YOUNGSTOWN, OH – Friday night kicked off a busy weekend between the Muskegon Lumberjacks (24-10-0-0, 48 pts.) and Youngstown Phantoms (25-8-2-1, 53 pts.) with the first of a 3-game series. The Lumberjacks dominated the full game ending with a pair of goals in the final minute to pick up a 3-1 win before the series shifts back to Muskegon.
 
You couldn't draw up a better start to the game for the Lumberjacks, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the shot chart in the first couple of minutes of the game, but couldn't get the puck across the goal line. Despite having all of the momentum going against them, Youngstown struck first to take a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period. Alexander Svitov scored his first USHL goal on an unassisted play with just over 10 minutes to go until the break.
 
Five minutes later, after regaining the momentum with an Auto Owners Power Play, the Jacks struck pay dirt with a goal from Jake Stuart (Manhattan Beach, CA). Chuck Blanchard (West Hartford, CT) carried the puck into the offensive zone on the far side of the ice and cut across the blue line, allowing the rest of the Jacks to join the effort. Blanchard slid the puck down the nearside wall towards Adam Belusko (Kosice, SVK). As he made his way up the wall and to the middle of the slot, Belusko sent a pass across the ice to Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, MI), who continued the play across the crease to Stuart for an easy back-door tap-in. Stuart's 4^th goal of the season, with 5:45 to play in the period, tied the game 1-1.
 
With a 14-3 lead in shots through the first period, the Jacks kept up the domination after the intermission with numerous goal-scoring opportunities but again struggled to cross the goal line. No one beat the goalies in the second period as the Jacks returned to the locker room with a 23-6 lead in shots.
 
With less than a minute to play in regulation, the Jacks found themselves with a faceoff in the offensive zone. Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) won the puck back to Danny Klaers (Wayzata, MN) on the far side of the blue line. Klaers fired a shot off the pad of the goalie, providing a rebound to the far side of the ice for Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) to bang home.
 
Not giving the Phantoms a chance to pull the goalie, the Jacks won the center ice faceoff and got the puck below the goal line. Niles Benson (Tampa, FL) popped the puck to the top of the crease for Blanchard, who gave the Jacks a 3-1 lead in the blink of an eye.
 
Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) (18-5-0-0) earned the win with 13 saves on 14 shots fired his way. Owen Lepak (7-2-0-1) earned the loss on his record in the crease for the Phantoms, turning aside 28 of the 31 shots he faced.
 
Saturday night, the two teams take to the ice at Trinity Health Arena for the middle game of the three-game series. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. for Star Wars Night. Tickets are going fast, but some are available at muskegonlumberjacks.com or by calling 231-799-7000.