MUSKEGON, MI – Taking on the top team in the league is always a tough task, but the Muskegon Lumberjacks (19-11-1-1, 40 pts.) stood up to the challenge defeating the Fargo Force (27-4-1-0, 55 pts.) 7-3 Saturday night.
 
Muskegon opened the scoring just over five minutes into the contest when Justin Solovey (Holmdel, NJ) finished a 2-on-1 rush started by a stretch pass out of the defensive zone from Filip Nordberg (Stockholm, SWE). The pass found Ethan Whitcomb (St. Catherines, ON, CAN) on the far side of the Fargo blue line. Whitcomb took a step into the zone and slid a pass across the zone to Solovey who ripped home a one timer for his 12^th goal of the season.
 
Moments later at the 12:45 mark while shorthanded the Jacks made it 2-0. A foot race for possession near the top of the Fargo zone between Joe Connor (Amherst, NH) and the Fargo netminder saw the future Northeastern Husky chip the puck over the goalie before putting the puck in the empty net.
 
A 5-on-3 power play lead to a Fargo goal before the end of the frame. Leo Gruba received a pass on the near side from Michael Quinn and deposited it to the back of the net for his 13^th goal of the season.
 
A two-goal lead after the first period wasn't going to be enough to beat a team like the Force, so the Lumberjacks went to work in the second to score four straight goals starting just 27 seconds into the frame. Sacha Boisvert (Trois-Rivieres, QC, CAN) took possession of the puck in the middle of the slot and fired a shot that was turned aside. The rebound found its way to Solovey at the near side of the cage where he moved it out front. A nice play from a Fargo defenseman kept the puck out of the net, but Whitcomb was at the right place on the other side of the crease to find the puck and tap it home.
 
Then, at the 2:56 mark The Jacks went on the power play for the first time in the game. Whitcomb moved the puck from the far side wall to Matvei Gridin (Kurgan, RUS) at the near side of the blue line. Gridin sent the puck to the back door where Connor was cutting to redirect the shot pass to the back of the net for his second goal of the game.
 
Whitcomb picked up the secondary assist on the goal which was the 100^th point of his USHL career. Through 127 games Whitcomb has 40 goals and 60 assists and becomes just the 10^th player in Lumberjacks history to reach the milestone.
 
Gridin added another assist later in the period at the 7:39 mark. Bauer Berry (Grand Forks, ND) wrapped the puck around the end wall in the Muskegon zone to the far side of the blue line. Gridin lifted to the Fargo defenseman's stick to allow the puck to continue down the ice. Catching up to the puck in the offensive zone Gridin cut across the middle of the ice before sliding the puck down to Cody Croal (North Branch, MN) who pulled a toe drag around the outstretched goalie and sliding the puck across the goal line.
 
 
Connor scored his third goal of the night after Cameron Aucoin (Chicago, IL) kept the puck in the offensive zone on the near side. Aucoin tapped the puck to Connor in the slot to rip a shot over the goalie's shoulder and into the top far corner of the net. The 3-goal performance is the first of Connor's USHL career.
 
Fargo opened and closed the scoring in the third period, but Connor would add one more goal for good measure in the middle. While on the power play Gridin sent the puck from the far side wall to the near side circle and Boisvert. After waiting a beat Boisvert sent the puck back to the far side to Connor who was at the side of the net and just had to redirect the puck past the goalie.
 
Shikhabudtin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS) (2-1-0-0) earned his second career win in the USHL by turning aside 37 of the 40 shots taken by the Force. Anton Castro (14-4-1-0) earned the loss after allowing 5 goals on 11 shots in just under 28 minutes of work. Hampton Slukynsky played the remaining 32 minutes stopping 10 of the 12 shots he faced.
 
The teams close the weekend series tomorrow night at 7 p.m. It is Star Wars Night at Trinity Health Arena. Tickets can be purchased at muskegonlumberjacks.com or by visiting the box office inside the VanDyke Mortgage Convention Center on Game day.