MUSKEGON, MI – There's nothing quite like home and the Muskegon Lumberjacks are looking to right the ship with a two game weekend series against Eastern Conference opponent the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The season has been a positive one thus far with a record of 8-4-1-1 through the first 14 games of the USHL regular season, but as of late the results just haven't been going the way of the Black and Gold.
Starting with a three-game weekend sweep at the hands of the Green Bay Gamblers a few weeks back, and a tough loss on the road last week in Waterloo 8-2 the Jacks hold a 1-2-1-1 record in their last 5 games.
The good news is that despite the shortcomings on the ice the Jacks have picked up some additional talent through trades, and the numbers suggest that things will be ok.
Stat of the Week
Record when the Jacks score 3+ goals: 8-1-0-1
Record when Jacks score 2 goals or less: 0-3-1-0
The Lumberjacks have one of the highest scoring offenses in the USHL with an average of 4.43 goals per game which is good for third in the league. Part of the reason for such a high goal scoring output is the success on the man advantage. Entering this weekend, the Jacks are 14/49 for a 32.7 power play percentage. Another top 5 stat in the USHL.
While all the goal scoring has put Muskegon in great positions to win games, the other side of the ice has some not as great statistics. 4.00 goals against per games ranks 13
th in the league while the penalty kill is 14
th at 71.9%. Those numbers don't show the fact that Muskegon has been treated to some really great goaltending by
Paxton Geisel (Estevan, SK, CAN) and
Lukas Swedin (Stockholm, SWE) who are both in the top 20 of the USHL in save percentage.
The Matchup
The first matchup of the new season between Muskegon and Cedar Rapids comes as the Lumberjacks open the doors to Trinity Health Arena this coming weekend. Last season the Lumberjacks came away from the eight game season series with a 5-3-0-0 record, but it was the home team that was successful most of the time. The Jacks were a perfect 4-0 at Trinity Health Arena against the RoughRiders, but 1-3 at Imon Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids.
About Last Weekend
A trip to Iowa and the first non-Fall Classic Matchups against Western Conference opponents since the 2019-2020 season brought mixed emotions for the Jacks. On Friday night in Des Moines the Jacks fell 3-0 early in the game but were able to climb all the way back to win 5-4 in overtime.
Hunter Anderson (Manhattan Beach, CA) got the jacks on the board in the first period.
Sacha Boisvert (Trois-Rivieres, QC, CAN) and
Cooper Pierson (Zionsville, IN) added goals in the second period to tie the game back up. In the third
Justin Solovey (Holmdel, NJ) found the back of the net to give the Jacks a 4-3 lead, but a late power play goal for the Buccaneers sent the game to overtime. It only took
Matvei Gridin (Kurgan, RUS) 29 seconds in the 3-on-3 period to score and end the game.
Saturday in Waterloo the Jacks started off slow, but this time were unable to climb their way back into the game. By the end of it the Black Hawks had found the back of the net eight times in a commanding 8-2 win.
On the other side of the ice the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders had a productive weekend with a 2-0-0-1 record against three different opponents. On Friday the RoughRiders were in Sioux City taking on the Musketeers where they won 5-4 in overtime. Saturday brought a trip to Lincoln and a 4-1 win over the Stars. Sunday in the only USHL game of the day it took a shootout for the Buccaneers to beat the Riders 3-2 in Des Moines.
Coming to a new city can be hard for an athlete. Add in the fact that it was a mid-season change and now you're looking at an even harder transition.
Patrick Raftery (Centennial, CO) went through that transition last week after being traded from the Lincoln Stars to Muskegon on Wednesday. "I got to know everyone pretty quick. Everyone welcomed me pretty easily, and I feel pretty comfortable by now" said Raftery. After the trade he met the team in Iowa before the Friday night game in Des Moines. There were, however, some familiar faces waiting for him, however. "I played with Sparky (
Jack Sparkes) during the start of the season last year in Lincoln. When I got traded here, he texted me right away. Obviously Buggsy (David) Klee I've known for four years now. We were u16 line mates the whole year, so it was pretty cool sharing a line with him again."
Making hockey a priority was something Raftery knew he wanted to do since a young age. "When I was 10 years old Milan Hejduk was my coach and we had a lot of talent there. Just knowing that I could play with his kids helped me start to take it seriously."
Despite being from Colorado with stops in Nebraska and now Michigan Raftery is committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at the University of Maine where he will be a Black Bear. "I have some family out east so growing up it was nonstop hearing about BC (Boston College) and BU (Boston University), and nonstop hearing about the Hockey East so I knew I wanted to play in that conference." With that in mind going into his recruitment process Raftery didn't need much convincing. "In the conversation with Maine I loved it right away. I trust the coaches a lot and I can't wait to be there."
This season and his time in Muskegon isn't lost on him though. Raftery ended the conversation by saying "Where my feet are right now is Muskegon and I'm excited to be here right now."
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. November 10 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Sat. November 11 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Fri. November 17 | 8:05 pm EST | at Tri-City Storm
Sat. November 18 | 7:05 pm EST | at Tri-City Storm
Fri. November 24 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Madison Capitols
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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.
