LocalSportsJournal.com
The Muskegon Lumberjacks closed out their Sunday contest with the Under-17 Team USA squad strong, scoring three unanswered third period goals leading to a 6-3 victory.
The Jacks remain perfect in the month of February at 5-0.
Muskegon will look to keep that streak alive next weekend in a three-game road series against the Green Bay Gamblers. The teams are currently tied for second place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference. The first contest will be on Friday at 8:05 p.m. from Wisconsin.
The Lumberjacks are now 27-14-2 on the season, good for 56 points and a second-place tie in the standings. They are six points behind first-place Dubuque.
Muskegon scored the lone goal of the opening period with just 9.9 seconds remaining from Wilson Dahlheimer.
The Jacks increased their advantage to 2-0 at the 1:44 mark of the second period with a goal from Matvei Gridin.
Team USA responded with a pair of goals to tie the contest 2-2 as Jack Murtagh (4:41) and Conrad Fondrk (7:38) each found the back of the net.
Muskegon regained its advantage at 3-2 with a goal from Justin Solovey at the 8:04 mark of the second period.
Murtagh scored his second goal of the evening for Team USA to tie the game at 3-all at the 9:33 mark of the middle stanza.
The contest remained tied heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
Ty Henricks (2:41), Gridin (10:55) and Ethan Whitcomb (13:01) each scored third-period goals for the Lumberjacks to close out the scoring.
Both teams recorded 31 shots on goal as Lumberjacks goaltender Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev stopped 28-of-31 shots.
The Lumberjacks went 3-for-6 on the power play, while Team USA was 1-for-4 on its man advantages.
