USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Klecha Leads the Way Again in Jacks Win

Published on October 30, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, Mich. - Another game, another two goals from Dakota Klecha and another win for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

The first-year forward from Taylor, Mich., recorded his third consecutive two-goal performance, helping the Lumberjacks rally from an early deficit for their second home victory in a row, 4-2 over the first-place Waterloo Blackhawks Sunday.

Klecha now has seven goals to lead Muskegon (3-5-0, 6 points), which swept the two-game weekend. The Jacks topped Chicago 5-1 to earn their first win at L.C. Walker Arena Saturday.

Jordan Masters and John Padulo also found the net, and Matt DeBlouw added two assists for the second time in two nights. Goaltender Paul Berrafato stopped 32 shots to outduel Waterloo counterpart Jay Williams and earn his third win of the season's opening month.

Muskegon hosts Eastern Conference foes Youngstown and Cedar Rapids next Friday and Saturday, respectively, as a four-game homestand comes to a close.

Waterloo (5-4-1, 11 points) had been 5-0-1 when scoring the first goal, and when Taylor Cammarata connected eight minutes into the game, the Black Hawks had to be entertaining thoughts of two straight road wins to finish the weekend. Waterloo won in Indiana Saturday night as part of a three-games-in-three-nights stretch.

The second period told a different story, with the teams combining for four goals in the opening 8:11, and the Jacks got three of them. Masters followed his own pass to the net and stashed a loose puck to tie the game 41 seconds into the second, the fastest Muskegon goal to start a period yet.

Two minutes later, Klecha took a sweet centering feed from DeBlouw and roofed a backhand shot over a prone Williams from close range to give the Jacks their first lead. Waterloo's Tyler Zepeda answered with a rebound goal at 4:14 to tie the game at 2, but the sudden flurry of goals wasn't over.

Klecha deked around and through a couple of Black Hawks in the right circle, then flipped his second goal of the game over Williams' blocker hand to put Muskegon back on top to stay.

Each side enjoyed extended 5-on-3 power plays early in the third, but the penalty killers came up huge to keep the game at a one-goal margin until the waning moments. The Lumberjacks killed all seven Black Hawks' power plays on the day and have now extinguished 10 in a row.

With 3:32 left in regulation, the Jacks got another two-man advantage. This time they connected, as Padulo ripped home the end-board carom of Ryan Bullock's center-point blast to clinch the victory.

Friday night at L.C. Walker Arena is the first Dollar Beer/Dollar Dog night of the season, presented by John Morrell. Lumberjacks fans can take advantage of this offer from 6-8 p.m. during every Friday home game! Call 231.724.5225 or visit startickets.com or your local Meijer for tickets and information.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks are proud members of the United States Hockey League, the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league and the leading producer of NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The Lumberjacks' organization prides itself on developing not just premier hockey talent, but also exceptional young men outside the arena of sports. For more information, visit muskegonlumberjacks.com.

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United States Hockey League Stories from October 30, 2011


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