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Muskegon Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks Log: McKenzie Takes Charge

January 19, 2012 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, Mich. (January 19, 2012) - New Muskegon Lumberjacks Head Coach Jim McKenzie played 15 seasons in the NHL, so a midseason coaching change is not a foreign concept to him.

Rather, the 42-year-old native of Saskatchewan knows that a switch like this is common in a results-oriented business like sports, and he's ready for the challenge of taking over a team midstream.

"My focus is on getting these guys ready to play," said McKenzie, who won a Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils. "I've tried not to change too much right away, because a lot of what they were doing was working. They've had some success this season and I want to help them build on that."

The past few days have been eventful for McKenzie, as he was officially named to the position Friday morning and arrived in Muskegon over the weekend. He observed practice Monday before getting into instruction Tuesday.

"The starting point for us has to be defending our own net," he said. "We start from our end and if everybody supports each other, we will have success from that. It's about working together and taking care of business in some of the tough areas on the ice."

McKenzie has not been afraid to lean on a reliable support group in Assistant Coaches Dave Noel-Bernier and Steve Palmer, as well as newly-appointed Senior Advisor Ron Mason.

"It's been great to have [Noel-Bernier and Palmer] to throw ideas around and help me get familiar with the players quickly," McKenzie said. "And Ron is just awesome. He's a phenomenal sounding board and can attack an issue from so many different ways. The amount of hockey he knows is incredible."

McKenzie's experience at the game's highest level gives him instant credibility in the Lumberjacks dressing room, especially among players who seek to make a career of the sport they love to play.

"Nothing comes easy in this game," said the Jacks' new bench boss. "The guys like Sidney Crosby, Pavel Datsyuk, Zach Parise and Jonathan Toews put in the work year round to get where they are. You have to learn to overcome obstacles if you want to succeed."

The Lumberjacks (9-16-2, 20 points) will seek their first win of 2012 as they welcome the National Team Development Program (14-11-3, 31 points) to L.C. Walker Arena Friday and Saturday. Both games start at 7:15 p.m.

The Meijer Pregame Show begins 30 minutes prior to every opening faceoff on the radio home of your Lumberjacks, 92.5 The Outlaw (925fmtheoutlaw.com). Voice of the Jacks Matt Gajtka will have the play-by-play, with Muskegon legend Ron Stephenson providing color analysis.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Friday, January 20 vs. U.S. NATIONAL TEAM at 7:15 p.m. - Dollar Beer & Hot Dog Night presented by John Morrell / Offer applies from 6-8 p.m.

Saturday, January 21 vs. U.S. NATIONAL TEAM at 7:15 p.m. - Jacks Fight Cancer Night / Visit muskegonlumberjacks.com to find out how to participate as the Lumberjacks team with Mercy Health and the Johnson Family Cancer Center.

**Tuesday, January 24 - USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game featuring the 40 best USHL prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft! Call 724-JACK for tickets and information.

Saturday, January 28 vs. INDIANA at 7:15 p.m. - Bonus Hockey! / A scheduling conflict in Indiana moved this game to Muskegon; it was originally slated as a road contest.

Sunday, January 29 vs. DUBUQUE at 5:15 p.m. - The defending Clark Cup champions come to town for a special start time on the last Sunday game of the regular season.

JACKS FACTS

The addition of Mason to the Lumberjacks' hockey operations staff brings an NCAA counterbalance to McKenzie's NHL credentials. The winningest coach in men's college hockey history, Mason is best known for his 23-year stint at Michigan State, where his teams qualified for the NCAA tournament 21 times and won a national title in 1986. He is the grandfather of Jacks defenseman Travis Walsh, who is committed to MSU. Ontario-born forward and University of Maine recruit Ryan Lomberg has quietly put together a four-game point streak, the team's second-longest of the season. Lomberg scored in two straight mid-December games before missing four in a row due to injury, but the rookie picked up where he left off last weekend, earning an assist Friday and his fifth goal Saturday. Lomberg's 14 points put him third on the Lumberjacks. Although Muskegon is in the midst of a six-game winless streak (0-4-2), the offense woke up last weekend with seven combined goals against Des Moines and Green Bay. That's the most the Jacks have scored in back-to-back games since Dec. 2-3, when they split a pair with Youngtown at L.C. Walker Arena.

SCOUTING REPORT:

NATIONAL NOTES

The NTDP is a single entity in the USHL standings, but it consists of two different squads. The Lumberjacks fell 3-2 to the Under-18 team Dec. 17 in Ann Arbor, but this will be Muskegon's first crack at the Under-17s, who have an 8-6-2 record in USHL play after sweeping Youngstown in a pair of games last weekend. The U-17s have been busy, playing 30 games so far this season and posting an 18-9-3 record overall including international competitions. The National Team won the Four Nations Cup in November, going 4-0-0 along the way, but they fell to Russia in the final of the World Under-17 Challenge Jan. 4. J.T. Compher leads the U-17s with 33 points (14 G, 19 A) in 30 games, with Tyler Motte close behind at 28 points; Motte paces the way in USHL play, however, with 17 points, four more than Compher. Tyler Kelleher is on a three-game point streak and goaltender Hunter Miska has won his last three USHL starts.

FOLLOW THE JACKS ALL SEASON

92.5 FM The Outlaw is the exclusive radio home of your Muskegon Lumberjacks! Listen over the air or check out the action streaming online at 925fmtheoutlaw.com as Voice of the Jacks Matt Gajtka has the play-by-play. The USHL is also partnering with FastHockey.com to provide video coverage of all league games this season; go to ushl.fasthockey.com to sign up and watch!

TALKIN' HOCKEY

JackSixty presented by Cinema Carousel is a weekly hour-long talk show devoted to your Muskegon Lumberjacks every Tuesday night from 6-7 p.m. at Hennessy's Irish Pub & Restaurant. Located at the corner of Jefferson and Clay Streets in the heart of Muskegon, Hennessy's plays host as Gajtka talks hockey with Lumberjacks coaches, players and other featured guests on 98.3 FM WLCS!

THE SOCIAL NETWORKS

Never go hungry for Jacks news: "Like" the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Facebook and follow "@MuskegonJacks" on Twitter to stay plugged into the Jacks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, find the Jacks' exclusive YouTube channel at youtube.com/MuskegonJacks!

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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