CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA – It's only fitting that after one of the most tightly contested Clark Cup Finals in recent history, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (1-0-0-0, 2 pts.) and Waterloo Black Hawks (0-0-0-1, 1 pt.) needed a 12-round shootout to find a winner in the 2025-26 season opener.
Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) buried a pair of goals to help the Jacks reach the shootout.
The Hawks struck first in the opening frame. A turnover in the Lumberjacks' zone led to a grade-A scoring chance for Ty Mason. Drew Waterfield picked up possession on the near side wall and slid a pass to Mason across the slot.
Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) made most of the save, but the puck bounced off his arm and trickled across the goal line 15:24 into the game.
Less than a minute later, the Lumberjacks responded with a highlight reel play finished off by Sanderson. Looking up the ice from his own zone,
Niles Benson (Tampa, FL) flipped the puck high in the air, allowing Sanderson to sneak behind the defense and catch the puck in his hand. Sanderson fired a shot that missed the net, but the rebound popped back out towards the front of the net and banked off the back of Phileas Lachat before crossing the goal line.
Twenty-three seconds into the third period, the Hawks took advantage of a 4-on-3 power play opportunity to regain their 2-1 lead. Chase Jette and Atte Vikla played pass with each other at the top of the circles before Vikla fired a shot to the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
It took a while for the Jacks to respond, but when they did it was the Black Hawk killer
Jack Christ (Chaska, MN) who found the back of the net. Christ got the puck on the near side of the zone from
Barrett Dexheimer (Edina, MN) and carried it along the goal line towards the net. He faked a move behind the net and cut back up to the top of the crease before roofing a shot over the shoulder of Lachet.
Momentum belonged to the Lumberjacks for much of the period from there, but a quick rush up the ice for the Hawks saw Drew Waterfield bury a goal of his own to make it 3-2 with just under six minutes to play. Waterfield carried the puck up the near side wall and lowered his shoulder as he cut to the middle of the ice. Waterfield bullied his way to the crease and bounced the puck to the back of the net.
Sanderson has spent his fair share of time at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex since hearing his name called by the Penguins at the NHL Draft this summer. The Penguins' scouts were smiling from their press box when Sanderson tied the game late in regulation.
While skating at 4-on-4, the Lumberjacks pulled Axelsson to form a de facto 5-on-4 power play. The puck went from
Danny Klaers (Wayzata, MN) at the top of the blue line to
Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE) on the near side for a one-time blast. Novotny's shot was turned aside, but the rebound was banged home by Sanderson to force overtime.
No one had a great chance to end the game in overtime, so the teams moved on to a shootout where the goalies shined some more. Axelsson made 9 saves on 12 shots in the shootout while
Ethan Drabicki (Livonia, MI) scored the game-winner to give the Jacks a 1-0 record to start the season.
Throughout regulation and over time, Axelsson (1-0-0-0) made 20 saves on 23 shots against to earn the win. Lachat (0-0-0-1) earned the loss on his record despite making 27 saves on 30 shots, including some of the highlight reel variety.
Tomorrow night, the Lumberjacks take on the Sioux City Musketeers for the back end of their two-game set at the Dick's Sporting Goods Fall Classic. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. and can be found on FloHockey.
