DUBUQUE, IA – After a close game on Friday night, the Muskegon Lumberjacks opened things up in game two of the Eastern Conference Final. Six Straight goals, including a trio from Ivan Ryabkin (Balakovo, RUS), helped the Jacks to a 7-4 lead over the Dubuque Fighting Saints, and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
 
Dubuque opened the scoring in the first period with a power play 8:51 into the game. Edison Engle sent the puck from the middle of the blue line to Lucas Van Vliet on the nearside half wall. A pass to Josh Giuliani in the middle of the slot set up the forward for a one-timer opportunity to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The next six goals belonged to the Lumberjacks. The first came at the 11:37 mark of the first period, Finn McLaughlin (Canmore, AB, CAN) slid a pass to the near side for Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN). As he moved towards the net, Lawrence sent a pass to the back post for Ryabkin to redirect to the back of the net, tying the game 1-1.
 
Moments later, the Jacks were right back on the power play, and again Ryabkin got the puck past the netminder. David Deputy (Gurnee, IL) got the puck from the near-side wall to McLaughlin at the blue line on the near side of the ice. McLaughlin sent a pass across the slot for Ryabkin to blast to the back of the net to give the Jacks a 2-1 lead.
 
Before the end of the first period, the Jacks struck again to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. A strong forecheck caused a turnover in the middle of the Dubuque zone, and the puck landed on the stick of Jack Christ (Chaska, MN). A soft tap past the defense sent the puck to Jack Galanek (Hopkinton, MA) right at the top of the crease. As he moved towards the far side corner, Galanek put the puck between his legs and roofed a shot for his 3^rd goal of the postseason.
 
The production continued into the third period, starting with a goal just 1:54 into the frame. Vaclav Nestrasil (Praha, CZE) got the puck to David Klee (Castle Rock, CO) at the side of the net, and despite his shot being stopped, it produced a rebound in the middle of the slot. Xavier Veilleux (L'Ancienne-Lorrette, QC, CAN) stepped into a heavy slapshot for his 2^nd goal of the playoffs, giving the Jacks a 4-1 lead.
 
Each of the next two goals belonged to the Deputy to make it 6-1 in favor of Muskegon. First, at 3:42 of the second period, Ryabkin gave the puck to Deputy in the far side corner of the Dubuque zone. As he made his way up the wall, Deputy curled around the top of the circle and ripped a shot, catching the goalie off guard.
 
With just over four minutes left in the period, Deputy scored his second of the game by redirecting a shot from Lawrence to the back of the net. In the end, Ryabkin finished with three goals and an assist, while Deputy had two goals and an assist, and Lawrence joined McLaughlin with two assists each.
 
Dubuque made the game interesting with three goals in the third period to bring the score within a pair of goals. Van Vliet scored the first at the 2:17 mark with a delayed penalty against the Jacks. Jonathan Morello added one of his own at 8:18 with a shot from the middle of the slot to make it 6-3. James Mackey scored his first goal of the postseason a minute and a half later to bring the score to 6-4.
 
Ryabkin completed the hat trick with an empty goal in the final minute and to give the Jacks their 7-4 winning score.
 
Stephen Peck (New York, NY) (3-1) earned the win for the Jacks with 14 saves on 18 shots. Shikhabudtin Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, RUS) entered halfway through the third period, stopping all five shots he faced. Liam Beerman (3-3) made 13 saves on 19 shots, lasting the first two periods in the loss. Kyle Ozgun made his USHL debut in the third and also stopped all fives shots he faced.
 
Tuesday night, the teams take to the ice at Trinity Health Arena for game three of the Eastern Conference Final. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. Tickets and more information can be found at muskegonlumberjacks.com.