MUSKEGON, Michigan (January 25th) – In their first home game for the 2014 calendar year, nothing went right in all facets of the game tonight for the Muskegon Lumberjacks as they suffered their worst loss of the season as the USNTDP Under-18 Team tallied a touchdown on the scoreboard that included three goals on the man advantage in a 7-0 route at the L.C. Walker Arena giving the Lumberjacks their third shutout loss of the season and second at home.
The first period saw no scoring put on the scoreboard by either side as the opening frame was headlined by Eric Schierhorn (11-10-1) as he stopped all 20 shots that came his way by the Under-18 Team. The Lumberjacks were able to muster 8 shots on goal through the first 20 minutes of play.
In the second period, the USNTDP Under-18 Team (18-16-1, 37 points) asserted themselves offensively scoring a trio of goals to take a 3-0 lead going into the final 20 minutes of play. Beginning at the 3:13 mark, Dylan Pavelek was able to squeeze a shot inside the right post and past Schierhorn from the low slot for his 6th USHL goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead that went unassisted.
Later in the middle frame just past the halfway point at the 10:12 mark, the Under-18’s doubled their lead to 2-0 as the Lumberjacks turned the puck over between the faceoff circles in their own zone leading to Jack Glover setting up trailer Anders Bjork for a wrist shot goal beating Schierhorn on his blocker side for his 7th USHL goal of the season.
A few minutes later at the 12:20 mark, the Under-18’s tripled their lead to 3-0 as Jack Eichel took the puck down the far side going left to right centering a backhand feed in front that deflected off the skate of Alex Tuch and past the outstretched reach of Schierhorn as he was sliding to his left for his 10th USHL goal of the year that was also helped by Sonny Milano.
The Under-18’s took their three-goal lead into the second and final intermission while also claiming the shot battle by a 32-17 margin.
The Lumberjacks (17-17-4, 38 points) tried to create some offensive momentum in early stages of the third period only to see a couple of shots ring off the post along with Edwin Minney (7-1-1) making some spectacular saves in net for the Under-18 squad.
In the second half of the third period, the Under-18’s continued the offensive onslaught making it 4-0 at the 11:16 mark as Jack Dougherty ripped a power play goal from the left faceoff circle past the glove of Schierhorn for his 4th USHL marker of the season that was assisted by Milano and Eichel. The visitors then made it a 5-0 game at the 15:06 mark back on the power play as Shane Gersich found a loose rebound to the left of Schierhorn off a shot fired by Ryan Collins in which roofed his 6th USHL marker of the season that was also aided by Ryan Wagner.
Just 21 seconds later, Andres Bjork laced his second of the night and 8th USHL goal of the season from between the faceoff circles to make it a 6-0 that was helped by Dylan Pavelek and Nolan Stevens. The Under-18’s capped off the night with their third man advantage tally of the night to make it 7-0 with 27 seconds left in regulation as Nathan Billitier scored his first USHL goal of the year from the right faceoff circle that was assisted by Brandon Fortunato.
The Under-18 Team outshot the Lumberjacks on the night by a 47-38 margin with Edwin Minney earning his second USHL shutout of the season stopping all 38 shots that came his way.
Eric Schierhorn took the loss in net for Muskegon stopping 40 of 47 shots that came his way on the night, and the Under-18 Team’s offense was led by four players in Andres Bjork (two goals), Dylan Pavelek (one goal and one assist), Jack Eichel (two assists), and Sonny Milano (two assists) with two points each. The Lumberjacks fall to 2-2-0 against the USNTDP Under-18 Team this season with one regular season meeting left between the two teams on Sunday, March 30th.
The Lumberjacks conclude their two-game home stint tomorrow night against the USNTDP Under-17 Team at 6:00 pm in a makeup game after yesterday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather.
Tomorrow’s game will feature the second and final trading card giveaway of the season to the first 1,000 fans that enter the arena along with the return of our “Jacks Win You Win” promotion. If the Lumberjacks win tomorrow, every fan in attendance will receive a $5 Sport Clips gift card.
Fans that purchased tickets for yesterday’s game initially will have them honored during tomorrow night’s game, and the Lumberjacks will be selling $5 “Red Zone” Tickets for tomorrow’s game in Sections 103, 108, 113, and 118. Additionally, fans can enjoy five concession items for just $1 all game long that includes 12-ounce domestic beer, hot dogs, pretzels, small popcorn, and 12-ounce soda.
Individual game tickets will be on sale for the Lumberjacks’ next home game on Saturday, February 1st against the rival Indiana Ice all next week 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.
