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Muskegon Lumberjacks

Bloomington Bolts Past Muskegon in Road Shutout Victory

September 13, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, Michigan (September 13th) - In the Muskegon Lumberjacks' first home preseason game since joining the USHL in now their fifth season, the visiting Bloomington Thunder had big plans to spoil their party that included a three-goal first period paired up with solid defense and goaltending en route to 5-0 shutout road victory tonight at the L.C. Walker Arena.

Right out the gate, the Thunder (2-0-0 Preseason record) took advantage of an early Muskegon penalty as David Trinkberger hooked former Lumberjack Matt Mendelson on a breakaway leading to a penalty shot attempt. Mendelson would convert sliding a forehand past Eric Schierhorn's left pad to give the visitors a 1-0 lead 58 seconds into the contest.

As the midway point of the opening frame approached, Bloomington continued to attack offensively doubling their lead to 2-0 at the 8:47 mark as Joshua Shellman created a rebound attempt into a goal wrapping the puck around to the left side of the net and tucking it past Schierhorn's left pad that was helped by Blake Gober.

Almost five minutes later at the 13:46 mark, the Thunder tripled their lead to 3-0 as a point shot by Jalen Smereck was redirected in the low slot by Patrick Curry over Schierhorn's blocker top shelf.

The three-goal spread remained the same into the first intermission with Bloomington outshooting Muskegon by a 17-11 margin through the first 20 minutes of play.

Bloomington built on their lead making it a 4-0 game 28 seconds shy of the halfway point of the second period at the 9:32 mark as Shellman ripped a point shot that slid through Schierhorn's five-hole during a five-on-three power play for his second of the night that was aided by Tyler Gernhofer.

Following the Thunder's fourth goal, starter Logan Halladay was relieved of his duties after stopping all 26 shots he faced in favor of David Jacobson.

Muskegon continued to lead the shot battle through two periods, 30-26, but still had no answers offensively going into the third and final period.

Bloomington added another marker in the final frame courtesy of Ethan Spaxman as his shot from the left point beat Schierhorn on the short blocker side to make it a 5-0 game at the 7:09 mark that was assisted by Tanner Salsberry and Gober.

The Lumberjacks (3-2-0 preseason record) had their frustrating evening end with no goals accounted for as the Thunder claimed the shots on goal battle, 40-35, that included outshooting Muskegon 14-5 during the final 20 minutes. In his second half of relief work, Jacobson stopped all nine shots that were fired in his direction.

Eric Schierhorn took the home loss making 35 saves for the game. The Thunder's offense was led by Joshua Shellman (two goals) and Blake Gober (two assists) with two points apiece. Matt Iacopelli and Jack Rowe led the Lumberjacks with five shots on goal each. Bloomington was 2-for-7 on the man advantage, while Muskegon went empty on eight opportunities.

Muskegon's preseason slate concludes next weekend in the USHL Fall Classic West held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa with two games beginning on Friday, September 19th against the Fargo Force at 11:00 am followed by a clash with the Lincoln Stars on Saturday, September 20th at 2:00 pm. Both games can be watched live online on FastHockey.com.

Season ticket packages for the 2014-15 season are on sale for as low as $195, and fans can find information on our Black, Crimson, Gold, and Youth packages along with the numerous benefits available when purchasing their season ticket by visiting www.muskegonlumberjacks.com under the "Tickets" section. To purchase their respective seat for all 29 home games this season while taking advantage of our New Premium Parking Options and Customized Seat Special, fans can stop by the L.C. Walker Arena Box Office during the normal business hours of 10:00 am - 6:00 pm on Monday - Friday or call (231) 724-5225.

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