MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Lumberjacks’ top offensive line is comprised of three guys who can score a lot of goals.
But all three can’t be offensive wizards all the time.
To make it all work right, someone has to do the dirty work in the offensive zone, to create scoring opportunities for the other two.
Second-year forward Ben Strinden has happily stepped up to assume that role.
Strinden is a scrappy player who loves to forecheck, park in front of the opponents’ net and create havoc around the goal crease, and go into the corners to battle for pucks.
He’s also very good at getting the puck to talented linemates Joey Larson and Quinn Hutson, who have a special gift for finding the net.
[1]Strinden can score a lot, too. In 2018-19 at Northstar Christian Academy, he had 29 goals and 26 assists, and the next season totaled 26 goals and 37 assists.
But now he doesn’t care who gets the goals, just so someone does.
“I just want to win,” Strinden, 19, an alternate captain for the Lumberjacks, told MuskegonSports.com during a Tuesday interview.
Strinden said he has loved playing a physical style since his days at Northstar, where hard-hitting hockey was the rule.
“We had an old school coach and we competed that way in practice,” Strinden said. “We were always doing battle drills, and almost fighting in practice. I started to love it, and I think I always will.
“If I get crosschecked in the back, for instance, it makes me get more into the game. The pain makes we want to work even harder. It brings me energy, and my hands and my shot just kind of fall into place from that. Everything just flows when I’m playing hard and physical.”
[2]The Strinden-Larson-Hutson line has been huge for the Lumberjacks in recent weeks, as they overcame an early-season slump and fought their way out of the USHL Eastern Conference cellar.
The Jacks have won five of their last six games, including four straight on the road. prior to coming home for two games last weekend.
In that six-game span, Larson, Hutson and Strinden have scored 15 of Muskegon’s 31 goals. Larson has led the way with eight goals and two assists, Hutson has five goals and five assists, and Strinden has two goals and four assists.
“I think we’ve been playing together now for almost a month,” Strinden said about his line. “At the start we were trying to do stuff by ourselves, but then we bought into what each of us does best. Larson and Hutson are pure goal scorers, so I try to get the puck to them as much as I can. I might not score as much, but I’m trying to do the dirty work for them to produce points. We’re just buying into our roles.”
Strinden said he and his linemates have learned over the past few weeks to stop pressing so much on the ice, because relaxing and having fun has its rewards.
“The big thing for us is trying to stay loose,” he said. “Even on the bench, we’re joking around and trying not to take things too seriously, and just trying to have fun, because when you have fun you stay loose and produce points.”
[3]The potent line probably had its best and most important game on Saturday night in a huge 5-4 win over a very good Madison squad at Mercy Health Arena.
After winning four on the road, the Jacks came home last Friday and played awful against Madison, losing 7-3. Everybody, particularly the players, knew it was crucial to bounce back with a win the next night, to solidify the confidence the team has been building.
Hutson responded with two goals and two assists in the game, Larson added two goals and Strinden had one goal and one assist.
“Going into Saturday we talked as a group, and we knew we had to bring out best game,” Strinden said. “We knew we had to start playing more consistently. We were very determined and we went in with a killer instinct.”
Muskegon was not Strinden’s anticipated destination when he came to play in the USHL last season. He grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, the home of the Fargo Force, and he watched that team play a lot over the years.
He expected to be drafted by the Force, but was chosen by the Lumberjacks instead.
“The Force was the only team talking to me before the draft two years ago, so I was expecting to play in Fargo, but Muskegon gave me the call,” said Stinden, who will return home next season to play hockey at the University of North Dakota. “I was excited, but my mom was disappointed.”
Strinden’s rookie season in Muskegon in 2020-21 did not go at all as planned. He suffered two concussions that limited him to 23 games, and he only had one goal and nine assists.
He says that experience, tough as it was, prepped him for this season, when he already has seven goals and nine assists in just 18 games.
“I didn’t have much confidence, but last season helped me develop a lot of perseverance, which has helped me play better this season,” he said.
Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton definitely appreciates Strinden’s improvement and contributions to the team.
“He wants to be the first guy in on the forecheck,” Hamilton said. “He loves to play the heavy game and grind it out. He’s one of the strongest guys on our team. He can play with skill, but the more he plays like a power forward, the more NHL teams have been taking notice.
“We knew he was going to be one of our top guys this season. We weren’t sure about his offense, but he’s taken some huge steps.”
[4]