Jeffers' Blake Heltunen (5) and Cranbrook's Jack Shenkan battle for the puck during a 2-1 Jets' loss Friday, March 7, 2025 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. (TIMOTHY ARRICK)

PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Despite a slow start, the Jeffers Jets hockey team battled to the final buzzer Friday afternoon at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. However, the Cranbrook-Kingswood Cranes got two goals from co-captain Nick Timko en route to a 2-1 win in the Division 3 state semifinals.

Even though the Jets, who made their first-ever trip to the state semifinals, did not finish with the result they wanted, coach Aaron Helminen was happy with a lot of what he saw in the game.

“I thought (we were) battling through a few things for us, but the boys got after it, and had a good period after giving up an early power play goal. (I felt we) responded, and, obviously, got a little momentum and some energy on the bench once we tied it up.

“Then they kind of had us on our heels a little bit in a second, but we still defended well, and gave ourselves a chance in the third. Had a few big opportunities, and just bounces didn’t go our way.”

It did not take long for the Cranes to jump out to an early lead. Timko found some soft ice in the left circle and he waited for the play to develop. Defenseman Cameron Rocchini wired a wrist shot from the right point that Jets goaltender Kasen Helminen stopped. The rebound bounced off of Helminen’s right leg pad and right to Timko, who buried a quick shot at 2:14.

From there, the Cranes did to the Jets what Jeffers normally did to their opponents. Cranbrook’s forecheck and puck pursuit proved relentless.

“They’re definitely a team that comes at you hard and takes away time and space,” said Aaron Helminen. “They’re strong on their sticks. We had a lot of, lot of individual puck battles that they ended up winning. They tied up sticks on the guys without the puck really well too, and ran some good interference. But we’re just proud of the boys.”

Not using it as an excuse, the Jets did have some illness issues as well.

“We had a few guys battling some illness here, some guys that play some big minutes for us,” he said. “They found a way to grind through, and (I’m) so proud of them, going from barely able to go to having a great game. It just speaks to the gutty effort that our kids have.”

It took the Jets about eight or nine minutes to really adjust to the Cranes’ attack. However, once they did, they were able to find a way to even the game at 1-1.

The Jets had a lengthy shift in the offensive zone, the Cranes tried to clear the puck by firing it around the boards. Junior winger Easton Therrian jumped in and freed the puck from a Cranbrook forward, and created a loose puck for alternate captain Brit Heinonen to jump on. Heinonen skated the puck through the left circle and he roofed a wrist shot under the crossbar at 10:15.

The Jets kept the pressure on and were rewarded with a power play with just over two minutes to go in the opening frame. Junior winger Brogan Turner had the best scoring chance on the advantage, but his shot from the left circle was stopped. Shortly after, co-captain Cody Turner took a penalty, ending the Jets’ advantage.

Brogan Turner had a golden opportunity to give Jeffers a lead just after Cody Turner came out of the penalty box. Cody collided with a Cranes defender at the Jets’ blue line, and Brogan was sprung for a breakaway. He fired a wrist shot that hit Cranes goaltender Blake Tice’s stick shaft, which kept it out of the net.

The Cranes’ forecheck got back to work, bottling up the Jets before they could get started for the next couple of minutes and they were rewarded at 5:08. Timko got the puck in the right circle, he fed it back to Rocchini at the right point. He fired a wrist shot through traffic, and Timko tipped it past Kasen Helminen for the goal.

“They had a few tipped pucks,” Aaron Helminen said. “We were able to find them, and get those stopped, but they actually had two layers there (on the goal). They had a high slot and the low slot. The guy that actually got the tip crossing on the goalie. So, obviously, (that) makes it difficult.”

Cranbrook continued to pressure the Jets over and over from there, and that kept the Jeffers’ skilled forwards from finding time and space for much of the rest of the second period. The Jets kept battling into the third period. Cody Turner had a great chance right off a faceoff to Tice’s left with four and a half minutes left, but it was stopped.

Heinonen forced Tice to turn the puck over behind the net two minutes later, but he could not complete a pass to a teammate in front. Forty-two seconds later, he skated in on an odd-man rush, but his wrist shot was fought off by Tice.

The Jets pulled Kasen Helminen in the game’s final 70 seconds, but could not execute a play in that time to even the game before the final buzzer.

“We had our opportunities, for sure, got some good looks, and had some energy,” said Aaron Helminen. “Obviously, it just didn’t go in and wasn’t supposed to.”

HELMINEN PROUD OF HIS TEAM

Despite the loss, Aaron Helminen felt he couldn’t have asked for more from his team.

“Just extremely happy with the way the boys competed all season long,” he said. “When there were doubters, they just rose to the occasion, competed, and found ways. (They) earned every bit of this, I believe. believe they earned every bit of it throughout, just working hard for each other, day in and day out, practices, off season, just a good tight-knit group.”

The Jets beat all three other Copper Country area teams this season.

“Proud of the kids for that,” Aaron Helminen said. “They battled well, obviously. They grow up playing with all those other kids that are on Hancock, Houghton, and you play against Calumet all through your youth. So, just for us to have an opportunity to play against each other, compete, and then come out on top, is really something.