By Matt Mackinder –
MUSKEGON – The best of the best in the United States Hockey League came to Muskegon Tuesday night for the first annual USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at L.C. Walker Arena.
In a game only announced in early December, the turnout was decent fan-wise and all 30 NHL teams had scouts in attendance.
USHL commissioner Skip Prince said he was “very, very happy” with the night’s events.
“The Muskegon Lumberjacks organization did a solid job and the community really got behind this,” said Prince. “I think if we do this again, we’ll look at the timing of it…but that being said, I thought this was a great event with a great turnout.”
Even the players were caught at times glancing into the crowd to see NHL teams eyeballing their every move on the ice.
“It was a little nerve-racking playing in front of so many scouts, but you just have to play your game and hopefully, they like you for who you are and how you play and not what you’re trying to do,” added Muskegon forward and Michigan State recruit Matt DeBlouw. “If I did something special out there and they remembered it, maybe in June, they’ll think back at me and what I did here.”
On the ice, Team East rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Team West 5-3.
“This was a great event and it gave everyone on the ice the opportunity to showcase themselves in front of every NHL team,” said USHL director of hockey operations and player development Tony Gill. “I thought Muskegon did a great job planning this and supporting it and I hope this game will be a memory for these kids for a long time.”
Indiana’s Robbie Baillargeon won the Team East MVP with a two-goal performance, while Fargo’s Austin Farley claimed the West’s top honors with a goal and an assist.
Farley, whose 48 points rank second in the league, assisted on A.J. Michaelson’s (Waterloo) goal at 6:26 of the first period and then scored at 13:57 to give Team West an early two-goal cushion.
Baillargeon countered with an unassisted goal with 1:46 to go in the first, deking Sioux Falls goalie Stephon Williams to the ice before going backhand. Four minutes into the second, Muskegon’s Jordan Masters picked up a loose puck and quickly centered for Baillargeon’s game-tying tally.
Green Bay’s Nicholas Schilkey, a Smiths Creek native, gave the East its first lead at 10:10 of the second. After a faceoff win by Indiana’s Robert Polesello, Schilkey ripped a one-timer that new West goalie Jay Williams (Waterloo), who had just entered in relief, appeared to stop. After review, however, it was ruled that the puck crossed the goal line and the goal counted.
Michigan recruit Justin Selman tied it up at 3-all at 14:37. A pass from Austyn Young, Selman’s Sioux Falls teammate, found Selman at the left circle. Selman tried to center the puck, but it bounced off a defenseman’s skate and past East netminder Jon Gillies (Indiana).
Seven minutes into the third, the East grabbed the lead right back. Dubuque defenseman Matthew Caito, a late injury replacement for teammate Mike Matheson, set up Schilkey in the slot. Schilkey’s shot bounced off Williams and right to Jeff Kubiak (Chicago), who finished the play at the right post.
Alex Kile’s (Green Bay) late power-play goal at 18:39 gave the East some breathing room.
Gillies finished with 19 saves after coming in for Alex Lyon, who allowed goals on both shots he faced. Stephon Williams kicked out 20 of 23 shots, while Jay Williams turned aside 13 of 15 fired his way.
In a game some could see as an All-Star game of sorts, which it is, others would like to see an event like this be an annual occasion in the USHL.
“Sometimes when you come into a game like this, the guys might treat it like a skills competition, but I thought the guys came out and competed and played hard,” said Team West coach Chad Johnson (Lincoln). “I think it’s a no-brainer that the league does this every year. Muskegon put on a great show and I thought the play on the ice was outstanding.”
Legendary Michigan State coach Ron Mason was an honorary coach for Team East and raved after the game about how far the USHL has come since he retired from coaching in 2002.
“Back 20 years ago when the USHL first started, I thought the level of play was OK and now, it’s just phenomenal,” said Mason. “I never watched a lot of USHL games, but my assistants did. I used to go to Detroit and Southern Ontario as those were our closest areas to watch people.
“Now, we’ve got a team right here in Muskegon. It’s unbelievable what (Lumberjacks owner-GM) Josh (Mervis) has done to put this team here. For all the schools in the state of Michigan, it’s just phenomenal. It’s just great.”