SIOUX FALLS, SD – Despite trailing by 4 goals at one point, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (22-10-0-0, 44 pts.) found a way to claw back and make the game interesting on Friday night against the Sioux Falls Stampede (21-10-2-0, 44 pts.). A late empty net goal put an end to the Jacks' comeback effort, ending the game with a 7-4 scoreline.
 
A couple of goals in the late stages of the first period helped the Stampede take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. First, with 3 minutes to play in the period, Logan Renkowski found the back of the net for his 22^nd goal of the season. A shot from Cooper Soller at the blue line was blocked in the low slot, allowing Renkowski to find the puck right on the doorstep. With just 12 seconds left in the period, JJ Monteiro added his 7^th goal of the season. Anthony Bongo fired a shot from the blue line that Monteiro redirected to the top corner of the net.
 
Early in the second period, the Jacks found themselves on an Auto Owners Insurance Power Play opportunity. Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) carried the puck up the near side wall in the Stampede zone towards the blue line. Norringer sent the puck across the zone to Branko Vukas (Dyer, IN), leading to a quick shot on net from the top of the circle. On his way across the crease, Chuck Blanchard (West Hartford, CT) got his stick on the shot and redirected it to the back of the net.
 
Momentum remained in favor of the Herd, though, with three straight goals to close out the second period. First, Ryder Betzold carried the puck off the near side wall up to the middle of the blue line and walked down the middle of the slot before ripping a shot off the post and in to make it 3-1 at the 8:43 mark of the period.
 
Then, a power play opportunity for the Stampede lasted just 12 seconds before Brock Shultz tapped the puck to the back of the net after a pretty passing play from Joey Macrina and Thomas Zocco gave him an easy chance at the top of the crease. 59 seconds later, Soller was behind the Jacks' defense and buried the opportunity to make it 5-1. The goal marked the end of Carl Axelsson's (Danderyd, SWE) night with 24 saves on 29 shots against.
 
Things didn't look great at the start of the third period with another power play goal for Shultz from the doorstep of the crease, but trailing 6-2, the Jacks found a way to shift the momentum and go to work for the rest of the third period.
 
Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) kicked off the comeback effort with a goal at the 4:46 mark. Danny Klaers (Wayzata, MN) held the puck in the offensive zone and made his way to an open spot on the far side of the ice. As Klaers stepped towards the net, he fired a shot that Sanderson redirected to the back of the net.
 
Two minutes later, Blanchard scored his second goal of the game on a similar play to the first. A shot from the blue line off the stick of Adam Belusko (Kosice, SVK) was redirected off Blanchard's stick and to the back of the net to bring the Jacks back to a 3-goal deficit.
 
The closest the Jacks came to tying the game was trailing by two when Gustas Zemaitis (Barrington, IL) cashed in on a rebound with 11 minutes to play. Niles Benson (Tampa, FL) chipped the puck over a Sioux Falls defenseman and grabbed the puck in the offensive zone before sending a shot off the pad of the goalie. The puck bounced straight to Zemaitis on the other side of the slot, where he wired home the rebound to make it 6-4.
 
Soller added his second goal, third point of the game, with an empty net goal in the final minute of the game to put the score out of reach for the Lumberjacks.
 
Axelsson (16-5-0-0) earned the loss on his record, playing just over half the game. Will Keane (West Bloomfield, MI) stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced in just under 23 minutes of action. Linards Feldbergs (17-7-1-0) earned the win with 42 saves on 46 shots against.
 
Saturday night, the teams close out the weekend series at 7:05 p.m. EST (6:05 p.m. CST) at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Catch the action on the official live stream partner of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, FloHockey, and for free on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.