Jacks Notes: Coaches Were Happy with Goalie Conor Callaghan’s Performance Last Weekend
October 12, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
The constant search for that everyday, all-season, first-string goalie has become a tradition for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in recent years.
The Jacks have had plenty of great forwards and defensemen, but a lot of goalies have come and gone, with mixed success.
The job was wide open at the start of training camp this year, and the Jacks kept two goalies on their regular season roster – Conor Callaghan and Noah Rupprecht.
Both had some good moments during exhibition games, but neither played particularly well in the first three games of the regular season.
But last weekend Callaghan turned in two good outings in the Jacks’ 3-2 overtime win over Cedar Rapids on Friday, and a 6-2 victory in the rematch on Saturday.
After a shaky start on Friday, Callaghan ended up stopping 22 of 24 shots. On Saturday he stopped 24 of 26.
Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton has a long track record of going with the hot hand at goalie, so there’s a pretty good chance Callaghan could see more ice time this weekend when the Jacks hit the road to play the Green Bay Gamblers on Friday and Saturday night.
“I think for him it was making the timely saves,” Hamilton said, referring specifically to Friday’s game. “We were down 2-1 for a long time, there was pressure, pressure, pressure, and his timely saves allowed us to find a way to tie it up as it went on and eventually win.”
Hamilton noted that Callaghan is making the jump from prep school hockey (he studied and played at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut) to the USHL, where the game is much faster and more skilled.
“It’s a big jump from the level he came from,” the coach said. “The speed is much faster, there’s more movement and guys shoot the puck harder and hit spots. So he’s learning on the job, but he’s starting to get more comfortable and we’re exciting about the strides he’s been making.”
The power play shined last weekend
The power play has sometimes been a bit of a headache for the Lumberjacks in recent seasons, and it was definitely a question mark after Game 2 this season, when the Jacks only scored once in 11 power play chances in a loss to Tri-City.
But the power play unit looked like a brand new product last weekend, when it collected one goal in two chances on Friday and an impressive three goals in six chances on Saturday.
The Jacks’ special teams shined all the way around on Saturday, with the penalty killing unit holding Cedar Rapids scoreless on five power plays.
“Once we got established in the zone we really liked what both (power play) units were doing, how they moved pucks around and had good spacing,” Hamilton said. “You’re not going to score on 50 percent of your power plays all season, and scoring is not necessarily what you’re always focused on. You want to focus on good movement, spacing and providing energy, so if you don’t score you can establish momentum for the next shift.”
New guy makes a great first impression
Hamilton and his assistant coaches were extremely impressed with the play of new forward Jack Reimann, who debuted with the Jacks last weekend after being acquired from Sioux Falls last week.
Reimann did not have a goal or an assist, but raised a lot of eyebrows with his speed, hustle and intelligent play. He was basically all over the ice, and had five shots on goal over the weekend, which bodes well for the rest of the season, according to Hamilton.
“As a staff we were not 100 percent sure what we were getting,” Hamilton said about Reimann. “We knew he was good on faceoffs and he was fast, but he jumped right in and used his speed right away as an asset, and continued to gain ice time. The next thing you know he was on the penalty kill. We’re very excited. He had a lot of pucks on his stick, and we really think a lot of points are going to follow him.”
There’s nothing like playing in Green Bay
Hamilton said the Lumberjacks like to play in Green Bay – even though the fans there are known for being less-than-friendly hosts.
Resch Arena in Green Bay sits right next to the Green Bay Packers’ fabled Lambeau Field. It’s an old arena with far too many seats for a USHL team – around 11,000, according to Hamilton – and the fans there sometimes like to throw things at opponents.
“It’s a fun crowd, it really is,” Hamilton said. “It’s one of the trips we love going on every year. It’s good to have to go on the road, face a little adversity, and deal with a little bit of the crowd getting on you.
“We were hit with cheese curds one year, we had beer dumped on us another year. It’s a different sort of atmosphere.”
The Green Bay Gamblers are 2-2-1 so far this season. They are in third place in the Eastern Conference standings with five points, one point behind the Lumberjacks and Team USA. Chicago is in first place with eight points.
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