Lumberjacks Advance to Eastern Conference Semifinals, Clash with Dubuque in Best-Of-Three Series

April 27, 2022 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The #3 Muskegon Lumberjacks have advanced to the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals where they will rendezvous with the #2 Dubuque Fighting Saints in a best-of-three, second-round playoff series. Game 1 is slated for Friday, April 29, 2022, from Mercy Health Arena in downtown Muskegon. Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) will take place at Mystique Community Ice Arena in Dubuque, Iowa, both at 8:05 pm EDT. This will become the fifth time in Lumberjacks history these two teams meet in the postseason and the first matchup since 2018-19 in which Muskegon knocked out Dubuque to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Head-to-head this year in the regular season, the Lumberjacks won the regular-season series against the Saints, going 4-2-1-0 against Dubuque.

Fighting the Saints

The Dubuque Fighting Saints come into the 2022 Clark Cup Playoffs as the number two seed, falling just two points short of Chicago for first place in the Eastern Conference. In 62 games this year, the Saints put up an overall record of 40-16-3-3 for 86 points. Coming into the postseason, Dubuque was the USHL's hottest team, going 8-1-1-0 in their previous 10 contests. Three NHL draft picks are housed in Dubuque, those being Jackson Hallum (Vegas Golden Knights, 2020, 3rd round, #91), Samuel Sjolund (2019 Dallas Stars, 4th round, #111 overall), and goaltender Philip Svedback (2021 Boston Bruins, 4th round, #117 overall) as the only players drafted in the NHL on the Fighting Saints roster. In the regular season, Stephen Halliday led the way up front as he not only led the team in goals, assists, and points but finished number two in the entire league in points with a stat line of 35-60-95 in all 62 games played. Connor Kurth shared the team lead in goals with 35 lamplighters to go along with 46 assists for 81 points. Hallum ranks third in scoring after amassing 29 goals and 41 assists for 70 points. Rounding out the lethal Dubuque offense are Kenny Connors, Ryan Beck, and Tristan Lemrye. On the backend, the Saints saw consistent offensive production from Sjolund, who led team defensemen in points with nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points. In the blue paint, Dubuque employs a tandem pair of Paxton Geisel and Philip Svedback for goaltenders. Geisel went 25-9-1-2 in the regular season with a 2.95 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Svedback, on the other hand, posted a 15-7-2-1 record, a 3.13 GAA, and a .897 save percentage.

Survive and Advance

After bulldozing the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Monday and Tuesday, the Lumberjacks delivered the final knockout punch to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, eliminating them from the 2022 Clark Cup Playoffs and advancing themselves to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Game 1 saw the Jacks score a touchdown, routing the Riders in a 6-to-0 win. Goaltender Chase Clark stopped all 31 shots he faced en route to a shutout, Owen Mehlenbacher potted one-third of the Muskegon goals, and defenseman Noah Ellis picked up three points. Tuesday's Game 2 was almost déjà vu, with Muskegon putting up another six-pack in the 6-to-1 win. Clark stood tall for the second consecutive night, stopping 33 pucks on 34 shots. Joey Larson put up a three-point effort, with Nathan McBrayer and Jake Richard each netting their first career playoff goals. In total, the Lumberjacks outscored the RoughRiders by a two-game total of 12-to-1, outshot the opposition 77-to-65, and were nearly perfect on the special teams.

Special Teams are Special

By the end of the regular season, Muskegon's power play rose up to number four in the league. In the playoffs, the Jacks have the best power play in the league operating at 75 percent after going three-for-three on Monday's Game 1 matchup. In Game 2, Muskegon continued their red-hot power play by going three-for-five, which included scoring on a five-on-three, two-man advantage power play. Meanwhile, Muskegon's penalty kill remained perfect, going a stainless eight-for-eight in two games combined.

Good Defense Leads to Good Offense

Lumberjacks rearguard Noah Ellis had quite an impressive First Round series, coming away with two goals and an assist for three points. In the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights prospect scored eight goals and 25 assists from the blue line. Nathan McBrayer also picked up three points on one goal and two assists. The Ohio State commit put up two goals and 20 assists for 22 points in 61 regular-season games. Lastly, Jacob Guevin continues his season for the record book after notching a pair of points in the First Round series.

Brick Wall

Goaltender Chase Clark earned his first career shutout on Monday's Game 1 of the First Round series against Cedar Rapids, stopping all 31 shots he faced. The following night, Clark nearly collected his second consecutive shutout but was negated with only 1:24 left of regulation after Cedar Rapids's first and only goal of the playoffs. In two playoff games, the Washington Capitals prospect pushed away 64 shots total en route to a playoff series sweep and the right to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Fighting Saints.

Joe Show

In addition to suffocating and suppressing defense, the Lumberjacks received elite offensive production from forward Joey Larson with a total of six points in the two playoff games. The Brighton, Mich. native bagged a trio of helpers in each contest and currently leads all USHL skaters in points early on in the postseason. Larson, committed to Northern Michigan, lit up the league with 32 goals and 34 assists for 66 points in 61 regular-season games this year.

Series Schedule

The Muskegon Lumberjacks will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, April 29, 2022, at 7:00 pm EDT from Mercy Health Arena. Following a travel day, Dubuque will welcome the Jacks for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) on Monday, May 1, and Tuesday, May 2, respectively, with both facing off at 8:05 pm EDT. To purchase tickets for Friday's home playoff game, go to www.muskegonlumberjacks.com/playoffs2022 now!

Camp Dates Announced

The Muskegon Lumberjacks have announced their 2022 Camp Dates for the upcoming season. Registration is now open for the Prospect 07-08 Camp, which runs from May 27-29, 2022 at Mercy Health Arena in downtown Muskegon. Goalie camp is scheduled for June 4-5, 2022, at the Lakeshore Sports Centre. Main Camp, which includes free agents and prospects, will run June 9-11, with Final Main Camp on June 12-15, both at Mercy Health Arena. For more information, visit muskegonlumberjacks.com/camps2022.

Over the Airwaves

All Muskegon Lumberjacks Clark Cup Playoff games, both home and away, will be broadcast live on HockeyTV (Video, paid subscription) on Mixlr (Audio, free of charge) with Lumberjacks play-by-play broadcaster Ryan Vallon.

NHL Central Scouting Rankings

On Wednesday, Jan. 12, National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting released their mid-season rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL Entry Draft. In all, four current and three future Jacks made the list. Current Lumberjacks include defensemen Tyler Dunbar (No. 105), Jacob Guevin (No. 176), Jeremiah Slavin (No.194), and goaltender Platon Zadorozhnyy (No. 24). In addition, three affiliates were named to the watch list, those being George Fegaras (No. 91), Michael Callow (No. 162), and Matthew Morden (No. 223). The 2022 NHL Draft is scheduled from July 7-8, 2022, and will be hosted by the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Muskegon Lumberjacks forward Owen Mehlenbacher (right) vs. the Dubuque Fighting Saints

United States Hockey League Stories from April 27, 2022

• USHL Announces Clark Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals Matchups and Information - USHL
• Former Gamblers Player McCadden Added as Assistant Coach - Green Bay Gamblers
• Lumberjacks Advance to Eastern Conference Semifinals, Clash with Dubuque in Best-Of-Three Series - Muskegon Lumberjacks
• Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview - Chicago Steel
• Stars Lose Game 2 - Lincoln Stars
• Down Goes Fargo, the Lancers Are Moving On - Omaha Lancers
• Caps Sweep Phantoms in Round One to Advance to Eastern Conference Semis - Madison Capitols
• Phantoms Bow out of Clark Cup Playoffs with 5-3 Loss to Madison - Youngstown Phantoms

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Muskegon Lumberjacks Stories

• Lumberjacks Announce Additions to Hockey and Business Staffs
• Lumberjacks Add Skilled Forward, Melvin Novotny
• USNTDP Standout Jake Stuart Commits to Muskegon
• St. Clair Named Seventh Head Coach in Lumberjacks History
• Burgess Departs Muskegon as Clark Cup Champion