
By @MichaelCaples –
It may not have ended the way they wanted it to, but the Lumberjacks still had one historic season in Muskegon.
The USHL club had their season come to an end on Friday, when the Sioux Falls Stampede finished off the Clark Cup Final with a 4-2 victory in South Dakota. With the victory, the Stampede completed a 3-0 series sweep over the Lumberjacks.
Yet it was a season full of firsts for the Lumberjacks franchise. The club recorded their first best-of-five USHL playoff series victory when they knocked off top-seeded Youngstown in the first round, and after a win over perennial power Dubuque, they won a conference championship for the first time.
In just two years under GM John Vanbiesbrouck and coach Todd Krygier, the Lumberjacks have turned into a major player in the USHL.
“It’s obviously the first in franchise history to win the Eastern Conference and play for the Clark Cup,” Krygier told MiHockey after the Eastern Conference Final. “This is only my second year here coaching and John Vanbiesbrouck’s second year as general manager, so we’re really excited. We’ve only had one draft, we came in our first year and we didn’t have a draft. We had all our players given to us, and we had to work with that. And then this year, we had a draft and made trades that we felt would help our organization be successful in the playoffs, and I think that the trades that Beezer has made for us have been absolutely huge in helping us be successful.”
There’s no reason to expect any kind of drop-off, either. Readers can take a look at MiHockey’s USHL Day 1 and Day 2 draft lists to see who the ‘Jacks have picked up for upcoming seasons. Make sure to check out our other articles and photo galleries about the Lumberjacks, as well:
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PHOTOS: Muskegon Lumberjacks vs. Sioux Falls Stampede (Clark Cup Final Game 1)
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Muskegon Lumberjacks’ success continues into Clark Cup Final
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Muskegon Lumberjacks advance to USHL’s Clark Cup Final with Game 5 win in Dubuque
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PHOTOS: Lumberjacks vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL Eastern Conference Finals)
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PHOTOS: Lumberjacks win first USHL best-of-five playoff series in franchise history
And here are some tweets from Krygier and the players reflecting on an impressive 2014-15 season:
4 roles in hockey: player, coach, ref, and fan. Grateful to coach these guys and will always be their biggest fan!! @MuskegonJacks 2014-2015
— Todd Krygier (@TKrygier) May 17, 2015
Cannot thank the @MuskegonJacks enough. Unbelievable teammates, coaches, and staff in Skeetown. 1st class organization from top to bottom
— Griffen Molino (@griff_ball) May 17, 2015
Unreal season with the @MuskegonJacks in the dirty skee with the best team I could’ve asked for #Jacks #Krygs
— Joseph Cecconi (@Jcecconi9) May 16, 2015
Would not have wanted my rookie year in the USHL with anyone else. Love every single one of you. Teammates for a year, brothers forever ❤️
— Dante Palecco (@dpalecco_91) May 16, 2015
Sad to see this incredible year come to an end. What a ride it was. Thanks to the @MuskegonJacks for the unbelievable season. #JacksFam
— Mitch Eliot (@mitch_eliot44) May 16, 2015
We are not where we want to be but neither are we where we used to be. Congrats to @MuskegonJacks #EasternConferenceChamps
— Todd Krygier (@TKrygier) May 16, 2015