MUSKEGON, MI – While there is no way the Muskegon Lumberjacks (31-18-1-1, 64 pts.) can overtake the Dubuque Fighting Saints (32-12-3-3. 70 pts.) in the standings this weekend the series at Trinity Health Arena means a lot to both teams for playoff position. This weekend can also act as a preview to a 2024 Clark Cup Playoff series.
 
THE MATCHUP
This weekend series brings the final edition of Lumberjacks vs Fighting Saints this regular season. To this point the teams have faced off 3 total times with Dubuque holding the advantage 2-1. In just the second game of the season the Saints picked up a commanding 8-3 win over the Jacks at the Fall Classic. At the midway point of the season the teams met again. This time at Imon Arena in Dubuque. Game one of the series was another commanding win for the Fighting Saints, 82. The second matchup of the weekend went the way of the Lumberjacks 6-3.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
Last week was a roller coaster of emotions for the Lumberjacks who hit the road and visited the Youngstown Phantoms. Friday night kicked off a three game series with what might be considered the biggest comeback of the season in the USHL. At 3 different times the Phantoms lead the Jacks with a 3 goal lead. Despite the early success by Youngstown a 4 goal third period by Muskegon forced overtime. Eventually the Lumberjacks picked up the 6-5 win in a shootout to start the weekend of games.
 
Saturday was a much different story than the night before. Again Youngstown opened the scoring, but this time the Jacks responded and kept the game close. The teams traded punches and entered the third period tied up at 2 goals a piece. Just 2:42 into the final frame Joe Connor found the back of the net to give the jacks the eventual winning score of 3-2. Of the 5 goals in the game none were scored 5-on-5. 4 were powerplay goals, while one was scored while the teams were skating 4-on-4.
 
With two very contested games already in the books on the weekend the Sunday matchup between the Jacks and Phantoms went exactly as you would expect it to. The teams combined for 239 penalty minutes, and by the end of the game 1/3 of each bench was already through the shower and watching from the stands. Despite the high penalty total the Phantoms were able to find the back of the net with ease winning the game 7-4.
 
A couple of Jacks celebrated milestones on the weekend. Cameron Aucoin scored his first career USHL goal on Friday night while the same night marked the USHL debut for defenseman Danny Klaers. An affiliate player for the Jacks, Klaers spent this season playing Minnesota high school hockey with Minnetonka High.
 
The Fighting Saints had an uncharacteristic weekend last time out. A couple of Cowbell Cup games went the way of the opposition. First, on Friday night the Saints paid a visit to Eastern Conference opponent the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The Riders took a 2-0 lead in the first period, and kept the Dubuque response at bay for the rest of the night. In the end the Fighting Saints fell 5-3 despite a 3 point night for Noah Powell. The Saints returned home on Saturday for a game against the Western Conference's Des Moines Buccaneers. Again the Saints trailed 2-0 at the end of the first, and again they fell in the end. This time around the Bucs picked up a 2-1 win.
 
 
 
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
March is the last full month of the regular season, and this weekend series against the Fighting Saints means we are in the thick of it.
 
Next weekend the Jacks welcome the Sioux City Musketeers to Trinity Health Arena for the final cross-conference matchup of the season for the Jacks. The series takes place on March 22nd-23rd.
 
Then to close out the month the Jacks travel west to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to take on the RoughRiders on the 29th and 30th.
 
In the month of April there is just one home game in Muskegon. It is April 5th against the USA Hockey NTDP Under-18 team. The next night the teams close the weekend series with a game across the state at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
 
The final weekend of the regular season is April 12th-13th. The Jacks close the regular season with two games against the Chicago Steel at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, IL. Currently in second place the Jacks are in a strong position heading into the Clark Cup Playoffs.
 
Lots of players in the USHL this season have exceeded the expectations put on them at the start of the year. One player in particular has blown those expectations out of the water. Lumberjacks forward, and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Matvei Gridin went from a modest 21 points last season, to leading the USHL in points with 10 games left in the season.
 
Gridin's rookie season last year (2022-2023) saw him miss some time due to an injury. In the 40 games Gridin played in he recorded 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 total points. At just over a point per every other game Gridin showed a lot of potential for the next season.
 
Boy did that potential come to fruition. In the first game of the 2023-2024 season Gridin scored a hat trick, and added an assist for good measure for his first career 4-point performance, and hasn't slowed down since. With just 10 of the 62 games remaining on the schedule Gridin is #1 in the USHL when it comes to scoring with 69 total points in 51 games played.
 
What's amazing about his point total is that they aren't all goals, or all assists. Gridin shares the team lead for goals with 30 (Boisvert) which ranks 3rd in the USHL and shares a team lead for assists with 39 (Whitcomb) which is also 3rd in the league.
 
With the final 10 games coming up Gridin is looking to leave a lasting impression before the 2024 NHL Draft where he is a projected first round selection.
 
OVER THE AIRWAVES
Join Voice of the Lumberjacks Ezra Gennello and 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. March 15 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Dubuque Fighting Saints
Sat. March 16 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Dubuque Fighting Saints
Fri. March 22 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Sioux City Musketeers
Sat. March 23 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Sioux City Musketeers
 
FOLLOW THE JACKS
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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.