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Lumberjacks cut down Phantoms in overtime
By MARK OPFERMANN
MUSKEGON, Mich.
The Muskegon Lumberjacks got an early wake-up call to start the USHL playoffs.
They gave up a quick goal less than a minute into Wednesday’s playoff opener against Youngstown, but Muskegon’s Matheson Iacopelli delivered in the end.
Iacopelli’s goal at the 4:38 mark of overtime was the winner in a 5-4 victory in Game 1 of the Clark Cup playoffs Wednesday night before a crowd of 1,321 at L.C. Walker Arena.
The Lumberjacks had a 4-2 lead midway through the second period, but couldn’t hold it and needed Iacopelli’s winner to pull it out.
The next two games will be played Friday and Saturday nights in Youngstown, so it was a critical win for the Lumberjacks. It assures Muskegon will host Game 4 on Monday, if necessary.
“It’s one game, like I just told the guys. It’s one game, that’s all it really is,” Muskegon coach Todd Krygier said. “It’s exciting because you want to win, you don’t want to lose. We’re on our home ice. We expect to win the game. I’m not even thinking of the series, all we can do is prepare and win the next game.”
Iacopelli took a pass from Ryan Siroky and blasted a shot near the left faceoff circle past Youngstown goalie Chris Birdsall in the sudden-death overtime. No shootouts are used in playoff hockey.
“As soon as the puck came to me, my eyes were wide, so I just got everything on it and shot on net,” Iacopelli said.
It didn’t surprise Youngstown coach Anthony Noreen that it turned out to be an intense game or that Iacopelli ended it.
“Your best players have to be your best players this time of year and you would expect one of the big-time guys in the league would step up and get the game-winner,” Noreen said.
Noreen said his team, which led the league with 86 points in the regular season, must go back to work.
“I think this was part of the risk going on the road for Game 1, and obviously, we have the home ice advantage. The message is no different to the guys than if we would have won the game — we have to get better,” Noreen said. “We’ve got to get better between now and Friday, We’re fighting for our lives here and we’ve got to be better on Friday night.”
The Phantoms jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Kyle Connor, the USHL’s regular-season scoring champ, broke the ice just 39 seconds into the game.
Muskegon came right back to tie it 1-1 as Mark Petaccio made a nice deke and got the puck past Birdsall at the 2:14 mark of the first period.
Muskegon made it 2-1, scoring with one second remaining in a 5-on-3 power play as Matej Paulovic set up Griffen Molino on the backdoor and he went top shelf. Molino finished with two assists for a three-point night.
Youngstown tied it 2-2 with 28 seconds left in the opening period with a short-handed goal as Josh Melnick scored on a 2-on-1.
In the second period, Muskegon took a 4-2 lead on Christian Wolanin’s rebound goal at the 6:50 mark and Adrian Sloboda’s blast from the left point at the 8:48 mark.
The Phantoms answered on former Lumberjack Ryan Lomberg’s short-handed goal at 11:15 and Vas Kolias tied it with a wrist shot from the left circle at the 15:12 mark of the second.
Lomberg’s goal was the second short-handed tally of the night for the Phantoms.
Neither team scored in the third period and Muskegon forward Robbie DeMontis kept it that way by coming back to save a goal with about eight minutes left in regulation.
Muskegon goalie Eric Schierhorn came out near the blue line, but couldn’t beat Youngstown to the loose puck. It was shot and headed to the net, but DeMontis came back to deflect the puck away from the net and another Phantoms player to keep it tied and set up overtime.
Schierhorn finished with 34 saves and Birdsall had 36 for Youngstown.