31 in 31 Series: Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks

August 12, 2014

 

 

Head Coach: Bob Jacobson

 

2013-14 Record: 27-15-6, 60 Points (2nd, East Division)

 

2013-14 Leading Scorer: Jared Johnson (29 G, 52 A, 81 P, +21)

 

Playoffs: Eliminated in the East Division Finals by Flint, 2 games to 0

 

2014-15 Division: East

 

First Regular Season Game: Sat. September 6th 7:50 pm at Metro

 

Home Opener: Fri. September 12th 8:15 pm vs Cincinnati

 

With a 24-17-7 record, the Jr. Lumberjacks ended up 2nd in the East Division earning them a spot in the playoffs where they lost in the East Division Finals to Flint, 2 games to none. Jared Johnson led the team in scoring with 29 goals and 52 assists. 

 

“Satisfied” is the word Coach Bob Jacobson used when asked if he was pleased with last year’s results. “Our ultimate goal every year is to win the league championship,” said Jacobson. “But we have 11 players moving on to play college hockey, and two moving up to a higher level of junior hockey, which is more important, as we believe development and player advancement is why we are here.”

 

During the offseason, Coach Jacobson had to look at replacing the talent he lost this past season. “We only have four returning veteran players so we had a lot of spots to fill,” said Jacobson.

 

With the new addition of the Frontier Division, and now having the NA3HL at 31 teams and 5 divisions, most coaches would agree that it’s a major plus. Coach Jacobson said, “It’s definitely a plus, adding the Frontier Division, which was formerly the AWHL, it was a great thing as they were a very successful league who wanted to join us.”

 

The Jr. Lumberjacks have a long list of alumni that have advanced on to higher levels of hockey and that should be very appealing to the players who are considering playing in Cleveland. 

 

“Primarily, when selling our program we show players our track record and our alumni list which is what is important,” said Jacobson.

 

With summer coming to an end and teams starting to fill their rosters. It’s almost time to see what areas need improvement for the Jr. Lumberjacks. 

 

“We have not started practice yet so to say an area we need improvement in is difficult at this time,” said Jacobson. “But I would say what we need to do from the first day is understand that at this level to be successful you need to learn how to compete every shift.”

 

“We believe that we are a developmental league, Jacobson said when speaking about advancing players vs. winning. “Player advancement is the priority.”

 

With a strong run last season, Cleveland is looking to make another run in the playoffs with the veterans of the team leading the way. 

 

“We will look to our veterans to set the tone from the first day of practice,” Jacobson said.