by that time.
“That’s what we need, definitely,” stated Aaron Helminen. “If the teams want to focus in on ‘Brogues’ (Brogan) a little bit, or whatever, or if he’s having an off night, we need guys. You need to have more than one guy that can score and contribute. So, that was good to see, because there were a couple of guys that did score tonight (Saturday).”
Aaron Helminen likes what he sees from Nordstrom, who’s in his second season with the Jets.
“He put on some good weight and size this summer,” Aaron Helminen stated. “He’s always been a little bit bigger kid, had a strong body as a freshman, but really took another step this year, and I just like his power forward (game). Not afraid to handle pucks in traffic, and then slide over to the center role. You have to play a 200-foot game as a center, and help out our ‘D’ (defense) in the ‘D’ (defensive) zone. So, happy for him the way he’s been able to make a step for us this year.”
From there, nearly as good as the beginning was, Aaron Helminen didn’t like some of what he noticed from his group in different areas of the sport.
“(I) didn’t care for our lack of discipline in the fact that we took penalties that we shouldn’t be taking,” he stated. “So, that leaves slightly dangerous style in our mouth. We’re undoubtedly completely happy for the win, (however there’s) slightly gloom within the locker room, which is nice, as a result of they’re rivals, proper. They really feel it too. They’re feeling the identical approach as us.
“You get up on a team, but they’re a good team too. It just took a period to wake them a little bit, and they moved the puck well, too.”
DePere scored three of the sport’s final 4 objectives. The first got here from Palmer Anderson with 1:06 left within the second interval.
Cameron Anderson struck to make it 7-1 about halfway via the third interval, however Leo Dose scored on the facility play with 4:07 left and Landen Smith scored with 1:57 left to shut out the scoring.
Co-captain Kasen Helminen made 27 saves to earn the win.
Jets 8, Stars 1
While Turner had only a objective and an help in opposition to DePere, he broke via in a giant approach Sunday with six objectives and an help in an 8-1 win over the Stars.
The Stars jumped out to a 1-0 lead simply 1:22 into the sport when Beckett Fast scored his second objective of the weekend on the primary shot his staff took within the sport.
That was the final shot the Stars would get via to Kasen Helminen till late within the interval.
The Jets held a 4-1 lead in pictures earlier than Turner scored his first objective of the afternoon at 4:26 whereas Jeffers was shorthanded. He stole the puck at his personal blue line and skated it the size of the rink from there to attain.
His second objective got here at 4:47 when he buried a one-timer off a move from Anderson. He then capped a pure hat trick at 6:28, with the Jets on the facility play. He fired a wrist shot from the appropriate circle that discovered the online.
“He’s a guy that we want to have the puck on his stick, and (he) usually makes a pretty good decision,” stated Aaron Helminen. “I think there’s a couple other times where he wants to set up his teammates, and sometimes he gets in that mode of (where) he takes himself out of, probably, the best look, the best scoring chance on the play, to do that. So, he’s a team guy in that sense, too. But, definitely, he’s a kid that if he picks a corner, he can usually put it there.”
At that time, the Jets led 11-1 in pictures, which was the response their coach was searching for after giving up the primary shot in opposition to of the sport.
“I felt like we did, again, a good job on the forecheck,” Aaron Helminen stated. “We had possession of the puck. I feel we made some dangerous choices so far as making an attempt to do an excessive amount of in site visitors, and we may have taken some open ice. Then simply even simply transferring that puck, and brief little fast passes simply to get the opposite staff to regulate slightly bit. It’s a give and go, proper? You get the puck proper again, you recognize what I imply?
“Trying to drive that home to the kids, where you can give the puck up, and you know you’re going to get it right back, versus trying to create something out of nothing in a bad situation.”
Turner’s fourth objective got here on the facility play 2:26 into the second interval. He then picked up the first help on alternate captain Blake Heltunen’s first objective of the weekend at 13:29 when he arrange Heltunen on the again door.
Rajala struck with only one minute left within the interval to make it 6-1 at that time.
Then Turner struck twice extra within the third, first off a rebound at 6:46, after which at 9:51 when he fired a wrist shot that discovered the online.
Kasen Helminen made 9 saves to earn the win.
Up subsequent
The Jets are again in motion Tuesday at 6 p.m. once they Hancock on the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.