MUSKEGON, MI – Week 23 brings the final two match ups between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the 2024-2025 regular season. The Jacks enter the weekend series at Trinity Health Arena looking to right the ship while the Riders have had a strong month of February, looking to carry the momentum into the new month.
 

The Match up

After entering the Christmas break as the #1 team in the USHL, the Jacks have slipped slightly in the standings to 3^rd in the Eastern Conference. Regardless, the team still sits in a commanding spot near the top of the table and looks to build momentum heading into the postseason. New additions on and off the ice can be a key to that shift.
 
Colten St. Clair, the team's new Associate Head Coach, joins the Jacks after spending a few weeks as the head coach of the Omaha Lancers earlier this season. His 6-10-2 record as the Omaha bench boss saw him lead the Lancers to their only six wins. He brings playing and coaching experience in the USHL and NCAA to the Jacks.
 
At the trade deadline, Muskegon welcomed Finn McLaughlin (Canmore, AB, CAN) to the family. The 2006 birth year defenseman brings a two-way game and strong offensive capabilities to an already talented blue line.
 
Cedar Rapids has had an interesting season to this point. A bit of a mass exodus from the Stable early in the year has been followed by sometimes strong, sometimes lackluster play. Overall, the Riders sit in 6^th place of the East and hold on to the final spot in the 2025 Clark Cup Playoffs.
 
Both teams need a big weekend. One looks to return to form while the other fends off the teams behind them in the standings.
 

About Last Week

One of the hottest teams through the second half of the season has been the Youngstown Phantoms, and for the third time since the break the Jacks had to learn that the hard way. Friday night was a good ole fashioned goalie duel. Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS) got the nod for the Jacks across the ice from Melvin Strahl for the Phantoms. Tied at 1-1 through 40 minutes, the Phantoms took a 2-1 lead early in the third period and held on with an empty netter late in regulation to earn the 3-1 win.
 
The game featured lopsided penalties and lots of controversial calls with two Lumberjacks ejected from the game in the second period, and a third earning a 10-minute misconduct.
 
Saturday the Phantoms jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but the Jacks would not go down easy. Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN) got the Jacks on the board with a power play goal in the final minute of the second period while David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) helped open the scoring in the second. An empty netter for Youngstown brought the deficit back to three goals, but Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) found the back of the net twice in the final minute in the comeback effort.
 
The RoughRiders played a pair of games against opponents last week. They took care of business on home ice Friday night with a 3-0 win over the visiting Des Moines Buccaneers. Aj Reyelts recorded his second straight shutout to bring his season total to a USHL leading four on the campaign.
 
Saturday the story ended differently with a 5-2 loss on the road against the Waterloo Back Hawks. Despite taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, the Riders allowed five straight goals over the final two periods, falling 5-2.
 

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: CARTER SANDERSON

If there is one message to take away from the Four Nations Faceoff last week, it's not that one country is better than the rest at hockey. There is still a need in the lineup for the power forward that uses size, speed, and physicality to dictate the game in their favor. Carter Sanderson has been precisely that player for the Lumberjacks this season.
 
A 2007 birth year, Sanderson is a product of Pierre, South Dakota and plays with an identity his hometown would be proud of. "He's a big, strong kid that plays physical" said Jacks' Coach Adam Morrison.
 
South Dakota is not generally considered a hockey-rich market in the United States. Still, Sanderson took advantage of the opportunities in the area to grow as a player. "I started playing around 3 or 4." Said Sanderson. "My uncle was the bantam (14u) coach, so he got me into it. Growing up watching the high school team play, I thought it was the pros." He continued.
 
To read more about Sanderson and his time in Muskegon, check out his full player spotlight at muskegonlumberjacks.com.

Over the Airwaves

FloHockey is the official live stream partner of the USHL. Follow along all season long on FloHockey or with a free internet radio feed is also available on Mixlr and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network Presented by Lakeside Surfaces with Voice of the Jacks, Ezra Gennello.
 
Thirty minutes to puck drop every game day, the Lumberjacks Hockey Network Pregame Show takes place on Facebook Live.
 

Upcoming Games

Fri. February 28 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Cedar Rapids
Sat. March 1 | 6:00 pm ET | vs. Cedar Rapids
Fri. March 7 | 8:05 pm ET | at Dubuque
Sat. March 8 | 8:05 pm ET | at Dubuque
Fri. March 14 | 8:05 pm ET | at Fargo
Sat. March 15| 7:05 pm ET | at Fargo
 

Follow the Jacks

Be sure to follow the Muskegon Lumberjacks on social media!
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Twitter - @MuskegonJacks
Instagram - @muskegonjacks
Tik Tok - 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, 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.