MUSKEGON, MI – The sprint to the postseason is in full swing for the USHL, which has under two months of competition remaining before the 2026 Clark Cup Playoffs. The Muskegon Lumberjacks have put themselves in a good position down the stretch, and the return of some key players could help them hit their stride at the right time.
Week 19 brings a tough schedule, though, with a couple of strong opponents, and plenty of travel, starting with a Friday night battle in Plymouth against the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's Under-18. Then, the Jacks close the weekend in Chicago with games on Saturday and Sunday against the Steel.
Week 19 Preview: 3 Games, 3 Days, 2 Cities
The longest road trip of the season for the Lumberjacks continues and finishes in week 19 with a trio of games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. First, the Jacks take on the USNTDP Under-18 team before heading across Lake Michigan for a pair of games against the Chicago Steel. The two Eastern Conference opponents, the Jacks, have seen the least up until this point; both season-long series see Muskegon on top, 1-0.
All the way back in week 7 of the regular season, the Jacks and Under-18 Team took to the ice at USA Hockey Arena on October 30
th. A back-and-forth game, the Jacks picked up a 5-3 win thanks in large part to a spectacular performance from
Will Keane (West Bloomfield, MI). Over the 60 minutes of action, Keane faced 35 shots, stopping 32 of them. The goal support was there too. Five different Lumberjacks found the back of the net, starting with
Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) in the first 66 seconds of the game.
Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) started the second period even faster by giving the Jacks a 2-0 lead just 28 seconds into the frame. Following an NTDP goal from Michael Berchild, the rest of the period featured three straight power-play goals.
Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE) and
Rudy Berzkalns (Cesis, LAT) scored first to make it 4-1 before Casey Mutryn put one in the back of the net to make it 4-2 before the break. Victor Plante opened the scoring in the third period to bring the Under-18 team within a goal of the Jacks, but an empty netter from
Jack Christ (Chaska, MN) put an end to the comeback effort.
The following week, the Jacks and Steel met in Muskegon for a Sunday matinee match up at Trinity Health Arena. Not as close a game against the Under-18 Team, the Jacks picked up a commanding 5-1 win over the Eastern Conference rival. Cole Tuminaro opened the scoring for the Steel 3:54 into the contest, but 5 straight goals from the Lumberjacks followed. Novotny, Stewart, Sanderson, and Berzkalns all scored again for the Lumberjacks. This time,
Chuck Blanchard (West Hartford, CT) was the fifth scorer in the game.
Historically, the Muskegon-Chicago rivalry has been pretty even, but lately the Jacks have dominated their cross-lake opponent. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Jacks hold an 11-1-1-1 record in 14 games against Chicago. With 4 straight games against the Steel coming up, a continuation of the norm can help the Jacks back to the top of the standings, while a return to the historic numbers could help the Steel towards a battle for a playoff position.
There have been plenty of new faces at Trinity Health Arena as the season has gone on, and one theme is constant with nearly every mid-season addition to the roster. Big bodies. Over the year, the Jacks have gotten bigger, stronger, and meaner. Mostly on the defensive side of the puck, though this week the Jacks announced the addition of
Louis Jonerheim (Lund, SWE), a physical power forward.
At 6'4, 207 pounds, Jonerheim is built like a stay-at-home defenseman, but his speed allows him to cause havoc on the fore check. "Louis plays his size, plays a man's game, and is very mature for his age." Said Lumberjacks President
Steve Lowe.
It's easy to see the physical brand in the film of Jonerheim in the BCHL at the start of the season, when he played for the Trail Smoke Eaters. This is his first season in North America. Since 2019, Jonerheim has played in the Malmö Redhawks organization, from the U16 level to the SHL, where he appeared in one game during the 2024-25 season.
Following the end of his Junior Hockey career, Jonerheim is committed to play NCAA Division I College Hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA).
Countdown to 500: Lumberjacks at 491 Wins All-Time
Muskegon has seen plenty of milestones come on the ice at Trinity Health Arena since the 1960's, and the Lumberjacks are right on the doorstep of the next one. As a USHL franchise, the Jacks have won 491 games since the inaugural season of 2010-11. Now just 9 wins away from the milestone, the Jacks are in a great position to reach the half-century mark before the end of the 2025-26 campaign. As the countdown to 500 continues, we will feature different people who have played a role in the Lumberjacks' historic success.
Below is a breakdown of the 7 head coaches in USHL Lumberjacks history, along with their win total and win percentage.
- Kevin Patrick (2 seasons): 41 wins
- 41-63-9-7 (.342)
- Jim McKenzie (1 season): 31 wins
- 31-23-3-7 (.484)
- Todd Krygier (3 seasons): 92 wins
- 92-72-8-6 (.512)
- John LaFontaine (2 seasons): 70 wins
- 70-43-4-3 (.583)
- Mike Hamilton (4.5 seasons): 140 wins
- 140-87-13-6 (.567)
- Parker Burgess (2.5 seasons): 91 wins
- 91-61-5-7 (.552)
- Colten St. Clair (1 season): 25 wins
- 25-12-0-1 (.657)
*Win percentage is different than point percentage. Only wins and losses count, so overtime and shootout losses are counted the same as regulation losses.
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. January 30 | 7:00 pm EST | at USNTDP Under-18
Sat. January 31 | 8:05 pm EST | at Chicago Steel
Sun. February 1 | 4:05 pm EST | at Chicago Steel
Fri. February 6 | 7:00 pm EST | vs Sioux City Musketeers
Sat. February 7 | 6:00 pm EST | vs Sioux City Musketeers
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, 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.
