MUSKEGON, MI – Entering the week 12 matchup at Trinity Health Arena, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (19-5-0-0, 38 pts.) and Fargo Force (14-7-0-1, 29 pts.) boast two of the top goaltending tandems in the USHL. Friday night's game brought exactly what fans were expecting in a low-scoring goaltending duel.
Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) won the duel with a 2-1 win for the Jacks.
The game brought the annual Teddy Bear Toss, and teddy bears started flying from the crowd 13:46 into the contest when
Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) gave the Jacks a 1-0 lead.
Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) knocked the puck to the offensive zone and kept it alive long enough for
Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) to swoop in and pick up possession on the near side wall. Lawrence carried the puck towards the net, and as a Fargo defenseman pressured him slid a backhand pass across the zone to Norringer for a heavy, one-time blast to the back of the net.
In the second period, the Jacks extended the lead with the eventual game-winning goal just 1:29 into the frame. A strong forecheck from
Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, MI) turned into a turnover in the low slot inside the Fargo zone. Bergeron got the puck to
Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE), who didn't have much space to get a shot off. Rather than forcing a shot, Novotny tapped the puck to
Chuck Blanchard (West Hartford, CT) just a few steps away. Blanchard fired a shot off the back bar of the goal frame for his 8
th goal of the season.
Building momentum on a power play, the Force used it to find the back of the net just as the Jacks returned to full strength. Caleb Kim slid a pass to the far side corner of the Jacks' zone to Eero Butella. From a near impossible angle, Butella lifted a shot over Axelsson's shoulder into the top corner of the net for his 4
th goal of the season.
Overall, the Jacks defended a trio of penalty kills, all in the third period, to finish 3/3 in short-handed opportunities. The lone McKenzie Price Power Play came in the third period and ended without a Lumberjacks' goal.
Axelsson (13-2-0-0) picked up another win to extend his lead in the USHL. His 26 saves on 27 shots were precisely what the Jacks needed. Ajay White (10-3-0-1) earned the loss on his record despite turning aside 25 of 27 shots fired by the Lumberjacks.
Saturday night, the teams return to the ice at 6 p.m. to close the weekend series. The Jacks will wear special "Holiday Palooza" jerseys that will be auctioned off live in person following the end of the game. Tickets are available at muskegonlumberjacks.com, by calling 231-799-7000, or by visiting the box office located inside the VanDyke Mortgage Convention Center starting at 12 p.m.
