MUSKEGON, Michigan (October 19th) – In another tight, one goal affair, the Muskegon Lumberjacks found a way late to overcome their recent four-game drought as they overcame a late one goal deficit to send the game into a shootout. In the end, it was the good guys that would come out on top as Trevor Morbeck notched the game-winning goal in the fifth round of the shootout to come away with a 3-2 victory at the L.C. Walker Arena.
The Lumberjacks (5-3-1, 11 points) jumped out on top early, 1-0, in the first period at the 3:07 mark with Matt Iacopelli’s fourth goal of the season that was setup by Mason Jobst and Trevor Morbeck off a one-time shot in front of Arthur Brey (2-1-1).
The Stampede (6-2-1, 13 points) countered back and eventually took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission with markers from C.J. Franklin at the 6:17 mark for his fourth of the season and Tony Calderone for his second of the season with 2:02 left in the opening frame on the power play. Zeb Knutson and Chad Duchesne received the helpers on the Franklin tally, while Duchesne and Griffin Molino assisted on Calderone’s man advantage goal.
Sioux Falls took that lead into the first intermission while outshooting Muskegon by a 17-10 margin.
The score held through the second period and into the latter stages of the third period when the home team was able to even the game at 2-2 with 6:58 remaining in regulation as Scott Pooley laced his third goal of the season past Brey’s blocker side from the right faceoff circle that was assisted by Robbie DeMontis and Sean Lang.
The game would head into a four-on-four five-minute overtime session where the penalty kill came up huge in the extra frame. The Lumberjacks were able to kill off a two-minute slashing penalty to Carson Gatt 1:24 into the overtime and send the game into a shootout.
Muskegon grabbed a 1-0 lead after the first two rounds of the skills competition courtesy of Iacopelli’s first shootout goal of the season. With their backs against the wall in the third and final shootout round, Dennis Kravchenko was able to even the shootout at 1-1 that sent the event into extra rounds. The fifth-round proved to be the difference marker as Eric Schierhorn (3-2-0) stoned Keith Burchett which led to Trevor Morbeck tallying the game-winner sliding one under Brey and past his five-hole.
Sioux Falls outshot Muskegon on the night, 42-34, and Eric Schierhorn made 40 saves on the night (including four in the shootout) to earn his third victory of the season. Arthur Brey stopped 32 of 34 shots in regulation in the road loss along with three saves in the shootout. The Stampede were one-for-six on the power play, while Muskegon went empty on their three opportunities. The Lumberjacks finish the regular season going 1-1-0 against the Stampede.
The Lumberjacks will conclude their busy three-game weekend with a Sunday matinee game in Ann Arbor against the USNTDP Under-18 Team at 3:30 pm.
Muskegon’s next home game will be on Saturday, November 2nd against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at 7:15 pm. Saturday’s game is a part of Try Hockey for Free Day and also includes the return of our Subway Saturday promotion. If the Lumberjacks beat the RoughRiders, fans can redeem their ticket stubs at any participating West Michigan Subway location for a buy one six-inch sub and get another six-inch sub of equal or lesser value for free.
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.
