USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks Conclude 6-Game Homestand with Weekend Series against Green Bay

Published on March 23, 2022 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


Muskegon Lumberjacks forward David Hymovitch (right) vs. the Green Bay Gamblers
Muskegon Lumberjacks forward David Hymovitch (right) vs. the Green Bay Gamblers
(Muskegon Lumberjacks)

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The Muskegon Lumberjacks will put an end to their six-game homestand as they equip for a two-game weekend series against the Green Bay Gamblers on Friday and Saturday, March 25 and 26, respectively. Both matchups will start at 7:00 pm EDT from downtown Muskegon at Mercy Health Arena. Head-to-head, the Lumberjacks are 4-1-1-0, with the Lumberjacks most recently earning three-out-of-four possible points against the Gamblers back on Jan. 28 and 29, courtesy of a 5-to-4 win and a 5-to-4 overtime loss. After a weekend sweep of Dubuque, Muskegon currently has a two-game winning streak, while the Gamblers have lost their last two contests while going 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games, sitting just outside of a playoff spot.

Gambling Against Green Bay

The Green Bay Gamblers stumble into this weekend 15 points behind Muskegon in the Eastern Conference standings with 45 points and an overall record of 21-26-2-1, just outside of a playoff spot in seventh place in the standings. Most recently, the Gamblers were trounced by the Madison Capitols on March 19 and 20, getting blown out 7-to-3 on Friday and drubbed 8-to-3 the following night. What has made this year's Gamblers team interesting is the dismantlement and subsequent fire sale of top talent, trading away their leading scorer, Jackson Hallum, to Dubuque and their top-flight defenseman, Damien Carfagna, to the Sioux City Musketeers. This leaves Ryan Greene as the team's leading point scorer, potting 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points. Cameron Lund is another forward to watch out for as he has amassed 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points. Brody Lamb, a fourth-round draft choice by the NHL's New York Rangers currently has 31 points in 50 games. On the blueline, Jarod Crespo has filled in as Green Bay's number one defenseman with the departure of Carfagna, picking up eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points in 49 games. In between the pipes, Aaron Randazzo has continued to man the net as Green Bay's ace with an overall record of 12-17-1-1, a 3.65 GAA, and a .889 save percentage.

About Last Weekend

After hitting a bit of a slump, the Jacks have appeared to safely roll out of what could have been an uncontrolled tailspin after rebounding and responding with a weekend sweep over the Dubuque Fighting Saints last weekend. Friday's contest saw Lumberjacks captain Jack Williams not only score his 100th career USHL point, but knock home four points total in a 7-to-4 win. On the following night, it was another tight, close game, but a late power play goal from Owen Mehlenbacher lifted the Lumberjacks over the Saints in a 4-to-3 victory, giving Muskegon four total points in the standings and their second consecutive sweep over Dubuque. After shooting down the number one team in the Eastern Conference, the Jacks still remain in third place in the Eastern Conference standings with an overall record of 27-17-3-3 and 60 points, now seven points behind Dubuque (67 points, second place), 10 points behind Chicago (70 points, first place), but five in front of Youngstown (55 points, fourth place) and six ahead of Madison (50 points, fifth place).

Triple Digits Redux

After recording an assist last weekend against the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Lumberjacks captain Jack Williams collected his 100th career point, becoming the eighth player in franchise history to hit the century mark and the second player to hit triple digits this season alongside Quinn Hutson. The Northeastern University recruit didn't stop there, as Williams tacked on an additional four points in the weekend, bringing his career total to 104 points. In 156 games, all with the Lumberjacks, the Biddeford, Maine native has accrued 40 goals and 64 assists.

Record Tracker

After assisting three separate times last weekend, Lumberjacks defenseman Jacob Guevin (77 career assists) is now tied with former Lumberjack Daniil Gushchin (77 assists) for the franchise leader in career assists. Already having scored the most points by a defenseman in Lumberjacks history, Guevin needs one more assist to become the new assist leader. In addition, Lumberjacks forward Quinn Hutson (105 career points) is now fifth all-time in points in Muskegon Lumberjacks history. He sits just behind Mikael Hakkarainen (107 career points), Collin Adams (112 career points), Matej Paulovic (119 career points), and Daniil Gushchin (147 career points) on the all-time leader list.

Eyes on the Century Men

Five current Lumberjacks have played at least 100 career USHL games, those being captain Jack Williams (156 games), Noah Ellis (144 games), Tyler Dunbar (129 games), Jacob Guevin (107 games), and Jake Braccini (103 games). On the radar for 100 career games are Phil Tresca (94 games), Quinn Hutson (93 games), and Owen Mehlenbacher (91 games), all of whom are due to hit the century mark this season. In addition to games played, Quinn Hutson (105 points) and Jack Williams (104 points) recently became the seventh and eighth players in franchise history, respectively, to score at least 100 career points.

Upcoming Theme Nights - Everything Jacks Night/Jacks Fight Cancer

On Friday, March 25, it's Everything Jacks Night, presented by 13 On Your Side!. This night is all about the Lumberjacks, including appearances from the Jr. Lumberjacks and the Reading Caravan. Also, the Lakeshore Junior Lumberjacks will be announcing some big news, that you don't want to miss! Then on Saturday, March 26, players will skate in honor of loved ones who are battling or have battled cancer for Jacks Fight Cancer night. For more information, call the Muskegon Lumberjacks Business office at (231)-799-7000 or email afranczek@muskegonlumberjacks.com.

Over the Airwaves

For live video streams, all Muskegon Lumberjacks games will be broadcast on HockeyTV (Video). Additionally, all home games and select away games will be streamed on Mixlr (Audio) for free.

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.

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Images from this story

Muskegon Lumberjacks forward David Hymovitch (right) vs. the Green Bay Gamblers
Muskegon Lumberjacks forward David Hymovitch (right) vs. the Green Bay Gamblers
   



United States Hockey League Stories from March 23, 2022


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