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USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Klee & Co. Power Jacks To Weekend Sweep Over Phantoms. Win 5-3 Saturday Night

December 7, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - Over the past two weeks, Lumberjacks Captain David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) has amounted 10 points in the previous 3 games. Another 3-point performance tonight helped the Muskegon Lumberjacks (15-5-2-1, 33 pts.) not only defeat the Youngstown Phantoms (14-9-0-0, 28 pts.) 5-3, but also sweep the Phantoms in the two-game series.

Klee got the Jacks on the board with the only goal of the first period at the 11:07 mark of the frame. Barrett Dexheimer (Edina, MN) played the puck up the near side of the ice to David Deputy (Gurnee, IL) at the Youngstown blue line. Deputy carried the puck into the offensive zone and rather than throwing it towards the net waited for Klee to enter the zone and fired a pass across the zone to him. Klee used a quick release wrist shot to beat the goalie and make it 1-0 Jacks.

In the second period it only took the Jacks :45 seconds to find the back of the net again. This time Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) was the beneficiary of a pass from Deputy. Lawrence got the puck from his newest teammate on the far side of the ice and worked into the offensive zone by chipping the puck by a Youngstown defenseman. With some new found separation between him and the near side defender Lawrence beat the goalie with a snap shot under the blocker for his 7th goal of the season.

Keeping the game close, the Phantoms scored a pair of goals in quick succession to tie the game 2-2. The first goal came at the 13:13 mark of the frame from Jamison Sluys off a redirection at the top of the crease. Luke Santilli fired a shot from the blue line allowing Sluys to get a stick on it and direct it into the net.

Then, just a minute and a half later Michael Mesic redirected a shot to the back of the net. Carter Murphy took the initial shot before Mesic was able to do the same as Sluys and redirect it into the goal.

Before the end of the period the Jacks struck again to regain their lead 3-2 and carry it into the third period. Klee had his paws on the play again by carrying the puck into the offensive zone and dropping a pass for Jack Galanek (Hopkinton, MA). Keeping the puck just within his reach Galanek corralled it and ripped a shot to the back of the net for his 6th goal of the season.

A pair of goals for the Jacks in the third period helped lift the team to a 5-3 win and weekend series sweep over the Phantoms. The first goal came at the halfway point of the period from Vaclav Nestrasil (Praha, CZE). Klee centered the puck in the middle of the ice to Galanek who carried it to the near side corner of the Phantoms zone bringing a defenseman with him. With the tight coverage on Galanek in the corner there was plenty of space for Nestrasil in the slot so when he got a pass from Galanek he just turned and fired to the back of the net.

Evan Jardine capitalized on a late 5-on-3 power play for the Phantoms at the 16:28 mark, but an empty net goal from Nestrasil put the icing on the cake and the Jacks picked up the win.

Stephen Peck (New York, NY) (7-2-1-1) earned the win by making 33 saves on 36 shots sent his way. Melvin Strahl (11-6-0-0) started the game after playing on Friday night and surrendered the loss with 20 saves on 24 shots fired by the Jacks.

Next up for the Jacks is a game tomorrow afternoon against the Des Moines Buccaneers. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Trinity Health Arena. For tickets and broadcast information visit muskegonlumberjacks.com.

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