SPOONER, Wis. – The expansion Wisconsin Lumberjacks added a couple more firsts to their early record books Saturday night as they blanked the Fort Frances Lakers 1-0 in a low-scoring Superior International Junior Hockey League affair in front of over 500 fans at the Spooner Civic Center.
The victory was the initial SIJHL home-ice triumph for the Lumberjacks while goaltender Nathan Mueller’s 25-save performance accounted for Wisconsin’s first league shutout.
First period play saw the home side out shoot the Lakers 20-4 in the session, but they could not solve Fort Frances starter Alex Bugeja.
They did collect the evening’s lone tally, five minutes into the middle stanza, as a long Nicholas Solema pass from his own zone sent the Lumberjacks out on a three-on-one where Dalton Garcia put one on the tape of Ryan Green who promptly wired one from the slot high over Bugeja.
It was continued tight-checking and solid goalkeeping from there as Wisconsin stymied the Lakers throughout the evening in holding them off the score sheet.
Bugeja was solid for the visitors, despite the defeat, as he finished with 42 saves in the setback.
Photo credit: Karina Schafer