Turnovers Prove Costly in Home Opener. Jacks Fall 5-4 to Steel
October 25, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
MUSKEGON, MI - For the first time in the 2024-25 season the Muskegon Lumberjacks (4-2-3-1, 11 pts.) took to the ice at Trinity Health Arena for a game against the Chicago Steel (5-7-0-0, 10 pts.) on Friday Night. Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) recorded a natural hat trick in the second period, but in the end, turnovers cost the Lumberjacks the game.
Chicago opened the scoring just 1:53 into the contest when Adam Valentini took the puck at the Steel blue line and led a 2-on-1 rush towards the Jacks zone. The puck was left at the middle of the blue line by a Jacks forward allowing Valentini an opportunity to take the puck down the ice uncontested and fire a shot to the back of the net. The Steel doubled up at the 12:01 mark after another turnover by the Jacks. This time it was Reid Conn who was the beneficiary of the goal with assists from Luke Goukler and Ben Yurchuk.
The second period belonged to Stewart. His first goal of the game came just 1:13 into the frame when Xavier Veilleux (L'Ancienne-Lorrette, QC, CAN) found him just outside the Chicago zone with a stretch pass from the Jacks end of the ice. Entering the offensive zone on the far side of the ice Stewart put the brakes on at the hash marks and created separation from the defenseman before firing a shot on goal. The original shot was blocked, but Stewart grabbed the rebound and chipped it to the back of the net.
Just over four minutes later at 5:56 Stewart added another goal on another rebound. This time Veilleux fired a shot from inside the nearside circle which produced a rebound on the far side of the net. Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) took the initial whack at the loose puck, but Stewart followed up by putting it in the back of the net to tie the game 2-2.
It took ten minutes for another goal to come, but when it did it was Stewart who scored for a natural hat trick in the second period. This one came unassisted as he got the puck off a Chicago defenseman in the middle of the slot. Again, the first shot was blocked, but Stewart banged home the rebound for his third goal and to give the Jacks a 3-2 lead heading into the third.
A pair of goals from the Steel helped the tie the game then take the lead. First, at 1:52 Chris Reiniger led a 2-on-0 rush into the offensive zone off the back of a Jacks turnover and chose to shoot the puck, He chose right to make the score 3-3. Then, at the 8:49 mark William Tomko added a power play goal assisted by Yurchuk and Reiniger to help the Steel to a 4-3 lead.
The captain delivered for the Jacks to tie the game late in regulation. Cameron Aucoin (Hinsdale, IL) gave the puck to Matthew Van Blaricom (Southey, SK, CAN) on the near side wall in the Jacks zone. Van Blaricom chipped the puck down the ice and onto the stick of David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) behind the Chicago defense. Klee then moved in on goal and went forehand, backhand before sliding the puck through the five hole and across the goal line.
At the 13:48 mark Goukler scored the game winner for Chicago thanks again to another Lumberjacks turnover. Goukler took the puck from the Chicago zone all the way down the ice on a breakaway and beat the netminder to give the Steel the eventual final score of 5-4.
Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS) (4-2-1-0) earned the loss on his record, but was hung out to dry in the losing effort. He ended up with 25 saves on 30 shots against. Louka Cloutier (3-3-0-0) earned the win with 36 saves on 40 shots for an even .900 save percentage.
The teams close the weekend series tomorrow night on the back end of the two-game set. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Trinity Health Arena. Tickets can be purchased at muskegonlumberjacks.com, and broadcasts of the game are available on FloHockey and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.
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