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USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Jacks Welcome Herd to Trinity Heath Arena for Week 10 Series

November 21, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - Two teams that met each other at the 2024 Dick's Sporting Good's Fall Classic meet again when the Muskegon Lumberjacks welcome the Sioux Falls Stampede to Trinity Health Arena for a two-game series on Friday, November 22nd, and Saturday, the 23rd.

The Match Up

The first time the Jacks went at it with the Herd was at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex as the second game at the Fall Classic. A penalty filled affair saw both teams go scoreless on the advantage but fill the nets at 5-on-5. A pair of goals in the first period for the Jacks came from Matthew Van Blaricom (Southey, SK, CAN). Sioux Falls responded with a two goal period of their own in the second with tallies from Bryce Ingles and John McNelis. Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) gave the Jacks a lead early in the third, but Reid Varkonyi tied the score to send the game to overtime.

The extra period featured numerous grade A opportunities on both sides of the ice including an odd man rush for the Jacks into the Sioux Falls end. A quick pass down the ice though saw the Herd enter the Jacks zone with numbers in their favor. Aleskandr Rybakov held the puck on the near side of the blue line and threw it in front where Ethan Wyttenbach redirected it to the back of the net to help the Stampede to the 4-3 OT win.

About Last Week

There's no doubt about it. The Lumberjacks are the hottest team in the USHL, and that remained the theme in week 9 with a trip to the Western Conference and the Tyson Events Center for a pair of games against the Sioux City Musketeers. It was a battle of offense vs. defense when the Jacks who lead the league in Goals Against per Game took on the third highest scoring team in the USHL.

Game one on Friday night was a goaltending duel between Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS) and Bjorn Bronas. Both goalies stood tall through both regulation and an overtime period where the teams headed to a shootout tied 2-2. Gadzhiev stopped 2/3 shots while Bronas was beaten 2/3 times securing the Jacks 3-2 SO win.

On Saturday the teams went at it again, and again it was a goaltending duel. This time though Stephen Peck (New York, NY) and Samuel Urban got the nods from their respective coaches. An early 2-0 for Peck and the Lumberjacks in the first period was enough to earn the 2-1 win and clinch the weekend sweep.

The Stampede also took on the Musketeers in week 9 with a Tuesday night match up at home. A 4-1 victory for the Herd kicked off the week on the right foot, but a series split over the weekend followed with Omaha in a home and home series. On the road in Omaha on Friday the Stampede picked up another 4-1 win, but the next night back on home ice they fell 3-2 in overtime.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev

Quite possibly the biggest fan favorite player in Muskegon over the past two seasons, Gadzhiev was added to the Lumberjacks just over the halfway point of the 2023-2024 regular season. Originally born in Makhachkala, RUS he moved to Slovakia at a young age, and has been a member of the Slovakian National team at the Under-20 level the past 2 seasons.

Now in his second season as a Lumberjack, Gadzhiev is one of the top netminders in the USHL. His 6 wins, 2.20 goals against average, .915 save percentage, and 2 shutouts are all top 10 in the league. His running mate this season Stephen Peck has been just as electrifying in the crease for Muskegon. The duo has helped the Jacks to the best goals against average in the USHL. At the end of the 2023-24 season Gadzhiev announced his commitment to play NCAA Division I hockey in the CCHA at Michigan Tech University.

Over the Airwaves

Every Lumberjacks game can be found on the official live stream partner of the USHL, FloHockey with Voice of the 'Jacks Ezra Gennello. Fans can also join Ezra on the free radio feed on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr. All Lumberjacks broadcasts are presented by Lakeside Surfaces.

30 minutes to puck drop every game day the Lumberjacks Hockey Network Pregame Show takes place on Facebook Live.

Upcoming Games

Fri. November 22 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Sioux Falls

Sat. November 23 | 6:00 pm ET | vs Sioux Falls

Fri. November 29 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Dubuque

Sat. November 30 | 6:00 pm ET | vs. Dubuque

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from November 21, 2024


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