Jacks Regain 2nd In The East With 4-3 Win Over Dubuque

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Muskegon Lumberjacks

Jacks Regain 2nd In The East With 4-3 Win Over Dubuque

November 30, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - Entering week 11 in the USHL the Muskegon Lumberjacks (13-5-2-1, 29 pts) were in second place of the USHL Eastern Conference Some wins for other teams throughout the week including Friday night's 3-1 win for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (15-7-0-0, 30 pts.) dropped the Jacks down a spot, but a strong offensive performance in a 4-3 on Saturday helped the Jacks regain their position in the standings.

The weekend series at Trinity Health Arena had a little bit of everything from the Lumberjacks and Fighting Saints. Big hits, big saves, and big goals. Saturday the goal scoring started much earlier than the previous night when the Jacks struck in the first period at the 16:36 mark. Ryan Aaronson (Highland Park, IL) got the puck to David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) on the near side of the ice. Klee fired a shot towards the net that went off the upper body of Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) and to the back of the net. Sanderson had collided with the Dubuque netminder, but it was deemed to be in a legal manner allowing the goal to stand.

In the second period the Saints scored to tie the game just :46 seconds into the frame. Josh Giuliani found himself alone in the low slot of the Lumberjacks zone and when Teddy Merrill sent him a pass, he used a one-timer to get the puck to the back of the net.

A goal in the final minute of the period sent the Jacks back to the locker room with another lead. As a Lumberjacks penalty kill expired Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) and Chase Stefanek (Yorba Linda, CA) made their way down the ice on a 2-on-1 rush. Lawrence carried the puck into the offensive zone and sent a pass across the slot to Stefanek between the circles. The pass was intercepted by a Dubuque defender but landed right back onto Lawrence's stick allowing him to rip a shot past the out of position netminder.

Coming out of the second intermission, the Jacks were on a power play to start the third thanks to a late penalty from a Dubuque player in the second period. Just :49 seconds into the frame they took advantage of the power play to extend the lead. A bouncing puck in the middle of the slot found itself in the midst of a few players including Lawrence. Skillfully, Lawrence corralled the puck and fired a shot to the back of the net for his second goal of the game, 6th of the season.

Moments later at the 2:55 mark, Klee added a goal of his own while on a rush with Davis Borozinskis (Liepaja, LAT). Borozinskis tapped the puck to Klee on the far side and moved across the zone to provide a passing option, but the captain chose to shoot and ripped a shot under the glove of the goalie for his 8th goal of the season.

A pair of goals for the Fighting Saints brought the score to within a single goal, but the Jacks defense stood the test and held on for the 4-3 win. Giuliani scored his second goal of the game at the 7:05 mark while shorthanded. A wrap around attempt for Matthew Desiderio was turned aside, but Giuliani dropped down to find the loose puck and bury it.

Then, Lucas Van Vliet received a pass in the low slot from Cole Spicer at the side of the net. Van Vliet stick handled though a couple of Lumberjacks and made a nice move in tight to the goal for his 9th goal of the season.

In the special teams category, the Jacks were 1/3 on the power play finishing the weekend 2/5 while their 4/4 penalty kill stayed perfect in the two games 7/7.

Stephen Peck (New York, NY) (6-2-1-1) earned the win in the crease for the Lumberjacks with 27 saves on 30 shots against. Jan Spunar (9-5-0-0) earned the loss with 23 saves on 27 shots against.

Next up for the Lumberjacks is a three-game weekend starting with two games against the Youngstown Phantoms on Friday and Saturday next week followed by a Sunday game against the Des Moines Buccaneers. All three games will be played at Trinity Health Arena in downtown Muskegon, MI. For game times and ticket information visit muskegonlumberjacks.com.

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United States Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2024


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