Lumberjacks Fall to Youngstown in Exhibition Matinee

September 13, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release

MUSKEGON – Hockey can be a funny game.

Your team can be outshot by 34 goals, like the Muskegon Lumberjacks were on Monday night, and still manage to win, thanks to great goaltending.

Then the next day the shot margin can be much closer, but your team gets creamed.

That/s what happened to the Jacks on Tuesday when they fell behind early and lost to the Youngstown Phantoms 9-2 at Trinity Health Arena.

The Lumberjacks, now 1-3 in preseason games, will hit the ice again on Friday at 10 a.m. when they host the Team USA 18-Under squad.

The Phantoms were clearly motivated by Monday’s game, when they had an amazing 51-17 advantage in shots on goal and lost 2-1.

That was clear in the first 10 minutes of the first period when Youngstown outshot the Jacks 12-0 and jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on goals by William Whitelaw (at 4:36), Jake Rozzi (5:29) and Justin Yarner (8:09).

Muskegon’s Owen Mehlenbacher scored at the 10:30 mark of the first period with a wrap-around goal, and the Phantoms led 3-1 at the first break.

Youngstown added three more goals in the second period from Nick Williams (6:05), Kenta Isogai (6:54) and Whitelaw (16:50) and led 6-1 at the second intermission.

Isogai scored his second goal of the game just 28 seconds into the third period, then Hunter Price added a goal at the 4:57 mark.

Muskegon’s Matvei Gridin gave the Jacks a goal at 5:13 of the third period, then Youngstwon’s Rozzi capped things of with his second tally of the game at 12:13.

Brendan Holahan played the entire game in goal for the Lumberjacks, stopping 28 of 37 shots.

Youngstown outshot the Jacks 37-30.

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