Team West Holds off a Pesky Team East Squad | |
January 23, 2013 | |
The Waterloo goaltending combination of McAdam and Petersen allow one goal in the victory. | |
MUSKEGON, Michigan (January 23rd) – It was a gritty defensive slugfest in this year’s 2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game as the defenses from both teams went toe-to-toe against some of the best offensive talent in the league. However, one team had to come away with the victory and it was Team West that walked away by the slimmest of margins winning 2-1 at the L.C. Walker Arena.
The first period saw Team West take control early and would get the game’s first goal at the 4:45 mark of the opening frame with a goal from Sioux City’s Conor McGlynn that was assisted by his teammates, Jake Guentzel and Jake Montgomery, to make it a 1-0 game. Team East had a great opportunity to tie the game at 1-1, but Lumberjacks own Michael Brodzinski was robbed on the back door by Waterloo Black Hawks Goaltender Eamon McAdam, who stoned Brodzinski with the glove. Team West would take the 1-0 lead into the first period while outshooting the East, 10-6.
Early in the second period, the West would double their lead to 2-0 at the 1:53 mark of the frame with a goal by Tri-City’s Jason Cotton that was assisted by teammate Garrett Gamez and Omaha Lancer Drew Melanson. No scoring would be tallied through the rest of the period as starting goaltenders Charlie Lindgren (Team East) and Eamon McAdam (Team West) would be pulled at the halfway point, respectively, for Alex Sakellaropoulos and Cal Petersen. Team West was still outshooting the East through two periods, 19-17.
Both defenses would continue to buckle down into the third period as Team East would finally pull through at the 15:08 mark with a goal by USNTDP’s John Hayden, who slammed home a rebound past Petersen to cut the deficit to 2-1. Lumberjacks own Ben Storm and Chicago’s Christian Heil were credited with the assists on the Hayden goal. The score would remain the same late into the game, but Team East would not get the equalizer as they would pull Sakellaropoulos for the extra attacker, but would come up empty as Team West escaped with the hard-earned victory.
Team East ended up outshooting the West for the game, 32-24, and both teams were combined 0 for 5 on the power play. The most valuable player awards were credited to John Hayden of Team East (USNTDP), who scored the lone goal for the team, and Eamon McAdam of Team West, who stopped all 11 shots he faced in his 30 minutes of action.
The Lumberjacks will continue their home stand with a pair of home games this Friday and Saturday nights at 7:15 pm, respectively, against the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Sioux Falls Stampede. Friday features the return of the “Rock the Arena” promotion presented by Rock 101.7 FM where from 6:15-7:30 pm, Rolling Rock Beer will be sold for only $2 throughout select concession stand areas. Also, the first 1,000 fans will receive a “Goal Stick” courtesy of Anchor Insurance and the James W. Minds Agency. Saturday’s game features the second installment of Family Feast Night where select menu items will be available for only $1. Tickets are on sale this week for the low price of $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-12 if they are purchased before the day of the game. Fans can also purchase tickets online by visiting www.muskegonlumberjacks.com or calling (231) 724-JACK (5225).
The Muskegon Lumberjacks are proud members of the United States Hockey League, the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league and the leading producer of NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The Lumberjacks’ organization prides itself on developing not just premier hockey talent, but also exceptional young men outside the arena of sports. For more information, visit www.muskegonlumberjacks.com. | |