MUSKEGON, MI – There is nothing better than a Muskegon Saturday night during hockey season when the Muskegon Lumberjacks (8-2-0-0, 16 pts.) are in town. This week, looking to bounce back against the Dubuque Fighting Saints (8-1-0-0, 16 pts.), the Jacks dominated a back-and-forth game to earn their USHL-leading 16^th point of the season.
 
One goal came in the first period for Dubuque to carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. In the final minute of the frame, Teddy Merrill brought the puck into the Muskegon zone and dropped it off for Masun Fleece in the middle of the slot. Fleece wired a shot to the back of the net for his 6^th goal of the season.
 
The response from the Lumberjacks in the second period was everything they needed it to be with a pair of goals tying the game, and taking a 2-1 lead back into the locker room. The first Jack's goal came at 6:22 in the frame for Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD). Sanderson made his way into the offensive zone on the near side of the ice and opened up his stick blade, providing a passing option for Adam Belusko (Kosice, SVK) across the way. Belusko sent a pass across the slot to Sanderson, who caught it and fired a shot under the glove of the goalie for his 4^th goal of the season.
 
Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) picked up the secondary assist on the first goal and delivered a USHL goal of the year candidate two minutes later while on a McKenzie Price Insurance Power Play. Belusko carried the puck up the middle of the ice and dropped a pass backwards to Stewart in the Lumberjacks' zone. Stewart made his way up the ice and through three different Fighting Saints before tucking the puck on his backhand and passing it past the goalie to give the Jacks a 2-1 lead.
 
Dubuque did the same as the Jacks at the start of the third period, scoring a pair of goals in quick succession to regain their lead. On their first shot of the period, the Saints tied the game thanks to a wicked wrister from Michael Barron just 44 seconds after the opening draw. Just two and a half minutes later, Merrill scored a goal of his own with an assist from Fleece to regain the lead 3-2.
 
Effort from the Lumberjacks never wavered despite trailing in the third period for the second straight night. The relentless pressure turned into an opportunity for Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) thanks to a turnover caused by Jean Samuel-Daigneault (Saint-Michel, QC, CAN). Daigneault stepped up on the puck at the red line to keep it on the offensive half of the ice, where Norringer caught it in the air and brought it to the offensive zone. From the near side of the slot, Norringer showcased his elite shot by scoring his 3^rd goal of the season to tie the game.
 
With just under six minutes to play, the Jacks added another goal to take the eventual winning lead of 4-3. Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE) made his way behind the net with the puck and fired a pass to the near side for Reese Lantz (Hartland, WI). His shot was turned aside but produced a rebound in the crease for Rudolfs Berzkalns (Cesis, LAT) to push across the goal line. The Jacks held on in the end to return to the win column and regain their tie at the top of the USHL standings.
 
Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) (5-1-0-0) was electric for the Lumberjacks with 22 saves on 25 shots against. Vojtech Hambalek (5-1-0-0) stopped 27 of 31 and earned his first loss of the season.
 
Next week, the Jacks return to Young Arena in Waterloo, IA, for the first time since lifting the Clark Cup last May. The two-game set between the Lumberjacks and Black Hawks takes place on Friday (8:05 pm ET) and Saturday (7:05 pm ET). Catch the action on FloHockey and the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.