Muskegon Lumberjacks win USHL’s Clark Cup for first time

For the first time, the Clark Cup is calling the Mitten Home.

On Tuesday night, the Muskegon Lumberjacks defeated the Waterloo Black Hawks in the do-or-die Game 5 of the Clark Cup Final, winning the United States Hockey League championship for the first time in franchise history. They are the first team from Michigan to take home the title.

It was a dramatic finish to a memorable season for the team based in West Michigan. After the teams traded wins through the first four games, the two teams met in Waterloo to determine the champion. The game ended up needing overtime, and Jack Christ, who had only scored two goals in the playoffs until that point, netted the game-winner, completing the hat trick.

Christ, a Minnesota State commit, had potted just 17 points in 49 games during the regular season. He ended up with nine points in 14 playoff games.

The Lumberjacks had a cast of characters that led to their success this year. 16-year-old Tynan Lawrence, a Boston University commit, led all skaters with 18 points in the postseason and was named the playoffs’ most valuable player. 2025 NHL Draft-eligible prospect Ivan Ryabkin notched seven goals and 16 points in the playoffs. Ryabkin is listed 23rd in Daily Faceoff’s NHL Draft rankings.

Russian goaltender Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev, a Miami University commit, was exceptional in the playoffs. He posted a .935 save percentage in 11 appearances and lost only one of his nine decisions.

It was just the second time the Lumberjacks had ever made it to the final. Muskegon lost to the Sioux Falls Stampede, three straight, in the championship series 10 years ago.

This season was the first time Waterloo had been to the Clark Cup Final since 2013-14 when current Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour led the Black Hawks to the Anderson Cup, awarded to the USHL’s best team during the regular season. However, The Black Hawks fell to the Indiana Ice in a five-game final.

This certainly isn’t the first time the city of Muskegon has seen a championship team on the ice. From 1998 to 2005, the Muskegon Fury of the old United Hockey League won the Colonial Cup four times. Before that, the original rendition of the Lumberjacks, which played in the International Hockey League, won the Turner Cup twice. The Zephyrs and Mohawks also won the Turner Cup in 1962 and 1968, respectively.