Local Sports Journal
The Muskegon Lumberjacks showed more signs of improvement after the Christmas break with an 8-4 win over host Indiana on Monday. Muskegon tallied three goals in both the first and second periods as Matt Iacopelli and Scott Pooley each had three-point nights with a pair of goals and an assist.
Iacopelli continued on his hot streak after Sunday’s hat trick performance and now has 32 points on the season in 28 games played with 21 goals and 11 assists.
Muskegon jumped out to an early 3-0 lead that was started on a Pooley goal barely two minutes into the game.
Cooper Marody scored nearly four minutes after Pooley and Icopelli would nab his first goal 90 seconds later to give Muskegon the 3-0 lead.
Newcomers Connor Wood and Matej Paulovic sparked Muskegon’s second period with their first goals as Lumberjacks. Paulovic’s goal came off a power play. Pooley added his second goal and Muskegon skated to a 6-1 lead to close out the second period.
Indiana wouldn’t quit as it scored the first two goals of the third period but Iacopelli would close the door with a goal midway through the period and Christian Wolanin added a short handed empty-net goal for his first goal as a Lumberjack. Wolanin also had an assist earlier in the contest that set up Pooley’s opening goal.
Eric Schierhorn faced 40 shots in goal for Muskegon and stopped 36 to improve to 7-7 on the season with a .911 save percentage.
The Lumberjacks added up the penalties with 11 for a total of 41 minutes. Blake Christensen received a game misconduct for removing his opponent’s helmet in a fight with Indiana’s Timothy Shoup.
Mason Jobst led Muskegon in assists with three and Trevor Morbeck had two.
Chaz Switzer added an assist for Muskegon along with Robbie DeMontis, and Matt Mendelson.
Muskegon is now back to .500 with a 13-13-4 record and will head to Sioux City on Friday.
