‘Jacks blank Tigers at Northtown

The North Tonawanda Lumberjack got up early on the Amherst Tigers and never looked back, finishing Saturday’s contest with a 5-0 shutout.

The shutout is an important victory for the Lumberjacks, as it keeps them ahead of the Tigers in the Division 3 standings. Coming into the contest, the Lumberjacks were only up on Amherst by one point, and every little bit helps, according to coach Alan Zbytek.

“The last time we played against these guys was in the Cataract Classic last year, and we felt like we had a point to prove,” Zbytek said. “It’s definitely big for us, especially with the standings being so close so early. We needed to get some league wins now, and we got a good one today.”

Goaltender Nick Przybylski, who finished the contest with 20 saves, also liked what he saw from his teammates.

“I think we came out today with a good focus on what we wanted to accomplish,” Przbylski said. “We really wanted to out-work them on pretty much every shift, and I think we did that today.

“It’s also nice to have your teammates give you some great goal-support so you can come away with a shutout. That way, you don’t always have to feel as if you need to steal a game or two.”

The Lumberjacks first got on the board after a goal by Kyle Lee beat Evan Czora with a little more than five minutes to go in the first period. Nolan Horn made the score 2-0 in the second period on a wrist shot, and then followed up with another goal a short while later to increase the Lumberjacks’ lead to three.

Jackson Burns and Jason Lindhurst each lit the lamp in the third period to seal the deal for North Tonawanda.