CRANBERRY TWP, PA – For the first time in five seasons the Muskegon Lumberjacks (1-0-0-0 2 pts) and Omaha Lancers (0-1-0-0 0 pts) faced off in USHL regular season play, and this time they did so to open up the 2023-2024 season. Matvei Gridin (Kurgan, RUS) wowed scouts in attendance at the Dicks Sporting Goods Fall Classic with a hat trick in the Lumberjacks 6-2 win.

Muskegon opened the scoring 17:07 into the first period on a goal from Joe Connor (Amherst, NH). Ty Henricks (Mission Viejo, CA) held the puck in the left side circle of the Omaha zone and left it for Cody Croal (North Branch, MN). The Captain of the Jacks slid the puck across to Connor back door who banged a shot past the Lancer net minder for his first goal of the season.

Thanks to a pair of penalties from the Lancers late in the first period the Lumberjacks opened the second frame while on a 5-on-3 man advantage. Croal picked up his second point of the afternoon by sliding another back door pass, this time to Ethan Whitcomb (St. Catherines, ON, CAN). Whitcomb scored his first goal of the season. Matvei Gridin (Kurgan, RUS) picked up his first of four points with the secondary assist.

Hunter Anderson (Manhattan Beach, CA) added his first goal of the season to make it 3-0 for Muskegon at the 15:22 mark of the middle stanza. Whitcomb gave the puck to Sacha Boisvert (Trois-Rivieres, QC, CAN) on his way towards the middle of the slot. Boisvert was taken down to the ice along with an Omaha player allowing Anderson to slide in, pick up possession, and roof the puck past the goalie for his first goal of the campaign.

Jamison Sluys and the Lancers got a goal back before the end of the period at the 16:45 mark. Sluys picked up the puck off a turnover in the Muskegon end of the ice and fired a shot to the back of the net to make it a 3-1 contest heading into the third period.

The third period belonged to Gridin who scored three goals in the 20 minute frame. Just 1:21 into it he picked up the puck directly in front of the Omaha goal and buried the chance off a turnover. Omaha got a goal back while on the power play on a long shot from New Jersey Devils draft pick Chase Cheslock, but that would be the end of Omaha's offense.

Gridin scored his second goal of the period 5:27 into it by finishing a shot off the far post and in with assists from Connor and Croal. At the 12:56 mark Gridin took the puck away from an Omaha defenseman at the Jacks blue line and shot low blocker side on the breakaway.

Paxton Geisel (Estevan, SK, CAN) (1-0-0) stopped 26 of the 28 shots sent his way by the Lancers in his 60 minutes of action. Croix Kochendorfer (0-1-0) started the game for Omaha lasting just over 45 minutes allowing 5 goals in 22 shots in the losing effort.

The Lumberjacks close out the Dicks Sporting Goods Fall Classic tomorrow, Saturday, September 24^th against the Dubuque Fighting Saints at 12:30 pm EDT. Catch the action on the official live stream partner of the USHL FloHockey, and follow the Jacks on social media @MuskegonJacks for game updates and more.