Sunday Matinee Goaltending Duel Goes Other Way. Jacks Fall 2-0 to Youngstown.
USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Sunday Matinee Goaltending Duel Goes Other Way. Jacks Fall 2-0 to Youngstown.

Published on January 18, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - After a score fest on Saturday night with 8 goals and a shootout between the Muskegon Lumberjacks (24-10-0-1, 49 pts.) and the Youngstown Phantoms (27-8-2-1, 57 pts.) Sunday afternoon brought a goaltending duel. It took until the final 5 minutes of regulation for anyone to find the back of the net, but when someone did, they were wearing a white and purple jersey, leading to a 2-0 Phantoms win.

Physicality was a presence all game long, just as everyone expected, and the same rang true for the offense. Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) and Tobias Trejbal are statistically among the top netminders in the USHL, and they proved it in a low-scoring affair.

The first goal of the game didn't come until the 15:54 mark of the frame when Cooper Simpson caused a turnover behind the Lumberjacks goal and carried the puck up towards the far side circle. Simpson turned and fired a shot that beat Axelsson to make it 1-0. In the final 30 seconds of regulation, Youngstown doubled up with an empty net goal for Richard Zemlicka for the final score of 2-0.

Special teams-wise, neither team struck while on the man advantage. The penalty kills reigned supreme as the Jacks were 0/5 and the Phantoms were 0/2 on the power play.

Axelsson (18-6-0-0) stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced. Trejbal (19-5-2-0) earned his third shutout of the season by stopping all 25 shots he faced.

Next week, the Lumberjacks return to the Resch Center in Green Bay for the first and only time this season for games on Friday and Saturday night against the Gamblers. Catch the action on the official live stream partner of the Lumberjacks, FloHockey, and for free on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2026


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