MIDWEEK PREVIEW: WOODSMEN vs. LUMBERJACKS

After playing three of their first four games on their home ice, the Wisconsin Woodsmen hit the road this weekend, heading to the Miller Buick GMC Rink in Sauk Rapids, Minn., for a pair of NA3HL games against the Granite City Lumberjacks. Game time both Friday and Saturday is slated for 7:30 p.m.

WISCONSIN WOODSMEN

• Links: Home | Roster | Stats: Player * Goalie | Schedule
• 2025-26 Record: 1-3-0-0 Overall (2 Pts)

GRANITE CITY LUMBERJACKS

• Links: Home | Roster | Stats: Player * Goalie | Schedule
• 2025-26 Final Record: 0-0-0-0 Overall (0 Pts)

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• NA3HL Links: Home *  Standings * Schedule * Scoreboard

WOODSMEN-LUMBERJACKS * LAST MEETING:

• Sept. 27, 2025: Lumberjacks 6, Woodsmen 5 (ot)
• Sept. 28, 2025: Lumberjacks 3, Woodsmen 2
• Series History: Lumberjacks lead series 2-0-0-0

WOODSMEN * LAST ACTION:

• Sept. 19, 2025 * Cyclones 7, Woodsmen 6
• Sept. 20, 2025 * Cyclones 4, Woodsmen 2

LUMBERJACKS * LAST ACTION:

• Sept. 12, 2025 * Lumberjacks 6, WarHawks 2

WOODSMEN SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Woodsmen head into their NA3HL weekend series against the Granite City Lumberjacks sporting a 1-3-0-0 record. … Wisconsin closed out the 2024-25 season with a 24-16-6-3 record, good for fourth place in the NA3HL Central Division standings.
• LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin dropped both of its home NA3HL games against the Wausau Cyclones last weekend, surrendering six of the game’s final seven goals over the game’s final two periods in a 7-6 loss last Friday, before allowing a pair of late third-period goals in dropping a 4-2 decision the following evening.
• HOME COOKING: Wisconsin is 1-2-0-0 on its home ice this season, while dropping its lone road contest of the year. The Woodsmen finished 11-8-3-3 at the Tomah Ice Center a year ago, while going 11-8-3-3 on the road.
• SPREADING THE WEALTH:The Woodsmen — whose seven combined goals in its season-opening split against the Rochester Grizzlies on Sept. 12-13 came from seven different players — have already had 12 people find the back of the net this season. … Maxim Lazo, Tyler Osborne, and Ty Paulios have all scored a team-leading two goals through four games, while Josh Kauppinen, Brandon Slasor, Cole Schrieber, Ethan Roiles, Tristan Pownall, Micah Sieben, Parker Holloway, Ozbej Muzan, and Tegan O’Brien have also lit the lamp for the Woodsmen.
• FRANCHISE BEST: Lazo equaled the franchise record by scoring four goals against the Mason City Toros last season. Nolan Mix originally had set the program record, scoring four goals against the Minnesota Loons on Jan. 26, 2024.
• FRANCHISE BEST II: Hugh Deinema and Patrick Bowser each scored three goals in the Wisconsin 8-0 win over Peoria on Dec. 28, marking the first time in franchise history the Woodsmen had to players scored hat tricks in the same game.
• TOSSING THE HAT: The Woodsmen had a player record three or more goals in a game five times last season. Lazo owned three- and four-goal games, while Deinema, Bowser, and Brandon Laso had Wisconsin’s other three-goal games.
• TURNING UP THE HEAT: With their six goals in last Friday’s 7-6 loss to the Wausau Cyclones, the Woodsmen have scored six goals in two of their four games this season, and have netted six or more goals in a game 12 times over the last two seasons. … Wisconsin erupted for 18 goals in their two-game sweep of the Peoria Mustangs on Oct. 18-19, 2024. The eight goals scored in their 8-1 win on Oct. 18 were the most Wisconsin had scored all season a year ago, only to be two-upped with the Woodsmen’s 10-goal eruption in their 10-7 win the following evening. … The Woodsmen’s 10 goals against Peoria on Oct. 19, 2024 were the most since netting a franchise-record 14 against the Minnesota Loons on Jan. 26, 2024..
• LENDING A HELPING HAND: Kauppinen, Slasor, and Easton Armstrong share the team lead with three assists each, one more than both Lazo and Schrieber. Osborne, Paulios, Foiles, Pownall, Sieben, Bryce Bechen, Patrick Bowser, Brodie Micah, and Paxton Raymond have all chipped in one helper. … Viktor Budik amassed a team-leading and single-season franchise-record 40 assists last season. … Nolan Mix picked up four assists in Wisconsin’s 8-2 win over St. Louis on Nov. 2, 2024, one shy of the single-game franchise record of five, set by Hunter Nelson against the Minnesota Loons on Jan. 26, 2024.
• POINT PRODUCERS: Kauppinen (1 G, 3 A), Lazo (2 G, 2 A), and Slasor (1 G, 3 A) all sit atop the team’s points race with four points each, followed closely by Armstrong (0 G, 3 A), Osborne (2 G, 1 A), Paulios (2 G, 1 A), and Schrieber (1 G, 2 A) with three points apiece. … Hugh Deinema closed out the 2024-25 season as the team-leader with a franchise record 62 points (27 G, 35 A).
• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Lleyton Jaschke has started three of the Woodsmen’s four games in goal, compiling a 3.06 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage. … Jaschke has stopped 117 of the 126 shots he’s faced in three games. … Aidan Vanderweele made his first career start as a Woodsmen against Wausau last weekend, stopping 46 of the Cyclones’ 53 shots. … Jaschke closed out the 2024-25 season recording 511 saves in 21 appearances, second to Steven Kelley’s team-leading 738 saves in 25 appearances.
• STREAK-SNAPPER I: With their 5-2 loss to the Rochester Grizzlies on Nov. 8, 2024, the Woodsmen had their franchise-record six-game winning streak snapped.
• WHITE-KNUCKLE RIDE: With their 7-6 loss to the Wausau Cyclones on Sept. 19, the Woodsmen have now played 21 games over the last two seasons decided by one goal — including 11 that went into overtime and three decided in a shootout.
• FRANCHISE FIRST: After going 0-9-0-1 in its 10 meetings against the Wausau Cyclones during the 2023-2024 season, the Woodsmen picked up their first-ever win against the Cyclones with a 3-2 victory on Sept. 20, 2024, and added win No. 2 with a 6-3 victory on Dec. 21, 2024.

GRANITE CITY SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Lumberjacks head into their two-game home series against the Wisconsin Woodsmen sitting at 1-0-0-0 on the year.
• LAST TIME OUT: Granite City erupted for three goals in the third period, breaking open a one-goal game and leading the Lumberjacks to a season-opening 6-2 win over the Wilmar WarHawks on Sept. 12 at the Miller Buick GMC Arena in Sauk Rapids, Minn.
• HOME SWEET HOME: The Lumberjacks’ weekend series against the Wisconsin Woodsmen marks the second and third of five straight home games for Granite City. GC will host the Mason City Toros for two games next weekend, before hitting the road for the first time this season — heading to Eveleth, Minn., for a game against the Minnesota Wilderness.
• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Garrett Plaude picked up two of the Lumberjacks’ six goals in their season-opening win over the Wilmar WarHawks on Sept. 12.  Jackson Engburg, Eli Tiernan, Luke Anderson, and Michael Schmidt accounted for Granite City’s other four goals. … Plaude’s goal with 6:20 remaining in the first period against the WarHawks was the Lumberjacks’ first goal of the year, while Anderson’s third-period tally was the game-winner.
• LENDING A HELPING HAND: Ty Smith was in a very giving mood against the Wilmar Warhawks on Sept. 12, picking up assists on four of Granite City’s six goals. Engburg, Schmidt, Gavin Sperling, Teagan Dodge, Micah Saxon, and Luke Anderson also collected helpers against Wilmar. 
• POINT PRODUCERS: Smith sits atop the team’s points race with four (0 G, 4 A), while Plaude (2 G, 0 A), Engburg (1 G, 1 A), and Schmidt (1 G, 1 A) are sitting tied for second with two points each.
• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Matthew Neeser picked up the win in goal for the Lumberjacks against the Wilmar WarHawks on Sept. 12, stopping 11 of the 13 shots he faced. Neeser heads into this weekend’s game against the Wisconsin Woodsmen with a 2.00 goals-against-average and an .846 save percentage.