MUSKEGON, MI – Only 10 games remain in the 2024-25 USHL regular season, and for the Lumberjacks, 9 of them will be played at home at Trinity Health Arena. The first set of games comes in week 26 when the Green Bay Gamblers come to town for a three-game series.
 

The Match-up

The week 26 meeting features games 4, 5, and 6 between the Jacks and Gamblers. In the early stages of 2025, the teams skated in a trio of games at the Resch Center in Green Bay. The first game was a back-and-forth battle that saw the Gamblers come away with a 5-3 win.
 
The Jacks responded in a big way on Saturday night, edging out Green Bay with a 2-1 win to even up the weekend series. Sunday was another tightly contested game, with the Lumberjacks leading all the way through the game to the final minute of regulation. A late goal from the USHL leader, Will Zellers, tied the game before his second of the game gave the Gamblers a 3-2 OT win.
 
With a 1-1-1 record against the Gamblers, the Jacks have a chance to win the season-long series against the Gamblers. Of the 11 series that have been settled this season, the Jacks have won 7 of them with only 2 series losses, and 2 series ties.
 

 
Success this season has come two different ways for each team. For the Jacks, it has been a full team effort. Both goalies, Stephen Peck (New York, NY) and Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS), have nearly identical statistics, while no skater is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the team in any of the offensive statistical categories.
 
Green Bay, meanwhile, has been carried by a handful of players. Will Zellers leads the USHL with 39 goals and sits 2^nd in total points with 61. Aidan Park joins Zellers at the top of the goal-scoring leaderboard with 28 in 2^nd, and his 57 points are 5^th in the league. There is a 15-point gap between Park and the next closest player. In the crease, Gavin Moffatt is the only goalie whose stats are eligible to qualify for league leaderboards. Goalies must have played at least 1020 minutes this season to be considered qualified. Moffatt has played 2109 with the next closest netminder on the Gamblers with only 690 minutes played.
 
 

About Last Week

The good vibe train was rolling for the Jacks heading into a week 25 matchup against the Fargo Force at Scheels Arena. It was the return to Fargo for Finn McLaughlin (Canmore, AB, CAN), who was traded in February and celebrated his 100^th career USHL game on Saturday.
 
Friday night kicked off a dominant weekend of hockey for the Jacks with a 4-1 win. Four different Jacks found the back of the net while Danny Klaers (Minnetrista, MN) led the game with a pair of assists. Four of the Lumberjacks 7 defensemen earned a point in the win while Peck stopped 24 of 25 shots sent his way.
 
Saturday was a similar story. Despite falling 1-0 in the opening minute of the game, the Jacks were dominant for the other 59 minutes of action. A 6-2 win came on the backs of multi-point performances from Ivan Ryabkin (Balakovo, RUS), Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN), Jack Galanek (Hopkinton, MA), and Vaclav Nestrasil (Praha, CZE). Again, Peck was phenomenal in between the pipes with 21 saves on 23 shots.
 
Thanks to his strong play, Peck was named the USHL Goalie of the Week. He has a 2-0 record, .938 SV%, and a 1.50 GAA.
 
The Gamblers played just one game last week. A 5-4 shootout loss to the Chicago Steel. Zellers found the back of the net.
 
 

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. March 21 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Green Bay
Sat. March 22 | 6:00 pm ET | vs Green Bay
Sun. March 23 | 3:00 pm ET | vs Green Bay
Fri. March 28 | 7:00 pm ET | vs Madison
Sat. March 29 | 6:00 pm ET | vs Madison
Sun. March 30 | 3:00 pm ET | vs Madison
 

Follow the Jacks

Be sure to follow the Muskegon Lumberjacks on social media!
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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 on and off the ice, including 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.