USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Phantoms Bounce Back to Double up Jacks

Published on December 3, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, Mich. (December 3, 2011) - The opponent was the same but the results were different Saturday night at L.C. Walker Arena, as the Youngstown Phantoms bounced back with a 4-2 win over the Muskegon Lumberjacks to split a two-game weekend series.

Travis Belohrad scored first for the Jacks (8-10-0, 16 points), who slammed Youngstown 5-0 Friday night, but the Phantoms scored the next three goals to grab control. Tyler Murray's first USHL tally with 12:47 left in the game drew Muskegon back within one, but that's as close as the home side would get.

Youngstown defenseman Eric Sweetman's first of the season iced the contest with 4:37 to play. Third-year center Dylan Margonari assisted on the Phantoms' first and last goals, making him the night's leading scorer.

Muskegon goaltender John Keeney faced 40-plus shots for the second straight night, but his 38-save performance wasn't enough to prevent the Lumberjacks from dropping their first game of the season to the Phantoms (13-6-1, 27 points), who have now won five of seven.

Max Shuart, Lance Fredrickson and Nick Seeler all earned assists, giving each of them points in back-to-back games.

Belohrad wasted no time in extending his point streak to four with his seventh goal of the season 9:46 into the first period. Shuart stole an attempted clearing pass by the Phantoms and whipped a wrister on goal that Sean Romeo stopped, but the puck settled in the low slot where Belohrad pounced on it.

Unlike Friday night, the Jacks were unable to carry that lead into the first intermission, as Todd Koritzinsky pumped in a one-timer from close range off a pass from Margonari with 3:22 left. Margonari whirled behind the net after his shot was blocked and centered quickly for the equalizer.

The Phantoms grabbed their first lead of the night with 6:28 remaining in the second when J.T. Stenglein connected from the slot for his team-leading 10th of the season and his eighth in nine games. Mike Ambrosia set him up during a counterattack with a pass from the left circle.

Defenseman Chris Bradley increased Youngstown's lead to two nearly seven minutes into the third, as his long-range slap shot rattled off Keeney's right arm and barely rolled over the goal line.

Murray's goal just 29 seconds later led the Phantoms know it wasn't going to be a smooth ride home. The rookie forward shoveled in his first league goal following Seeler's point drive that got redirected between the circles.

The Jacks turned up the pressure over the next several minutes, but were unable to squeeze a third goal past Romeo, and when Sweetman's wrister bounced off a skate and under Keeney's pads, the Phantoms had locked up their first win of the season against Muskegon.

The Lumberjacks were outshot 42-19 for the game, giving them a record of 3-6-0 when their opponent puts more rubber on goal.

The Jacks finish a three-game homestand next Saturday against the Omaha Lancers at 7:15 p.m. 107 MUS presents Teddy Bear Toss as every fan bringing a stuffed toy will receive discounted admission ($10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors), with kids 12 and under receiving a free ticket. All contributions go to local Head Start classrooms and Toys For Tots.

Call the L.C. Walker Arena box office at 231.724.JACK(5225) for Lumberjacks tickets and information, or visit startickets.com or go to your local Meijer.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2011


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