MUSKEGON, Michigan (March 15th) – In the final regular season meeting between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Youngstown Phantoms tonight, the defense and goaltending from Eric Schierhorn would prove to be the difference maker for the home team as the Lumberjacks were able to get enough offense early to crawl past the visiting Phantoms by a 2-1 final at the L.C. Walker Arena to extend their season-high winning streak to six games and remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
An evenly-played first period saw the Lumberjacks (26-22-4, 56 points) notch the only goal of the opening frame at the 8:44 mark as Matej Paulovic fired a shot on net that was stopped by Sean Romeo (6-19-1), but Chris Dodero was there on the backdoor to lift a rebound home for his 7th goal of the season and 6th as a member of the Lumberjacks to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead that was also helped by Cullen Hurley.
Youngstown outshot Muskegon through the first 20 minutes of play by a slim 14-12 margin with both teams going a combined 0-for-3 on the power play.
In a clean second period that saw no penalties drawn by either side, the Lumberjacks doubled their lead to 2-0 at the 13:42 mark as Matt Iacopelli roped his league-leading 37th goal of the season past the short right side of Romeo from the left faceoff circle that was set up by Mason Jobst.
Just over two minutes later at the 15:49 mark, the Phantoms (15-31-6, 36 points) cut the deficit in half to 2-1 as a three-on-two opportunity for the visitors led to Maxim Letunov snapping a shot from the between the faceoff circles past the blocker side of Eric Schierhorn (17-14-1) for his 16th marker of the season that was helped by Josh Melnick and Matt Miller.
The home team would take their one goal lead into the third period with the visitors growing their shots on goal advantage to a 29-22 margin.
The third period saw the Phantoms throw everything but the kitchen sink towards Schierhorn, but the Anchorage, Alaska native was up to the task stopping all 12 shots that came his way during the final frame to seal the home victory for the Lumberjacks. Youngstown outshot Muskegon for the game by a 41-31 margin.
Eric Schierhorn earned his sixth consecutive victory in net stopping 40 of 41 shots for the Lumberjacks, while Sean Romeo took the loss for the Phantoms stopping 29 of 31 shots on the evening. The Lumberjacks end the nine-game regular season series with the Phantoms compiling a record of 7-2-0 that includes a perfect 5-0-0 record at home.
The Lumberjacks return home next weekend for a pair games on Friday, March 21st and Saturday, March 22nd against the Indiana Ice and USNTDP Under-17 Team, respectively, at 7:15 pm. Following their two home games, Muskegon will travel to downtown Indianapolis, Indiana for a clash against the Ice on Sunday, March 22rd at 3:05 pm to complete their busy three-game weekend.
Friday’s game will feature Mascot Night presented by Best Financial Credit Union and signals the return of our Flapjack Friday’s promotion courtesy of the Muskegon Lions Club. From when the doors open at 6:15 pm to 8:15 pm, fans can enjoy all you can eat pancakes, sausage, and juice for only $5.
Saturday’s game will feature Beach Night along with the return of Subway Saturday. If the Lumberjacks beat the USNTDP Under-17 Team, every fan that is in attendance 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 will be on sale 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 for Muskegon’s next pair of home contests. Tickets can be purchased at the L.C. Walker Arena 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. You can also catch the Lumberjacks on Michigan TV and Sports with the Muskegon Lumberjack “Game of the Week” every Thursday at 6:00 pm on Charter channel 16.
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.
