INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (March 23rd) – In the final regular season meeting between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Indiana Ice from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, Matt Iacopelli tied the USHL team record that was originally set by alum Ryan Misiak for most the most points tallied during one season with 58, but it was overshadowed by the USHL-leading Indiana Ice as they notched the first three goals of the afternoon that proved to be the difference in a 5-2 decision to keep the Lumberjacks tied with the Green Bay Gamblers for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with five regular season games left.

An evenly-played contest during the first period went into the final five minutes where the Ice (39-9-7, 85 points) got on the board first at the 15:20 mark as a Muskegon turnover led to Aidan Muir feeding an open Brian Pinho in the right faceoff circle, and he fired his 24th goal of the season past the right pad of Eric Schierhorn (17-16-1) to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

As the period was about to expire, Indiana doubled their lead to 2-0 with just over 51 seconds left in the opening stanza as former Lumberjack Alex Talcott tipped a shot from the left point by Austin Kosack in between the faceoff circles and through Schierhorn’s five-hole for his 8th marker of the year that was also set up by Joshua Jacobs.

The Ice took their two-goal lead into the first intermission while outshooting the Lumberjacks by a slim 11-9 margin.  The Lumberjacks had the only power play chance of the first period and did not capitalize on the opportunity.

In the early stages of the second period at the 3:05 mark, Indiana notched a power play goal as Pinho one-timed a shot in the low slot through Schierhorn’s pads for his second of the afternoon and 25th goal of the season to increase the lead to 3-0 that was aided by Patrick Newell and Scott Conway.

Just over two minutes later at the 5:19 mark, the Lumberjacks (27-24-4, 58 points) countered with a power play goal of their own to slice the deficit to 3-1 as Trevor Morbeck fired a shot from the right faceoff circle that crept under the right arm of Hayden Stewart (18-6-1) and just over the goal line for his 13th goal of the season that was helped by Mason Jobst and Christian Wolanin.

Later in the middle frame at the 15:30 mark, Indiana got their three-goal lead back at 4-1 as an entry feed by Newell shot off the end boards in which Dwyer Tschantz retrieved the puck and found Conway open in front of Schierhorn, and he one-timed his 27th goal of the year through Schierhorn’s five-hole.

The three-goal spread remained the same going into the final 20 minutes with the Lumberjacks edging the Ice in the shot battle by the slimmest of margins at 18-17.

During the early stages of the third period, the Lumberjacks showed some resilience potting another power play goal at the 5:04 mark as Matt Iacopelli fired home his league-leading 39th goal of the season due to a live rebound off the end boards to the left of Stewart to cut the deficit to 4-2 that was set up by Matej Paulovic and Morbeck.

However, Muskegon would have no more offensive answers as Indiana got the last laugh scoring an insurance goal back on the man advantage with 3:16 left in regulation as Tschantz one-timed his 22nd goal of the season over Schierhorn’s glove hand during a two-on-one odd man rush that was assisted by Newell and Conway.  The Lumberjacks finished the afternoon outshooting the Ice by a 25-22 margin.

Hayden Stewart picks up his 12th consecutive victory for Indiana stopping 23 shots, while Eric Schierhorn picked up the road loss for Muskegon making 17 saves between the pipes.  Indiana was led offensively by Scott Conway (one goal and two assists) and Patrick Newell (three assists) with three points each followed by Brian Pinho (two goals) and Dwyer Tschantz (one goal and one assist) with two points of their own.  Trevor Morbeck led the Lumberjacks’ offense with a goal plus one assist.  Muskegon ends the regular season going 3-5-0 against Indiana.

The Lumberjacks return home next weekend for two more games on Friday, March 28th and Saturday, March 29th against two Western Conferences foes in the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars, respectively, at 7:15 pm.  Additionally, Muskegon will play another Sunday matinee game on the 30th in Ann Arbor against the USNTDP Under-18 Team at 3:30 pm to conclude their second consecutive three-game weekend.

Friday’s game will feature Superhero Night presented by Best Financial Credit Union, Billet Appreciation Night, and the return of our Flapjack Friday promotion.  From when the doors open at 6:15 pm until 8:15 pm, the Muskegon Lions Club will be serving up all you can eat pancakes, sausage, and juice for just $5.

Saturday’s game will feature Reading Caravan Night sponsored by the Muskegon Lumberjacks Charitable Foundation and the return of our Subway Saturday promotion.  If the Lumberjacks defeat the Stars, fans that attend the game 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.