MUSKEGON – For a lot of youth hockey families in the lakeshore area, there has always been some uncertainly from year to year about whether their kids would be Lakeshore Chiefs or Muskegon Junior Jacks – or perhaps both, depending on circumstances.

Dave Benter, a local hockey dad, knows all too well about that.

This winter his 10-year-old son Austin has been playing on the squirt AA team for the Junior Jacks, while his 8-year-old Ian has been playing for the squirt A team for the Chiefs.

They were in different organizations because neither organization had enough players to fill out complete rosters for the two squirt teams, so the Junior Jacks took one team and the Chiefs took the other.

For the Benters, that meant different team names, different colors, different organizational loyalties, and their boys played at different rinks – the eldest at Mercy Health Arena and the youngest at Lakeshore Sports Centre.

There were a number of problems with that setup. For instance, when both of their sons played in the same organization, they would get a discount on the registration fee for the second one, and that matters in a pricey sport like hockey.

“We didn’t get a break this year,” Benter said. “In hockey there are a lot of costs. It’s very expensive.”

Next winter had the potential to be a real problem for the Benters, because the oldest boy will be moving up to the peewee ranks, while the youngest will be moving up to the AA squirts. If they had been forced to play in separate organizations again – and there was no way to tell this early if that would have happened – there could have been some scheduling chaos.

The two teams might have practiced or played games on the same nights at different locations, which would have meant a lot of driving and stress for the parents.

“It might have been better, if that happened, for us to find another organization, maybe in Holland or Grand Rapids, that had everything in the same house,” Benter said.

Luckily that won’t be necessary, because the Lakeshore Chiefs and Junior Jacks recently announced a long-awaited merger and will combine into a single organization, called the Lakeshore Youth Hockey Organization, and the teams will be known as the Lakeshore Junior Lumberjacks.

For families like the Benters, that will mean having officials and coaches on the same page, working cooperatively to help kids develop their skills, and develop family-friendly practice and game schedules.

“Both of the boys were Junior Jacks back in 2019, then both were Chiefs – It’s been kind of a rocky road,” Benter said. “This is going to be a win for all of us.”

For local youth hockey officials, the merger signals the completion of a long effort to get the area’s two organizations under one umbrella, in the best interests of everyone involved.

“I cannot put into words how excited I am,” said Ryan Alter, who will be president of the new organization while also coaching a team. “I’ve had a grin on my face when I’ve been talking to people about the merger and where it’s going to take this organization in the future. I am ecstatic for the players and their families that this merger is going to be successful.

“We have been blessed with very good coaches in this area, and this will allow all of our good coaches to come together and work as a united coaching staff.”

With all of the young players in the area in one organization, the Lakeshores Junior Lumberjacks teams should quickly become very competitive with any of the other major youth hockey organizations in Michigan, Alter said.

“There is a ton of hockey talent that comes out of the lakeshore area, but we had two organizations essentially competing for talent,” he said. “Ultimately our area was not big enough to have two organizations compete like that. A lot of the kids got to a certain age and would go play elsewhere, like in Grand Rapids.

“Now we will have all the talent together to compete with the big organizations. We will have one great youth hockey organization here, and will be able to keep more kids at home.”

There have been discussions for several years about the benefits of combining the two organizations, and a special “merger board’ was appointed last summer to work on the idea.

The group did not rush, because there were a lot of details to work out, and that proved to be a good thing, Alter said.

“We were able to take the positives from both organizations and combine it into one, when it comes to how to run the new organization,” Alter said. “We are taking the best of both worlds to create one excellent product.”

Approximately 300 youngsters currently play in the two organizations, at age levels ranking from about age 3 (skating lessons) to 18.

The age groups will be Mini Mites (6 and under), Mites (8 and under), Squirts (10 and under), Peewee (12 and under), Bantam (14 and under), Midget (16 and under), and JV (18 and under).

The new organization will have enough players to form teams at every age and skill level, which was not always the case when the two groups competed against each other.

The Lakeshore Junior Lumberjacks will have two teams at each age group, starting at the Squirt level – AA travel teams and single-A house teams.

The new organization will utilize all three ice rinks in the area – one at Mercy Health Arena and two at Lakeshore Sports Centre – and will schedule in a cooperative manner to make the experience as convenient as possible for families.

Several big names in the area hockey community will be involved in the new organization and are excited about its potential.

“I have been an advocate of this merger for several years,” said Mona Shores varsity hockey coach Chris Benedict, who will be the House Hockey director for the new league. “Together we are embarking on an exciting time for youth hockey along the Lakeshore. The Lakeshore Junior Lumberjacks are going to open doors for player development and allow players, parents and the community a program we can all be proud of. It’s a great day to be a Junior Lumberjack!”

“When I embarked on this journey as hockey director three years ago for the Muskegon Junior Jacks, my goal, along with our organization’s, was to make one youth program in Muskegon,” said Bill Zalba, a former professional hockey player who also coached the Reeths-P:uffer varsity team and will be the travel hockey director for the new organization. “I am beyond excited to say that we have reached our goal, alongside the Lakeshore Chiefs organization. The Lakeshore Junior Lumberjacks is a combination of two great youth organizations coming together for one common goal – providing the very best experience and development for our youth players, both on and off the ice.”

Muskegon Lumberjacks President of Business Operations Andrea Rose also expressed her enthusiasm. While the Lumberjacks have no ownership or financial stake in the new organization, they plan to do whatever they can to encourage and support its growth.

“The Muskegon Lumberjacks are ecstatic with the merger of the two programs,” Rose said. “The newly-formed Lakeshore Junior Lumberjacks have worked tirelessly to create the foundation for an elite hockey program. Growing the sport on the lakeshore is a key initiative of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, and we look forward to working with them to continue to provide opportunities for the youth in our community to learn and excel at the game we love.”