Sports stats



USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Muskegon Accommodates Cedar Rapids for a Trio of Contests

December 1, 2021 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, Mich. - The Muskegon Lumberjacks will welcome the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders to Mercy Health Arena on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Dec. 3 through Dec. 5 for a trio of games in downtown Muskegon. Friday's and Saturday's games will start at 7:10 pm EST, with Sunday's matinee matchup beginning at 4:00 pm EST. This week will mark the first time Muskegon is playing in a three-game, back-to-back-to-back game weekend this season. Simultaneously, this will also become the first time the Lumberjacks take the ice against Cedar Rapids since Jan. 17-18, 2020 as the RoughRiders opted out of the 2020-21 season due to arena damage after an August derecho storm pummelled their home facility, ImOn Ice Arena.

Welcome to Ridertown, USA

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are currently one spot ahead of Muskegon in the Eastern Conference standings, with an overall record of 9-7-0-0 and 18 points, which is good for a tie with Youngstown for fourth place. Last weekend, Cedar Rapids swept their weekend series over the Waterloo Black Hawks, defeating them 3-to-2 in overtime on Thanksgiving before beating the Hawks 5-to-3 on Saturday. Like Muskegon, the Riders have an NHL prospect on their roster, that being Robert Flinton, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning #211 overall in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Leading the way for Cedar Rapids is forward Cole Burtch who currently leads the team in goals, assists, and points with a stat line of nine goals and eight assists for 17 points. Adam Flammang is also another player to watch out for as he has amassed eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 16 games played. On the backend, Travis Shoudy leads team defensemen in goals, assists, and points, having scored one goal and seven assists for eight points this year in 16 appearances. Brendan Fitzgerald is right behind Shoudy with a goal and five assists for six points as well. In the crease, Connor Hasley has become the RoughRiders' number one netminder this season. In 12 appearances this season, Hasley has a 6-5-0 record, with a 2.91 GAA and a .892 save percentage. The North Tonawanda, N.Y. native is committed to playing at Bentley University.

About Last Weekend

The Lumberjacks extended their winning streak to four games after blanking Team USA U17 by a final score of 5-to-0 on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Quinn Hutson scored a pair of goals with other lamplighters coming from Emil Jarventie, Joey Larson, and Benny Barnes for his first career USHL goal. Platon Zadorozhnny earned his first career shutout with 20 saves in the win. The winning streak would be snapped by the Madison Capitols on Friday, Nov. 26 as the Jacks were trounced 7-to-3 on home ice. Noah Ellis, Phil Tresca, and Jack Williams each had a goal in the loss. But Muskegon would get back into the win column the following night in a 5-to-4 barn burner victory over the Capitols. Hutson and Larson each netted two goals, with Strinden in between. With the three-game week, the Lumberjacks deposited four points to stay in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 17 points, and an overall record of 7-8-1-2. This sets up a critical series this weekend as Muskegon sits just one point behind both Cedar Rapids and Youngstown in the standings.

Forward of the Week

A five-point night and seven-point week propelled Hutson to his first career Forward of the Week award. The Boston University commit registered a pair of goals during a 5-0 Wednesday night win over the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). Later that week, Hutson factored into every goal in a 5-to-4 win Saturday night. The Chicago, Ill. native assisted on a pair of first-period goals before scoring twice in the second period to open up a 4-to-0 lead before picking up a primary assist on the eventual game-winning goal in the third period. This season, Hutson has recorded 21 points (11-10-21) in 18 games after nearly a point-per-game production last season that saw the second-year forward collect 42 points (16-26-42) in 45 games. The future Terrier's five-point Saturday night was a career-high, topping his previous best of three points in five different games. Hutson now has points in four of his last five games (5-6-11). Hutson becomes the third Lumberjack this season to win a weekly award after Jake Braccini was named USHL Forward of the Week seven days ago for Week 9 and Jacob Guevin was tabbed USHL Defenseman of the Week after his stellar performance in Week 6.

College Committments

The Muskegon Lumberjacks have announced that forward Jake Braccini has committed to the University of St. Thomas. The Hanover, Minn. native will become the first Lumberjacks to take his talents to St. Paul in the revamped Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Braccini, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound forward has appeared in 15 games with the Lumberjacks this season, totaling four goals and six assists for 10 points since being traded from the Fargo Force. While in Fargo, Braccini amassed 17 goals and 21 assists for 27 points in 56 games with the Force before arriving in Muskegon. The St. Thomas Tommies are the newest institution into NCAA Division I college hockey, with their entire athletic department transitioning to the Division I level. Enrico Blasi, a 20-year veteran head coach, was hired to be lead the Tommies in the new era Division I era.

Upcoming Theme Nights - Teddy Bear Toss/Margaritaville/Princess & Hero Night

Teddy Bear Toss is back on Friday, Dec. 3! When the Jacks score their first goal against Cedar Rapids, fans are welcome to throw teddy bears onto the ice! Those bears will be collected and donated to local charities. Come for a good cause, stay for a good time! The following night on Saturday, Dec. 4, it's Margaritaville night! Hawaiian shirts, flip flops, and beach balls will help us escape to paradise as Muskegon is transformed into Margaritaville! Feel the beach breeze as the Jacks take the ice in special Margaritaville jerseys which will be auctioned off after the game. Plus, live music during intermission! Finally, on Sunday's matinee matchup, it's Princess and Hero Night! Calling all princesses and heroes! The kiddos won't want to miss this one, as our concourse will be flooded with everybody's favorite princesses and superheroes! 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 Watch List

On Tuesday, Oct. 19, National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting released their preliminary watch list for the upcoming 2022 NHL Entry Draft. In all, six current and three future Jacks made the list. Current Lumberjacks include defensemen Tyler Dunbar, Jacob Guevin, and Jeremiah Slavin; forwards Owen Mehlenbacher and Ethan Whitcomb; and goaltender Cameron Korpi. In addition to the original six, three affiliates were named to the watch list, those being Michael Callow, Matthew Morden, and George Fegaras. The Lumberjacks also boast 12 players eligible to be selected in this year's NHL Entry Draft which will take place from July 7 through July 9 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Jacks in the NHL Draft

The Jacks boast an NHL draft pick to the roster with defenseman Noah Ellis. Committed to play at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Ellis was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights No. 184 overall in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. The Urbandale, Iowa native appeared in 40 games with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers during the fi2020-21 season, totaling five goals and 12 assists for 17 points.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from December 1, 2021


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



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central