MUSKEGON, Michigan (November 2nd) – The bad bounces continue to haunt the Muskegon Lumberjacks in recent games as the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were able to lace a pair of quick third period goals and held off a late push by the hosts to squeeze by with a 3-2 victory tonight at the L.C. Walker Arena.
The RoughRiders (7-1-1, 15 points) didn’t take long to get the game’s first goal of the night at the 5:17 mark on the power play as Nick Master slid home his second goal of the season off a loose rebound at the top of the Lumberjacks’ goal crease to make it a 1-0 games that was aided by Mark Evan Auk and Corey Petrash.
The score remained the same into the first intermission with Cedar Rapids holding the shot advantage at 12-6.
The Lumberjacks (6-6-2, 14 points) were able to quickly even the game at 1-1 just 30 seconds into the middle frame as Matt Mendelson was able to tip a shot from the right point by Scott Pooley past Danny Tirone at the top of the Cedar Rapids goal crease for his fifth of the season that was also helped by Cullen Hurley.
The back-and-forth game went into the second intermission the same score with the RoughRiders continuing to edge the Lumberjacks in shots by a 21-18 margin.
The third period proved to be the difference maker as the visiting RoughRiders would notch a pair of goals just 25 seconds apart to grab a two-goal lead at 3-1 that began at the 4:50 mark as Casey Jerry tipped home his second goal of the season off a nice feed from Judd Peterson to make it a 2-1 game. Dylan Gareau also had an assist on the Jerry marker.
At the 5:15 mark, Cedar Rapids scored again as Andrew Poturalski threw a puck in front of the Lumberjacks’ net, hit a Muskegon skate, and found its way past Eric Schierhorn (4-4-0) that was assisted by Auk and Jason Kalinowski.
Muskegon cut the deficit to 3-2 at the 13:44 mark as Trevor Morbeck fired low shot from the left faceoff circle and made its way under Danny Tirone’s (4-0-0) left pad into the net that was assisted by Robbie DeMontis and Janik Moeser.
The game went into the latter moments at the same score when the Lumberjacks pulled Schierhorn for the extra attacker, but would get called for too many men on the ice with 54 seconds left in regulation to eliminate any chance of a comeback attempt in the end.
Muskegon outshot Cedar Rapids for the game, 31-26, and Danny Tirone made 29 saves on the night in the road victory. Eric Schierhorn had 23 saves on the night for the Lumberjacks in the tough home loss. The RoughRiders were led offensively by Mark Evan Auk with two assists, and eight different players laced at least a point in the game. The Lumberjacks had six different players tally a point on the night. The Lumberjacks fall to 0-1-0 against the RoughRiders this season with three more meetings left against the Eastern Conference foe.
The Lumberjacks and RoughRiders will renew acquaintances again on Wednesday at the L.C. Walker Arena for a special 10:30 am puck drop for our Hockey for Health School Day Game. Muskegon will then conclude their four-game homestand with a pair of games against the Dubuque Fighting Saints next Friday and Saturday at 7:15 pm, respectively.
Friday’s game features Girl Scout Night and the return of our “Jacks Win You Win” promotion presented by Sport Clips. If the Lumberjacks win, every fan in attendance will receive a $5 Sport Clips gift card. Also, any Girl Scout that comes to the game will receive a discounted ticket.
Saturday’s game features Chamber Night presented by the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce along with the return of our Subway Saturday promotion. If the Lumberjacks win on Saturday, fans can present their ticket stubs at any participating West Michigan Subway location for a buy one six-inch sub, 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.
