Chapie earning points so far for Metro

Ryan Chapie has been skating since the age of four and said he has “loved it ever since.”

He’s hoping this year of junior hockey is just as enjoyable with the Metro Jets.

A 19-year-old Midland native, Chapie played last season for Delta College (pictured) and heard about the Jets while attending school and playing for the Pioneers.

“A buddy on my team, Jordan Reames, had played for the Jets previous to that season and was telling me about the team,” said Chapie. “I thought I would give it a shot and here we are.”

If the last name Chapie sounds familiar, it should. Adam Chapie, a cousin of Ryan, played for the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks a couple years back and then moved on to the North American Hockey League’s New Mexico Mustangs and is a freshman at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell this year.

“I knew my cousin played in the league, but I never talked to him about it,” said Ryan Chapie.

So far this season, Chapie is averaging a goal per game and is third in team scoring with six points. He had two goals and two assists in Metro’s season-opening 10-4 win against Battle Creek on Sept. 15.

While the goals are certainly a plus, Chapie said that’s not the strongest part of his game.

”I would describe my style of play as a playmaker,” Chapie said. “I love dishing off a nice pass to a teammate for them to bury a goal.”

Chapie added that his early impressions of Jets’ coach Jason Cirone have been very positive and he thinks the Jets have a solid team from top to bottom.

”Jason knows what he is doing as a coach and if our team plays the game he wants us to play, we will be a good team,” said Chapie. “He knows his hockey. My expectations for the season are just to be a solid teammate that’s in the lineup every weekend and can help my team win. The only numbers that matter to me are if the team can come up with two points each game we play.”

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

The Jets traveled to Cleveland last weekend and suffered a two-game sweep at the hands of the Jr. Lumberjacks.

Saturday night, Dallas Szustak scored with 4:29 to play in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and Cleveland held on to beat the Jets 3-1.

Chapie scored Metro’s lone goal and goalie Austin Julvezan made his season debut and stopped 31 shots.

Cleveland finished the sweep with a 7-1 win Sunday afternoon.

Andrew Palushaj scored the Jets' only goal to briefly tie the game at 1-1 late in the first period. Julvezan made 34 saves.

“Last weekend was kind of the tale of two teams,” said Metro captain Matt Stirling. “We played extremely well in the first game and fought all the way to the end, but we just came up short. The second game as a team we did not play well at all in any phase of the game and for as good as Saturday’s game was, Sunday’s game kind of overshadowed Saturday’s good performance.”

The Jets (2-2-0-0) return home to Lakeland Arena this weekend for two games with the Three Rivers Vengeance. Game time is 7:50 p.m. Saturday night and 2:50 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

 JET STREAKS

Last week, forward Kyle Shreve was released and Palushaj was added to the roster.

Palushaj, a 19-year-old Livonia native, is the younger brother of NHL prospect Aaron Palushaj, a one-time Michigan Wolverine (2007-09) who has seen action in 41 games with Montreal the past two seasons.

Andrew Palushaj played 19 games with the NAHL’s Odessa Jackalopes last year and was named Division I First Team All-State in 2011 while playing for Livonia Stevenson High School.

This past Tuesday, defenseman Tim Foley was released. Foley played in all four games for the Jets, recording three assists (all on the power play).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Goaltender Devin Williams played 19 games with the Jets last year before signing with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters and staying in the OHL the rest of the season.

Williams was drafted by the Otters in the fifth round of the 2011 OHL draft.

With the Jets, the Saginaw native went 9-9-0 with a 3.88 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.

This year in Erie, Williams, who doesn’t turn 17 until Oct. 30, will battle for playing time with Swedish goalie Oscar Dansk.