DUBUQUE, IA - One last game against the Dubuque Fighting Saints was on the docket for the Lumberjack as the teams took to the ice at the Dubuque Ice Arena to close out the season series on Thursday night. Ethan Whitcomb's two goal performance extended his point point streak to 6 games, but the Jacks fell 4-3
With the loss Muskegon falls to 25-27-3 this season. The Fighting Saints improve to 28-21-5-1 and take sole possession of 5th place in the Eastern Conference with the win.
Just 50 seconds into the game, on their first shot of the game the Fighting Saints took a 1-0 lead. Michael Burchill carried the puck out of the near side corner and towards the net. With good positioning in front and moving across the frame of the goal Burchill backhanded the puck off the post and into the back of the net for his 12th goal of the season.
The Fighting Saints doubled up just 20 seconds later. Max Burkholder fired a shot from the blueline along the ice that Ryan St. Louis redirected past Raythan Robbins into the back of the net. For St. Louis it's his team leading 26th goal of the season.
Setting the scene for a high scoring affair the Jacks got one back just 50 seconds after falling 2-0. Ethan Fredericks carried the puck into the offensive zone while on a 2-on-1 with Cody Croal. The future Northeastern Husky used his teammate as a decoy and fired a shot bar down for his 9th of the campaign.
Carrying a 5 game point streak into Thursday Ethan Whitcomb finished off a beautiful passing play to extend his streak to 6 games and tie the game 2-2 ahead of the first intermission. Sacha Boisvert carried the puck into the offensive zone and played it to Joe Connor in front of the Dubuque crease. Connor tapped a shot on net that was stopped by Marcus Bränmann, but Whitcomb was there to clean up the rebound for his 23rd goal of the season.
Starting the second period how they started the first it took just 32 seconds for the Fighting Saints to regain their lead 3-2. As Luke Buss left the Penalty box Burkholder found the puck in the slot and found space to control for a moment and put a shot past Robbins for his second point of the night.
Noah Powell added a goal of his own on a broken play in front of the Lumberjacks net with Robbins turned around and out of position. The two goal period saw the Fighting Saints take a 4-2 lead into the second intermission.
Looking to mount a comeback the Lumberjacks brought the game back to within one with a goal at the 12:39 mark. Fresh off a power play Matvei Gridin moved the puck net front where Bränmann made the initial save. Whitcomb followed up for his second rebound goal of the game. The goal is Whitcomb's team leading 23rd of the season and ties him for the team lead in points with 41.
Robbins (9-16-1) made 28 saves on 32 shots fired his way by Dubuque. Across the ice Brãnnman (21-11-3-1) stopped 24 of 27 shots fired by the Jacks.
Next up the Jacks close out the regular season road schedule with a pair of games in Green Bay against the Gamblers. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and can be caught on FloHockey and the Lumberjacks Radio network on Mixlr.
