MUSKEGON, MI – Week 11 of the USHL regular season brings not just a trio of games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, but also American Thanksgiving in the middle of the action. Wednesday evening, the Lumberjacks hit the road and visit the East side of the state for a game against the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's Under-17 Team.
Following the holiday, the Jacks welcome the Dubuque Fighting Saints for Black Friday and Glow Night at Trinity Health Arena. Earlier this season, the teams split a weekend series in Muskegon, and have both been struggling to stay in the win column since the week 5 meeting.
Week 11 Preview: Lighting up the Lake shore
Week 11 brings a pair of familiar opponents this season. First, a trip to USA Hockey Arena gives the Jacks a third look at this year's Under-17 squad. The first meeting of the year was back in October on the front end of a home-and-home series. The 17s picked up a 4-3 win in a game that saw the Lumberjacks struggle to convert on scoring opportunities. The struggles didn't continue the next night when the Jacks picked up a commanding 6-0 win on home ice.
Rudolfs Berzkalns (Cesis, LAT) recorded a hat-trick in the win.
The last time the Lumberjacks made their way to USA Hockey Arena was October 30
th for a Thursday night match-up with the Under-18 team. The back-and-forth game went Muskegon's way by a final score of 5-3. Again, Berzkalns found the back of the net with a power play goal.
Both teams are coming off bad performances in week 10. The Lumberjacks fell 6-2 on Friday night in Cedar Rapids before watching a 4-0 lead evaporate in a 5-4 loss on Saturday. Somehow, though, the Under-17 team had a worse weekend. Their 5-3 loss at home on Friday to Madison wasn't the shock of the weekend, but the 8-0 loss that followed on Saturday left a sour taste in their mouth.
The Wednesday evening tilt provides both teams with an opportunity to right the ship before the Thanksgiving Holiday.
After Turkey Day, the Jacks take to the ice back at home against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Similar to the Jacks and NTDP, Dubuque also went 0-2 last week, though they picked up a single point with an overtime loss. Friday night, the Saints fell 4-3 in overtime at home to the Youngstown Phantoms, then followed up with a 5-3 loss the next night.
The Jacks and Saints last met at Trinity Health Arena on October 17/18. The Friday night match-up went the way of the Saints.
Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE) scored twice for Muskegon, but five different goal scorers powered Dubuque to the win. Saturday went to the Lumberjacks 4-3. Berzkalns found the back of the net for the game-winning goal late in the third period as
Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) stopped 30 of 33 shots to earn the win.
The newest Lumberjack,
Branko Vukas (Dyer, IN), joined the team via trade on Saturday afternoon and made his team debut later that night. Vukas started this season and spent all last year as a member of the Omaha Lancers. The Dyer, IN native, was named the Lancers' captain ahead of the 2025-26 campaign and picked up 1 point in 10 games with the team.
Now a Lumberjack, Vukas, picked up a pair of assists in his first game last week, showcasing his ability to affect the game in multiple ways. His play making ability isn't what attracted the Lumberjacks brass to make a trade. It was his 6'4, 214-pound frame that made him a beast on the back end and allowed him to dominate play in his own end of the ice.
Before his time in the USHL, Vukas played a season in the NAHL with the Oklahoma Warriors, appearing in 31 games. During his youth hockey career, he played for the Chicago Fury.
Following his junior hockey playing career, Vukas will make the jump to NCAA Division I College Hockey and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) to play for the University of Miami (OH) Red Hawks.
Over the Airwaves
FloHockey is the official live stream partner of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Follow along all season long on FloHockey, or with a free internet radio feed available on Mixlr and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network, with Voice of the Jacks,
Ezra Gennello.
Thirty minutes to puck drop every game day, tune into the Pregame Show on Facebook Live. New for this season, the whole pregame show will be available on FloHockey before all Lumberjacks home games.
Upcoming Games
Fri. November 21 | 8:05 pm EST | at Cedar Rapids
Sat. November 22 | 8:05 pm EST | at Cedar Rapids
Thurs. November 27 | 7:00 pm EST | at USNTDP Under-17 Team
Fri. November 29 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Dubuque
Sat. November 30 | 6:00 pm EST | vs Dubuque
Follow the Jacks
Be sure to follow the Muskegon Lumberjacks on social media!
Facebook - Muskegon Lumberjacks
Twitter - @MuskegonJacks
Instagram - @muskegonjacks
TikTok – @muskegonlumberjacks
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, including playing the game the right way while maintaining their academic focus in the classroom and staying actively involved in the West Michigan community. The organization is committed to providing high-quality, affordable, and top-notch family entertainment while serving as positive role models for the youth and local community.
