DUBUQUE, Iowa (October 11th) – In another tight and gritty defensive battle, the Muskegon Lumberjacks’ offense could not help out their defense and goaltending as the Dubuque Fighting Saints tallied two special teams goals that proved to be the difference maker in the end. Dubuque would claim a 2-1 victory tonight to continue their perfect record against the Lumberjacks at the Mystique Community Ice Center.
The Fighting Saints (4-0-0, 8 points) tallied the game’s first goal of the night late in the first period at the 16:16 mark when Muskegon ran into some penalty trouble and Dubuque cashed in with a five-on-three power play goal from Phil Boje for his first of the season as his shot from the right point slid its way under Eric Schierhorn’s (2-2-0) right pad to give them a 1-0 lead. Keegan Ford and Shane Eiserman were credited with the assists.
Dubuque took that one-goal lead into the first intermission while outshooting Muskegon by a wide 17-6 margin.
The score held into the middle part of the second period when the Fighting Saints doubled their lead to 2-0 at the 11:45 mark with a shorthanded marker from Seamus Malone as his snapshot from the left faceoff circle snuck under Schierhorn’s left armpit and into the net. Karson Kuhlman had the lone helper on Dubuque’s second special teams tally of the night.
Muskegon outshot Dubuque during the middle frame, 10-4, but had nothing to show for it so far still trailing by a pair of goals going into the final 20 minutes.
Late in the third period, the Lumberjacks (4-2-0, 8 points) would cut the deficit in half to 2-1 with 4:53 remaining in regulation as Matt Iacopelli fired a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle and received a fortunate bounce as it hit Christian Frey’s (3-0-0) right shoulder and hopped over him into the net. The goal by Iacopelli was his first of the season and went unassisted.
The Lumberjacks pulled Eric Schierhorn for the extra attacker with just over a minute left in regulation, but could not come up with equalizer in the end.
Dubuque outshot Muskegon for the night, 31-25, and Christian Frey made 24 saves to earn his third victory in as many starts. Eric Schierhorn stopped 29 of 31 shots that he saw in the tough road loss. Five different players tallied a point for Dubuque in the win. The Lumberjacks fall to 0-10-2 all-time at the Mystique Ice Center.
The Lumberjacks will hit continue their two-game road trip with a game tomorrow night against the Green Bay Gamblers at 8:05 pm.
The following weekend, the Lumberjacks will return home for a pair of games against the Sioux Falls Stampede on Friday, October 18th and Saturday, October 19th at 7:15 pm, respectively. Friday’s game features the first of two trading card giveaways for the season, while Saturday’s game features “Trick of Treat with the Jacks” and the return of our Subway Saturday promotion.
Individual game tickets are on sale for the low price of $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-12 if they are purchased before the day of the game. Tickets can be purchased at the Lumberjacks’ Box Office or by calling (231) 724-5225.
The exclusive radio home for the Muskegon Lumberjacks all season long is 92.5 FM WLAW “The Outlaw” as Bryan Fongers delivers the call beginning ten minutes prior to puck drop.
The proud home of all Muskegon Lumberjacks home games is the L.C. Walker Arena in downtown Muskegon located just minutes from the beautiful Lake Michigan Shoreline. Muskegon Lumberjacks hockey, “Experience the Buzz!”
The Muskegon Lumberjacks are proud members of the United States Hockey League, the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league and the leading producer of NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The Lumberjacks’ organization prides itself on developing not just premier hockey talent, but also exceptional young men outside the arena of sports. For more information, visit www.muskegonlumberjacks.com.
