Stefanek Nets Pair in USHL Debut Helping Jacks to 7-2 Win over 17's
October 18, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
PLYMOUTH, MI - It's never fun to start the year on the Injured Reserve, but for Chase Stefanek (Yorba Linda, CA) it was the return to the lineup that meant more. A pair of goals in his USHL helped the Muskegon Lumberjacks (3-2-2-1, 9pts.) pick up a commanding 7-2 win over the USNTDP Under-17 Team (3-4-0-0, 6pts.).
No one was able to find the back of the net in the first period as both goalies defended their goals to perfection in the first frame. The same couldn't be said for the second period when the Jacks found the back of the net four times.
Scoring was opened at the 3:07 mark of the frame on the back of Kurt Gurkan's (Darien, CT) first career USHL goal. Stefanek carried the puck from the corner in the far side of the ice up the wall before cutting in towards the slot at the hash marks. Stefanek fired a shot off the near side pad producing a rebound at the top of the crease for Gurkan to bury.
Four minutes later the Jacks struck again. This time it was a couple of familiar names on the scoresheet combining for the goal. Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) carried the puck into the offensive zone up the near side wall. As he cut across the front of the crease the puck was turned aside by the goalie, but Jack Galanek (Hopkinton, MA) followed up to bang the puck to the back of the net. The duo entered the game tied for the team lead in points with 5, but Lawrence's two-point performance gives him sole possession with 7 points.
It only took two minutes of game time for the Jacks to extend the lead to 3-0. At the 9:24 mark, newcomer Luka Radivojevic (Trencin, SK) picked up the puck in the high slot after an NTDP defenseman blocked a shot. Radivojevic fired another shot producing a rebound in the middle of the ice for Stefanek to bury for his first career goal in the USHL, and second point of the night.
At the 17:41 point of the period the Jacks found themselves on a power play. Lawrence's second assist of the game came when he found Teddy Spitznagel (Bloomfield Hills, MI) in the middle of the ice. Spitznagel ripped a shot off the goalie's blocker and into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.
Before the end of the frame the NTDP struck to make it a 4-1 game heading into the second intermission. The goal came from JP Hurlbert. His third of the season thanks to an assist from Jamie Glance with just 1:21 left to go in the period.
The third period started in a similar manner to the second with a trio of goals scored straight by Muskegon. The first one came at 7:19. It was the Radivojevic, Stefanek combination again. This time around Radivojevic's shot from the blue line was redirected by Stefanek to beat the goalie for his second goal, third point of the night.
Moments later at the 9:53 mark David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) got in on the scoring action finishing a 2-on-1 give-and-go passing play with Vaclav Nestrasil (Praha, CZE). For Klee the goal marks his third straight game finding the back of the net dating back to last week's trip to Waterloo and Des Moines.
Casey Mutryn added a goal for the NTDP at the 10:35 when he forced a turnover deep in the Muskegon zone and used the quick opportunity to find the back of the net for his first goal in the USHL, but it wasn't enough to start a comeback.
One more goal came for the Jacks at the 11:43 mark. Back on the power play Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) fired a shot from the blue line that was redirected off the stick of Bauer Berry (Grand Forks, ND). Despite the initial opportunity being turned aside, Berry found his own rebound and tapped it to the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS) (3-1-1-0) earned the win for the Jacks with 25 save son 27 shots against and keeps his strong play to start the season going. His save percentage now sits at .931 with a 1.98 goals against average. Luke Carrithers (0-2-0-0) earned the loss on his record despite making 35 saves on 41 shots sent his way by the Jacks.
Tomorrow, Saturday night the Jacks and NTDP Under-17 Team close the two game weekend series with a game at 7 p.m. at USA Hockey Arena. Catch the action on USA Hockey TV with voice of the program Pete Krupsky or on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr with voice of the Jacks Ezra Gennello.
The Pregame show on Facebook Live starts 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. on the Lumberjacks official Facebook Page.
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