PLYMOUTH, MI – Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) found the back of the net three times on Monday night, leading the charge for a Muskegon Lumberjacks (36-21-0-1, 73 pts.) 5-3 win over the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's Under-18 Team (14-38-3-2, 33 pts.)
 
A dominant first period saw the Lumberjacks take a 3-0 lead back into the locker room with a balanced effort on both the offense and defensive sides of the puck. The first goal of the period came 6:52 into the game from Stewart. The play started on the near side of the Jacks' blue line, where Nathan Larioza (Los Gatos, CA) fired a pass across the ice to Louis Jonerheim (Lund, SWE) on his way through the neutral zone. Jonerheim carried the puck down the far side wall and dropped a pass for Stewart, whose initial shot was stopped. Stewart found his rebound and tucked it around the goalie to make it 1-0.
 
As of late, the Lumberjacks' penalty kill has been stellar at creating opportunities despite being short-handed. This time, Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) exited the penalty box, marking the end of a 4-on-3 power play for the NTDP, and the start of a 5-on-4 advantage. On his way out of the box, Sanderson joined Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) on a 2-on-1 rush and capitalized on the opportunity to make it 2-0.
 
Stewart added his second goal of the period in the final stages of the frame to give the Jacks a 3-0 lead. This time, Norringer and Jonerheim worked together to get the puck to the far side corner of the NTDP zone. Stewart joined the effort and picked up possession. From a normally ill-advised angle to shoot from, Stewart pinpointed a shot to the top near the corner of the net for his 29^th goal of the season.
 
The second period started just as dominant for the Lumberjacks, leading to another goal. Sanderson, Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE), and Rudolfs Berzkalns (Cesis, LAT) put together a commanding shift in the offensive zone with tons of shots on goal. Berzkalns was the beneficiary of a nearly empty net and the puck on his stick, allowing him to score his 13^th goal of the season and make it 4-0 for the Lumberjacks.
 
A pair of goals in the span of 57 seconds helped the NTDP bring the score to 4-2. Wyatt Cullen scored the first goal at the 7:47 mark by cleaning up a loose puck in the crease. Then, Lukas Zajic scored a beauty of a wrist shot while on a breakaway, thanks to an assist from Victor Plante.
 
Both teams struck in the third period, starting with the Lumberjacks 92 seconds into the frame. Stewart finished his hat trick with another assist from Norringer. This time, Norringer led a 2-on-1 rush up the far side of the ice and sent a pass off the pad of the goalie to Stewart on the near side of the slot. Stewart tapped the puck to the back of the net for his third career hat trick in the USHL.
 
In the final moments of the game, Mikey Berchild added a goal, but it was a moot point with not enough time left on the clock to mount a real comeback effort.
 
Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) (28-12-0-0) played well for the Lumberjacks, making 27 saves on the 30 shots he faced. Luke Carrithers (5-3-1-1) had a busy night, making 31 saves on 36 shots against.
 
On Friday and Saturday nights, the teams take to the ice at Trinity Health Arena in Muskegon as part of the Lumberjacks' final home series of the regular season. Get your tickets at muskegonlumberjacks.com or by calling 231-799-7000.