Jacks Head to Iowa. Stops in Waterloo and Des Moines
October 9, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
MUSKEGON, MI - The Lumberjacks are officially on the back half of their season opening 9 game road trip. This week the Jacks travel to Iowa for a pair of games against two Cowbell Cup opponents from the Western Conference. Up first are the red hot Waterloo Black Hawks on Friday night before heading south west to Des Moines for a Saturday night match up against the Des Moines Buccaneers. This trip is similar to one from last season in which the Jacks defeated Des Moines 5-4 in overtime on Friday 11/3 before falling 8-2 in Waterloo on Saturday 11/4.
The Match up
Just like last season the Lumberjacks will see the Waterloo Black Hawks and Des Moines Buccaneers at different points of the schedule. Last year the Jacks made this trip in the beginning of November and split the weekend with a 5-4 overtime win over Des Moines followed by an 8-2 routing at the hands of the Black Hawks.
At the end of January, the Bucs made their way to Muskegon and picked up a 2-1 win. The Black Hawks then made the trip in the first week of March when the Jacks came out on top by a score of 5-2.
This season has brought a tale of three different starts for each squad. The Black Hawks started the year with a 1-1 split at the Fall Classic but has since gone on a 3-game point streak with a 2-0-1 record.
The start of the Lumberjacks has been less than ideal, but not as bad as it could be. With points in all but one of their first 5 games the Jacks enter week 4 in 7th place of the East but boasting some of the best defensive numbers in the USHL primarily in the crease.
Des Moines meanwhile hasn't had the greatest of starts. A win in game one of the Fall Classic has been followed by three straight losses. Playing this season in a new facility the Bucs have yet to put a game in the win column on their own ice.
About Last Weekend
Just one game came for the Lumberjacks last weekend. A single game Saturday brought another trip to the Fox Valley Ice Arena. Already the second time this year the Jacks have taken on the Chicago Steel in Geneva, and again the teams played a low scoring, tightly contested affair. Chicago broke open the scoring with the lone goal of the first period. The first career USHL goal for Luke Goukler made it 1-0 Steel heading into the second period. The goalies shined all night for both teams. Shikhabudtin Gadzhiev for the Jacks and Louka Cloutier for the Steel, and both guys were perfect in the middle frame sending the game to third still 1-0 in favor of Chicago.
A power play in the third period proved to be unpromising, but as the advantage ended a fortuitous bounce tied the game up at 1-1. Cameron Aucoin fired a shot towards the net from the blue line and Teddy Spitznagel redirected it from the middle of the slot to the back of the net.
The first meeting of the season between the two Eastern Conference Rivals needed a shootout to find a winner (3-2 (SO) CHI, 9/27/24), but this time it just take overtime for the Steel to send the Jacks back home to Muskegon with another loss. Goukler sent a pass high over the heads of everybody on the ice landing perfectly on the stick of Hudson Gorski. The tall defenseman moved his way into the Jacks zone on a breakaway and slid the puck between Gadzhiev's legs for the overtime winning goal.
Over the Airwaves
Catch the action all season long with the USHL's official video streaming partner FloHockey, and with the free radio stream on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.
This season Jacks cans can tune into the Lumberjacks Hockey Network Pregame Show on Facebook Live 30 minutes prior to every Lumberjacks game this year.
Upcoming Games
Fri. October 11 | 8:05 pm ET | at Waterloo Black Hawks
Sat. October 12 | 7:00 pm ET | at Des Moines Buccaneers
Fri. October 18 | 7:00 pm ET | at USNTDP Under-17s
Sat. October 19 | 7:00 pm ET | at USNTDP Under-17s
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United States Hockey League Stories from October 9, 2024
- Jacks Head to Iowa. Stops in Waterloo and Des Moines - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Stars Face Pair of Iowa Opponents this Weekend - Lincoln Stars
- Two-Game Set in Nebraska on Deck for Chicago - Chicago Steel
- Capitols Acquire Barabanov in Trade with Sioux Falls - Madison Capitols
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