Photo: Courtesy of Rion Sanders, Tribune Photographer
By Tribune Sports Staff
March 21, 2015
GENEVA, Ill. – The Metro Jets are making their last season in Waterford, Mich., one to remember.
The Jets, who will play their home matches in Fraser, Mich., under new ownership next winter, scored a pair of unanswered goals in the middle stanza and made them hold up to defeat the Great Falls Americans 3-1 in the second of three round-robin matches for each club Friday at the NA3HL Silver Cup Tournament at the Fox Valley Ice Garden.
The Frontier Division champion Americans, now 38-12-3 overall this season, are just 60 minutes away from the offseason after falling for the second time in as many days at the Silver Cup. They’ll face the tournament-leading North Iowa Bulls (2-0) this evening at 6 Mountain Time, wrapping up their 2014-15 campaign.
The win for the Jets keeps their championship hopes alive, after they dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker in double overtime to the Nashville Jr. Predators Friday.
Cody Page scored the Americans’ only tally at 11:32 of the first period, off assists from Lucas Lomax and Blake Miller. The goal tied the game at 1-1, following Matt Dempsey’s score in the first minute of play, sailing past Great Falls goalie Jordan Moran.
Moran finished with 26 saves on the 29 shots on target.
Alex Holm and Zach Koonce scored in the second frame, with Koonce’s coming during a power play. Neither team scored in the third 20-minute session.
Jets’ goalie Kameron Limburg redirected all but one of the 25 Great Falls shots he faced, while he teammates held the Americans scoreless in eight power play opportunities.
Lomax, a 5-10 forward from Phoenix, was named to the All-NA3HL Team as well as the All-Frontier Division team. Lomax, who just turned 21, was a third-team selection to the NA3HL squad after scoring 30 goals and assisting on 19 others for a team-high 49 points during the regular season.
Corona, Calif., native Lucas Stover was also placed on the All-Frontier Division team. The 6-1, 170-pound 20-year-old defenseman had 20 assists and scored five times. The 20 assists place him second on the team behind Zach Mese’s 23.
The top teams from each pool will meet for the Silver Cup championship Sunday at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
JUNIOR A HOCKEY
NA3HL Silver Cup Tournament
at Geneva, Ill.
Great Falls ………………………………….1 0 0 — 1
Metro Jets ………………………………….1 2 0 — 3
First Period – 1, Metro Jets, Matt Dempsey (Da-
vid Chavis), 0:37. 2, Great Falls, Cody Page Lucas
Lomax, Blake Miller), 11:32.
Second Period – 3, Metro Jets, Alex Holm (Jacob
Rutkoske, Tyler Layle), 6:36. 4, Metro Jets, Zach
Koonce (power play) (Pearce Vance, Tyler Layle),
10:37.
Third Period – NO SCORING
Shots on Goal – Great Falls 25, Metro Jets 29.
Power-play Opportunities – Great Falls 0-for-8,
Metro Jets 1-for-3.
A — Not Announced
Story Courtesy: Great Falls Tribune (March 21, 2015)