URBANDALE, IA – After a winless weekend in a three game series against the Green Bay Gamblers last week the Muskegon Lumberjacks (8-3-1-1, 18 pts.) hit the road and headed to the Western Conference for the first time since the 2019-2020 season to take on the Des Moines Buccaneers (3-6-3-0, 9 pts). Despite surrendering three straight goals in the first period the Jacks came all the way back for the 5-4 overtime win.
 
The start of the game wasn't exactly what the Lumberjacks planned on surrendering three goals in the first 16 minutes. Ben Kevin opened the scoring at the 4:21 mark with a breakaway goal while he was followed up ten minutes later at the 15:03 mark by Owen West who sent a long shot through traffic from the blue line to the back of the net. Just seconds later on the power play Paul Minnehan centered the puck from the near side corner and got a redirection from Ilya Protas for his first career USHL goal on the 14^th shot of the period for Des Moines. It was the last that Lukas Swedin (Stockholm, SWE) would face.
 
Muskegon responded in a big way by winning the center ice face off and quickly entering the offensive zone. Filip Nordberg (Stockholm, SWE) sent a pass up the middle of the ice to Hunter Anderson (Manhattan Beach, CA) who split the defense and worked in on a breakaway. In one motion Anderson pulled the puck from his backhand to his forehand and roofed the puck in the back of the net to make it a 3-1 game heading to the first intermission.
 
In the second period the Jacks offense came out firing with two straight goals to tie the game 3-3. Sacha Boisvert (Trois-Rivieres, QC, CAN) found the back of the net first after a turnover in the offensive zone was caused by Ethan Whitcomb (St. Catherines, ON, CAN). Whitcomb left the puck for Boisvert in front to score his 10^th goal of the season just 1:38 into the Frame.
 
Moments later at the 7:33 mark Cooper Pierson (Zionsville, IN) scored his first career USHL goal on a long shot from the blue line. Pierson walked from the far side of the zone toward the middle and fired a puck that was able to beat the net minder and tie the game 3-3.
 
The Jacks scored their fourth straight goal in the third period to take a lead late in the contest thanks to a one-time blast from Justin Solovey (Holmdel, NJ). Boisvert carried the puck out of the Jacks zone on the far side of the ice and moved it across to Whitcomb who crossed the blue line and went back across the ice to Solovey for the one-time goal at the 12:38 mark.
 
Des Moines tied the game with a power play goal with 2:18 to play in regulation by Minnehan to force overtime, but the extra period didn't last long. David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) held the puck behind the net and word towards the nearside corner. While that was happening Matvei Gridin (Kurgan, RUS) worked his way from the corner to the middle of the slot in front of the net. Klee slid the puck to Gridin who roofed it past the net minder to win the game for the Jacks and end the small losing streak.
 
Geisel (5-0-0-1) entered the game 15 minutes into the first period and turned aside 19 of the 20 shots sent his way over the next 45 minutes of game play to earn the win. Jonathan Reinholdt (2-2-3-0) stopped 21 of the 25 shots he faced in the overtime loss.
 
The Jacks continue the weekend road trip tomorrow night in Waterloo for a date with the Black Hawks. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 CDT (7:05 EDT) at Young Arena. Catch the action on the official Live stream partner of the USHL FloHockey and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.
 
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