Sports stats



USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks Head East to Youngstown for Two Game Set

March 29, 2023 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Muskegon Lumberjacks will take on the Youngstown Phantoms this weekend for the final time this regular season. Still chasing the playoffs the Jacks are coming off a 2/3 week including a sweep over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders last weekend.

About Last Week

The Lumberjacks broke out the brooms last weekend against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Closing out the season series with Cedar Rapids the teams took to the ice at Trinity Health Arena on Friday and Saturday night. Game one saw a 4-2 Jacks win on the back of an impressive 36 save effort from Raythan Robbins. Game two brought much of the same including another 4-2 win for Muskegon. As if 36 saves wasn't enough Robbins upped his total to 39 on 41 shots on Saturday night.

Tuesday brought a trip to eastern Michigan and the USA Hockey Arena for the Lumberjacks. Last time in Plymouth the Jacks fell 10-0 to the Under-18s, and this time were looking to flip the script. Ethan Whitcomb scored in the first period to extend his goal streak to 3 straight games, but a pair of 4 goal periods through the first 40 minutes followed by two goals in the third gave the USNTDP the 10-1 win over Muskegon.

The Matchup

Youngstown leads the season series with 6 wins against the Lumberjacks in 8 games between the two teams. The first matchup came back on November 5th when the Phantoms came to Western Michigan for a single game. The final score was 4-2 in favor of the visitors though the Jacks lead in shots and were 1/2 on the power play. Next was a weekend series in Ohio that again saw the Phantoms come out on top. Friday night was a 2-1 overtime win for Youngstown which saw Sacha Boisvert score the Jacks lone Goal. Saturday had more goals for the Phantoms in a 5-1 win. Justin Solovey found the back of the net with Boisvert picking up an assist.

A matchup in mid January gave the Lumberjacks their first win of the series 3-1. Boisvert and Whitcomb scored while William Hughes added one for the Lumberjacks win on home ice. The second game of the weekend matchup fell the way of Youngstown by a final score of 1-0. Raythan Robbins stopped 33 of 34 shots in the losing effort.

A 7-3 Phantoms win closed out January and the teams met in early February for a pair of games at Trinity Health Arena. The Jacks picked up their second win of the series on Friday 5-4. Michael Callow scored twice while Ty Henricks and Ethan Fredericks scored in their early days as Lumberjacks. Saturday, the last time these two teams played was another 5-1 win for the Phantoms. Robbins had another strong performance stopping 36 of 40 shots against him.

Players to Watch

Sacha Boisvert has 35 points through 48 games this season, 7 of them have come against the Phantoms with 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games against Youngstown. Playing well as of late Boisvert's last goal was an overtime winner to lift Muskegon over the Dubuque Fighting Saints back on March 11th.

Ethan Whitcomb has scored in three straight games heading into this weekend. Tuesday's goal might have been a mute point in the 10-1 loss, but on Friday and Saturday Whitcomb played an integral part in the Muskegon wins over Cedar rapids. In 7 games against the Phantoms this season Whitcomb has 2 goals and an assist for 3 points.

Justin Solovey also has 3 points on 2 goals and an assist against the Phantoms this season, and has also been playing a quality brand of hockey as of late. While Solovey doesn't light up the score sheet he did score in both games this past weekend at Trinity Health Arena. The part of the game that Solovey thrives at is attacking on the fore check and imposing physical play on his opponents. Over the past three games he has been listed on a line with Ty Henricks and Nicholas Rexine. The trio has been one of the better lines for the Lumberjacks when it comes to causing turnovers in the offensive zone and controlling possession for extended periods of time.

Road to the Playoffs

Last weekend's sweep over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders helped the Lumberjacks in a huge way for their push to the playoffs. For starters, Cedar Rapids is the team between the Jacks and Clark Cup Playoffs. The four points not only brought the Muskegon point total to 51 on the year, but prevented the RoughRiders from gaining any points of their own. The gap is much closer this week at only 7 points between the two teams.

This weekend's matchup against the already clinched Phantoms provides an opportunity to pick up more points in the standings. Cedar Rapids meanwhile plays a home and home series against the struggling Madison Capitols on Friday and Saturday. Sunday brings a trip to Des Moines for a game between the Riders and Buccaneers to close out the weekend.

Dubuque is another team the Jacks are chasing in the playoff race, though they sit 9 points ahead of Muskegon in the standings. The teams play one more time this season next Thursday. The Fighting Saints take on Green Bay in a home and home series on Friday and Saturday.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2023


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.

OurSports Central