MUSKEGON, MI – Tomorrow afternoon the Muskegon Lumberjacks will hit the road and head to the other side of Lake Michigan and the state of Wisconsin for a two-game series against the Madison Capitols. The games will be the first time the two teams see each other in the 2023-2024 regular season.
 

The Matchup

The first meeting of the season between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Madison Capitols comes as a weekend series at the Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, Wisconsin. Neither team made the playoffs last season as the bottom two teams in the USHL's Eastern Conference, but in the early stages of this season both teams are making strong cases for the Anderson Cup. The USHL's regular season champion.
Madison enters the weekend near perfect with a 4-0-1-0 record through the first 5 games of their campaign. Muskegon follows close behind with a 4-1-0-0 record through their first 5 games.
While the Jacks split the Dick's Sporting Goods Fall Classic with a 6-2 win over Omaha, and an 8-3 loss to Dubuque the Capitols put the league on notice with a pair of exciting wins. First, 7-2 over the Des Moines Buccaneers, then 2-1 in a tightly contested matchup against the Waterloo Black Hawks.
 

About Last Weekend

Just one game was on the docket for the Lumberjacks during the third week of the USHL regular season. A Saturday night matchup with the visiting Chicago Steel.
The offense was buzzing for the Jacks with a total of 8 goals scored on Louka Cloutier who made his second start of the season against Muskegon. Justin Solovey (Holmdel, NJ) led the way with a pair of goals, and an assist while a total of 5 different Lumberjacks recorded multi-point performances. Sacha Boisvert (Troi-Rivieres, QC, CAN) (1g, 1a), Ethan Whitcomb (St. Catherines, ON, CAN) (3a), Joe Connor (Amherst, NH) (1g, 1a), and Matvei Gridin (Kurgan, RUS) (1g, 1a).
2004 birth year goalie Lukas Swedin (Stockholm, SWE) (2-0) earned the win in his second start in the USHL. Swedin turned aside 23 of 25 shots sent his way by the Steel offense.
On the other side of Lake Michigan, the Capitols were in action on both Saturday and Sunday with a two-game series in Lincoln, NE against the Stars.
Game one went about as well as the Jack's Saturday night with a 6-1 win. Talented defenseman Will Felicio was joined by Max Nagel as multi goal scorers. Jake Rozzie paced the Caps with 3 assists while 5 total players had multi-point nights. Patriks Berzins earned the win with 45 saves on 46 shots.
Sunday brought the first loss of the season for Madison. Needing extra time, the Caps fell 2-1 in overtime to the Stars. Austin Burnevik scored the lone Madison goal while Carsen Musser carried his team to overtime with 41 saves on 43 shots.
 

New Kid on the Block. Jacks Add Filip Nordberg

In a move to strengthen an already talented blueline the Lumberjacks added veteran defenseman Filip Nordberg to the roster. A 2004 birth year from Stockholm, SWE Nordberg has spent the last few seasons playing in the J20 Nationell league in Sweden. Through 18 games as the captain of the Sodertalje J20 team last season Nordberg recorded a 3-8-11 stat line from the back end.
The 6'5 defenseman has been a member of the Swedish national team at the u18, 19, and 20 levels over the past couple of seasons sharing the roster with Jacks goaltender Lukas Swedin.
In the 2022 NHL Draft Nordberg heard his name called during the second round when the Ottawa Senators used the 64th overall selection to add him to the organization. Following the news of Nordberg's arrival in North America, Senators faithful voiced their joy in the second-round selection moving closer to the team. "I'm really excited to see his development" said one X user.
Jacks head coach Parker Burgess is also excited about the addition of Nordberg to the team. "Bringing Filip in adds an element of stability and experience to our back end" said coach Burgess.
Filip is expected to make his Lumberjacks debut this weekend in Madison.
 

Player Spotlight: Owen Keefe

A native of Saugus, Massachusetts Owen Keefe grew up in Northern Boston. The city in which he'll play his college hockey as a member of the Boston University Terriers Men's Hockey Team.
Despite being a future Terrier Keefe grew up around a different Hockey East squad. The Northeastern Huskies where his father, Jerry has been on the coaching staff since 2011, and the head coach since 2021.
"There are some good memories there. Getting to hang out around the rink and in the locker room with those guys. Getting pranked, dunked in cold tubs, taped up by the guys. Kind of the best time of my life." said Owen when asked about being a young kid around a Division I hockey team. "Obviously I still root for Northeastern, but I'm kind of excited to play against him (Jerry Keefe) too."
When asked about his decision to play for cross city rival BU Owen said "It's near my house and close to home. I think the coaching staff is the best in college hockey. I'm excited to get there, get better every day, win a couple of beanpots, and hopefully win a national championship.
 

Over the Airwaves

Catch the action all season long with the USHL's official video streaming partner FloHockey, and with the free radio stream on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.
 

Upcoming Games

Fri. October 20 | 7:00 pm EDT | at USNTDP Under-17
Sat. October 21 | 7:00 pm EDT | vs USNTDP Under-17
Fri. October 27 | 7:00 pm EDT | vs Green Bay Gamblers
Sat. October 28 | 7:00 pm EDT | vs Green Bay Gamblers
Sun. October 29 | 3:00 pm EDT | vs Green Bay Gamblers
 

Follow the Jacks

Be sure to follow the Muskegon Lumberjacks on social media!
Facebook - Muskegon Lumberjacks
Twitter - @MuskegonJacks
Instagram - @muskegonjacks
Tik Tok - muskegonlumberjacks
 

About the Muskegon Lumberjacks

The Muskegon Lumberjacks are proud and dedicated members of the United States Hockey League (USHL), the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league and leading producer of NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The club's goal is to create an environment where student-athletes develop into successful young men both on and off the ice, which includes playing the game the right way while keeping up with their studies in the classroom and staying actively involved in the West Michigan community. The organization is committed to providing quality, affordable, and top-notch family entertainment while providing positive role models for the youth and the local community.