Sports stats



USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Jacks net four out of six points during three-game home weekend

January 19, 2011 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


Muskegon, Mich. - The Muskegon Lumberjacks' offense provided plenty of fireworks as the team netted four of six possible points this past weekend.

The Jacks lit the lamp 16 times over the only three-game weekend set at the L.C. Walker Arena this season. Muskegon (14-12-6 - 34 points, fourth place in the Eastern Conference) jumpstarted the weekend with a 6-2 victory over Youngstown on Friday night. Then the East-leading Green Bay Gamblers snakebit the Jacks 6-2 on Saturday night, before the Jacks struck back convincingly in an 8-4 retaliation victory Sunday.

The eight goals marked the Jacks' single-game high, and they came against a Gamblers squad that's allowed an average of just 2.34 goals to its opponents per game. Muskegon center Travis Belohrad notched his first hat trick Sunday and his linemates, Matt Berry and Ryan Misiak, both assisted on all three goals to earn playmakers. Left winger Mike Conderman also had three helpers.

The Jacks' 110 goals on the season are just second to the Indiana Ice's 111. Misiak, a Shelby Township, Mich., native, is second in the league with 39 points and third in assists with 26. Belohrad's hat trick, along with an assist in Friday's win and a combined +3 over the weekend, earned him the team's CCM Offensive Player of the Week Award nomination. Jaycob Megna potted his first USHL goal Sunday and was the team's submission for the CCM Defensive Player of the Week honor. Paul Berrafato's 38 saves on 40 shots Friday night earned him a win and extended his unbeaten streak to four games. The 17-year-old Williamsville, N.Y., native received the Jacks' nomination for the Reebok Goaltender of the Week Award.

The Jacks will now take their high-octane show on the road, as they'll return to the Stable in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a third matchup with the RoughRiders. The first two tilts have been decided in a shootout. The Riders rallied for a 4-3 shootout win at the L.C. Walker Arena on Saturday, Nov. 20. The Jacks rode a stellar performance by Joel Vienneau in the rematch Saturday, Dec. 4, in Cedar Rapids. Travis Walsh's fourth-round shootout goal propelled Muskegon to a 2-1 shootout victory and also landed the 17-year-old blueliner from Lansing, Mich., on ESPN's Top Weekend Plays on Monday morning.

Jacks fans can unite to catch the rematch at M.A.C. Sports Bistro in downtown Muskegon. The team will hold a watch party, and $2 domestic beers will be on tap throughout the broadcast.

On Saturday, the Jacks will look to break through against Des Moines at Buccaneer Arena in the finale of a four-game interconference season series. The Jacks are 0-1-2 against the Bucs through three meetings. After visiting Indiana on Tuesday, Jan. 25, and Youngstown on Friday, Jan. 28, the Jacks will wrap up a home-and-home series with the Phantoms at the L.C. Walker Arena on Saturday night.

USHL names players of the week: The United States Hockey League announced the weekly award winners for Week 16.

Forward Daniil Tarasov of the Indiana Ice was named CCM Offensive Player of the Week; defenseman Jacob MacDonald of the Waterloo Black Hawks was selected as CCM Defensive Player of the Week; and Michael Shibrowski of the Des Moines Buccaneers and Stephon Williams of the Sioux Falls Stampede shared honors as the Reebok USHL Goaltender of the Week.

Tarasov scored six points (3g, 3a) and posted a plus-four rating to help the Indiana Ice capture a pair of road victories during the weekend. The 19-year-old tallied five points (2g, 3a), including the game-winning goal in Saturday's 7-4 win at Tri-City.

MacDonald tallied a point (1g, 3a) in all three games for the Black Hawks during the week and finished with a +2 rating to lead the team to pair of victories. The defenseman assisted on the game-winning goal in Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Indiana, which snapped the six-game win streak for the Ice.

Shibrowski allowed just two goals over two wins for the Buccaneers. He made 29 saves in the 2-1 victory over Waterloo on Friday. The 20-year-old then made 33 saves in the 4-1 win against Western Conference-leading Dubuque on Sunday.

Williams also won both of his starts for the Stampede as the team extended its winning streak to four games. The 17-year-old made 34 saves in the 3-1 win vs. Tri-City on Wednesday. Williams then stopped 23 shots in Friday's 4-1 victory over Dubuque.

Donnie Baker to perform two shows at Annex Comedy Theater: Comedian Donnie Baker, famous for his calls in to the Bob & Tom Show, will be performing two shows Friday, Jan. 28, at the L.C. Walker Arena's Annex Comedy Theater. Tickets for the shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m. can be purchased for $20 by calling (231) 726-2400. Lumberjacks season ticketholders can get tickets for just $15 if they dial (231) 726-3879 to purchase tickets by Friday, Jan. 14.

News and notes

Bookends: The RoughRiders are outscoring their opponents 30-17 in the first period and 31-18 in the third.

Tough opening act: Before welcoming the Jacks back to The Stable Friday night, the RoughRiders will first host the Gamblers on Wednesday night.

Positive reinforcement: Cedar Rapids has three players who have reached double digits in positive +/- rating this season: Josiah Didier (+11), Nolan Zajac (+15) and Jayson Megna (+12).

Drop it like it's hot: Cedar Rapids' back-up goaltender, Cody Campbell, has not played for the Herd since Walsh scored an ESPN Weekend Top Plays-worthy highlight goal on him. Campbell has since been replaced on Cedar Rapids' roster by Cole Burns, who has yet to log a single minute for the Roughriders.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner: The RoughRiders' Jayson Megna has seven game winning goals this season; Muskegon's Matt Berry has four. Both the Jacks and Herd have nine different game winning goal scorers so far this season.

Trying to heat up: The win column has been an icy one to crack for both Muskegon and Cedar Rapids, who have gone 2-3-1 and 1-1-2, respectively, on the month. However, the thaw might have started this past weekend for the two teams, as they both notched their first wins of the month.

Good son, bad son: Cedar Rapids has only gone on the penalty kill 87 times this season, conceding 10 goals. Conversely, Muskegon has gone on the kill 173 times, conceding 32 goals. The RoughRiders are averaging 10.93 PIMs a game whereas the Jacks more than double that, averaging 28.19 PIMs a contest.

Bringing the 'A' game: Vienneau faced the RoughRiders in both previous contests, posting a 1.85 GAA and .944 SPCT, which is his highest rate against any team he has faced on multiple occasions. Berrafato is yet to play against the Herd.

Saints hope to stop streaking Bucs: Des Moines will look to extend its four-game win streak in Dubuque on Friday night before hosting the Jacks on Saturday.

Odd-man disadvantage: Des Moines has the lowest penalty killing efficiency at home in the league at 78.5 percent.

Running the gauntlet:

After hosting the league's top team in the Green Bay Gamblers for two games this past weekend, the Jacks will play a rough away stretch against Cedar Rapids, currently the No. 2 team in the league, Des Moines which ranks No. 6, and the Indiana Ice, who come it at No. 5 five, before playing a rivalry game with the Youngstown Phantoms.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United States Hockey League message board...

United States Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central