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Muskegon Lumberjacks

Muskegon Invades Youngstown for a Pair of Road Contests

February 16, 2022 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, Mich. - The Muskegon Lumberjacks are set to hit the road for a pair of away matchups with the Youngstown Phantoms on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19, respectively. Both games will have puck drop starting at 7:05 pm EST from the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. This series will mark the sixth and seventh meeting, respectively, between these two teams, with the Lumberjacks claiming the last matchup in a 4-to-0 shutout at home on Jan. 22. Additionally, the Lumberjacks are 3-1-1-0 in head-to-head matchups with the Phantoms this season.

Phantom Thread

The Youngstown Phantoms enter this weekend nine points behind the Lumberjacks in the Eastern Conference standings with an overall record of 17-13-4-3, good for fifth place in the standings with 41 points. Youngstown has been on fire since the new year, winning seven out of their last 11 games, including a victory over the Lumberjacks and a 3-to-1 stunner over the Chicago Steel in mid-January. Most recently, the Phantoms took out their brooms after sweeping the Green Bay Gamblers in 3-to-2 and 5-to-2 games, respectively. Y-Town exhibits a trio of NHL draft picks, those being Tomas Machu, who was selected by the New York Islanders #221 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Stiven Sardarian, a Buffalo Sabres prospect taken #88 overall in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and Shane LaChance, who the Edmonton Oilers drafted #186 overall in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Adam Ingram currently leads the team in goals, assists, and points with a stat line of 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points. Jaden Grant, the Bowling Green commit, is second on the team in points, having scored 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points. Charlie Lurie, recently acquired by the Phantoms via trade from the Fargo Force, has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points through 36 games. On defense, Trey Taylor leads team defensemen in goals, assists, and points, having potted seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points in 35 games this year. In between the pipes, Kyle Chauvette remains Youngstown's ace with a record of 12-7-3-2 in 25 games played, a 2.96 GAA, and a .905 save percentage.

About Last Weekend

The Jacks had their hands occupied last weekend when they welcomed the Madison Capitols for a two-game weekend series, ultimately splitting the series after dropping the first contest in a 7-to-3 defeat. With the defeat, Muskegon's 13-game point streak comes to an end, setting the franchise record for most consecutive games with earning at least one standings point. The following night on Saturday, Muskegon responded with a 4-to-3 victory, which included defenseman Jacob Napier scoring his first career goal in a Lumberjacks uniform. Phil Tresca also added a shorthanded goal, putting the team total to eight shorthanded goals, tied for the most in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers. With the split, Muskegon is now deadlocked in a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference standings with the Chicago Steel, an overall record of 23-11-3-3, and 52 points.

Half a Hundo

With an assist on Friday, Feb. 11, forward Quinn Hutson hit the 50-point mark, becoming the first Lumberjack to score 50 points this season. In his two seasons with the Lumberjacks, Hutson has amassed 38 goals and 54 assists for 92 points in 83 games played. Last year, Danil Gushchin (64 points), Cameron Berg (58 points), and Christophe Tellier (54 points) all surpassed the half-century mark. Hutson now becomes the fourth Muskegon player in the last two seasons to score at least 50 points in a single season.

First of Many

On Saturday, Feb. 12, defenseman Jacob Napier potted his first career goal after a clapper zipped through the goaltending paraphernalia of Madison netminder Simon Latkoczy. A native of Lancaster, N.Y., Napier punched his name on the goal-scoring sheet for the first time in his first season in the USHL. No stranger to scoring goals from the blue line, the Western Michigan Unversity commit racked up 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in 42 games with Northstar Christian Academy in the 2020-21 season before getting drafted by the Lumberjacks 12th overall in the first round of the 2021 USHL draft.

Eyes on the Century Men

Three current Lumberjacks have played at least 100 career USHL games, those being captain Jack Williams (146 games), Noah Ellis (134 games), and Tyler Dunbar (119 games). On the radar for 100 career games are Jacob Guevin (97 games), Jake Braccini (93 games), and Quinn Hutson (83 games), all of whom are due to hit the century mark this season. In addition to games played, Jack Williams (95 career points) and Quinn Hutson (92 career points) only need five and eight more points, respectively, to hit triple digits. If they accomplish that feat, Williams and Hutson would become the seventh and eighth Lumberjack, respectively, to score at least 100 career points in team history.

Upcoming Theme Nights - Fury Night/Mardis Gras Night

On Friday, Feb. 25, join us in honoring hockey history in Muskegon during Fury Night! From 1992 to 2008, the Fury saw great success in Muskegon, bringing home four league championships. Mingle with former Fury players while enjoying some Lumberjacks hockey! Plus, the Jacks will take the ice in special Fury-themed jerseys which are available for auction after the game. Then on Saturday, Feb. 26, it's Mardi Gras Night! Mercy Health Arena is turning into Bourbon Street for one night only! Come in costume, be sure to remember your beads, and enjoy live music from the one and only Billy Ryan! 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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