MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Lumberjacks’ goalie-go-round will continue into the playoffs, with Aleksandr Kuleshov and Chase Clark sharing the netminder responsibilities.

You can view that as a positive or a negative, based on a close look at how each of them have performed at different points of the regular season.

The Jacks have used a combination of goalies during the best and worst parts of their season so far – including their incredible hot streak in November, December and January – so the goalie-by-committee strategy has been effective at times.

Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton admits that he was hoping one of the goalies would get hot over the final stretch of the regular season and become the clear starter for the playoffs, but that hasn’t happened.

So it’s likely that both Kuleshov and Clark will see game time next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (if necessary) when the Lumberjacks host a first-round playoff series against either the Team USA 17-Under squad or Cedar Rapids. If the Jacks advance to the second round,  the game-to-game starter will probably be the guy with the hotter hand.

Both have had their share of very good games, and some not-so-good games. Kuleshov has a 15-6-1 record with a 3.94 goals against average, while Clark is 7-7-1 with a 3.27 GAA.

“I would love to give you an answer and say this is the guy, but the reality is that it remains a dual-headed monster and they will both have to chip in,” Hamilton said. “Both have had their high moments. We have two goalies who can win us hockey games on a nightly basis. If they can continue to do that, that’s all we can ask.”

Of course the hope for all playoff hockey teams is to have a clear-cut star goalie, the type you can count on to make the big saves, game after game.

The Lumberjacks don’t have one of those. On the bright side, they have two goalies (three if you include rookie Cameron Korpi) who have demonstrated great skill, and if one is not playing well, there’s a good chance the other one will.

“I do think Sasha (Kuleshov’s nickname) and Clark and Korpi are good enough to be starting goaltenders in our league, no question about it,” Hamilton said. “We are comfortable with what we have. The situation is what it is at this point. Now we have to pull together and win some playoff games as a team.”

Constantly evolving goaltending crew

The Lumberjacks, as a whole, have maintained an unusually stable roster for most of the regular season. The majority of their personnel changes came early in the season, so the same core group of forwards and defensemen have been with the team for most of the campaign.

But the goalie situation has been constantly evolving. Korpi, the rookie third-stringer, is the only netminder who has been on the roster all season. A total of six goalies have started games for the Lumberjacks in 2021-22.

The situation seemed clear cut and promising at the beginning of the season, with Jan Skorpik, a part-time starter last season as a rookie, inheriting the No. 1 goalie spot with Korpi as the backup.

But Skorpik struggled early in the season and was released after posting a 0-1-2 record with a 4.37 GAA. Even before his release, the Lumberjacks brought in goalie Carson Limesand for a short stint to share duties with the other two.

After Skorpik was let go, the Lumberjacks brought in two Russian netminders – first Platon Zadorozhnny, then Kuleshov a few weeks later. Korpi was kept on the roster as a third-stringer who played from time to time and turned in some big performances.

Zadorozhnny played very well for several months and might have emerged as the No. 1 goalie, but his season ended in early January after he was slowed by the lingering affects of a case of COVID he had last summer. He returned to Russia for treatment and finished with a 13-9-4 record with a sparkling 3.11 GAA.

Later in January the Jacks acquired Clark, a very promising young goalie who was drafted by the NHL’s Washington Capitols last year, and he and Kuleshov have shared the majority of time between the pipes since then.

The rotating goalie situation has not been perfect. The Lumberjacks have given up 242 goals this season, which is the sixth highest out of eight teams in the USHL’s Eastern Conference. No team in the Western Conference has given up that many goals.

The Jacks have changed goalies in mid-game a stunning 14 times this season, including four games that they won. Sometimes the changes were made due to injuries, but on other occasions it was because the starter was not getting the job done.

Hamilton was surprised to hear that statistic – offhand he said he would have guessed seven or eight games – but said it’s partially the result of his confidence in the team’s goaltending depth.

“Knowing that we always have a 1A, 1B and almost a 1C option, when one guy is having a bad night it’s easy for me to pull the trigger, because the next guy up is more than capable,” the coach said.

Ups and downs over a long season

The Jacks started the season in miserable shape, losing 10 of their 12 first games, and Hamilton attributed much of the problem to undependable goaltending.

Skorpik started four games during that stretch, Korpi and Zadorozhnny each started three and Limesand started two.

The Lumberjacks turned things around in mid-November, winning 20 of 24 games between Nov. 13 and Jan. 29, and rising all the way from last place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference to first place for a few days.

Some may credit Zadorozhnny for playing great during the hot streak, and he certainly contributed, claiming five wins during that period, including two shutouts, and being in goal for parts of three other victories.

But Kuleshov was actually the goalie for 8 of those 20 wins, while playing in parts of three other victories. Korpi also contributed with three wins during the hot streak, including one shutout.

So the goalie-by-committee formula worked very well when the Jacks were playing their best hockey of the season.

“When you look at (Kuleshov’s) record, it’s pretty damned good,” Hamilton said, when asked about his play during the hot streak. “We have several guys of pretty equal caliber. They are constantly picking each other up. If one has tough start, the other comes in and picks him up.”

The Lumberjacks cooled off in February and March, winning only 6 of 15 games. Kuleshov was in goal for four of the five wins, but also played in all or parts of six losses.

The Jacks have been on the road all of April, with a 4-4 record heading into this weekend. Clark was in goal for the first two wins while Kuleshov was the netminder for the two victories over the Team USA `17-Under squad last weekend.

Both Clark and Kuleshov have taken turns nursing minor injuries over the past few months, and Hamilton believes that has played a role in their inconsistency.

The other problem has been sometimes spotty team defense, Hamilton said. If the defense is not there to support the goalie, it’s tough to blame the goalie for the loss, he said.

“At the end of the day, when we’re giving up a lot of goals, it’s very rarely the goaltender’s fault,” the coach said. “It’s generally a lack of team defense. When we have defensive hiccups, they are usually big ones. Very rarely, when we are playing sound, tight defensive hockey, has the goaltending not been there for us.”