GENEVA, IL – Closing out a three-game weekend on the road, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (25-14-0-1, 53 pts.) returned to action on Sunday afternoon at the Fox Valley Ice Arena against the Chicago Steel (18-16-5-2, 43 pts.). Despite trailing big early, the Jacks put together a competitive game before falling 6-3 thanks to a pair of late empty net goals for the Steel.
 
The first period was nightmarish for the Lumberjacks, who surrendered 3 straight goals in the opening frame. Jackson Crowder scored the first two goals thanks to a pair of clean looks at the Jacks' goal. First, Crowder received a pass at the top of the crease from Ashton Schultz at the 3-minute mark. Then, Crowder was sprung on a breakaway at the 9:05 mark thanks to a pass from Cole Tuminaro.
 
Crowder had a hand in the Steel's third goal, too. This time, providing a screen at the front of the net. Luke Goukler fired a shot along the ice from the far side wall, and with Will Keane's (West Bloomfield, MI) vision taken away, the shot snuck to the back of the net.
 
The rest of the game featured tons of momentum for the Lumberjacks, outshooting the Steel 26-13 over the remaining 40 minutes of play. The momentum came to a head 4:12 into the second period when Jack Christ (Chaska, MN) got the Jacks on the board with his 13^th goal of the season. A strong forecheck while the rest of his line changed helped Christ cause a turnover in the far corner of the Steel zone. Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, MI) jumped on the ice and joined the effort, bringing the puck behind the back of the goal to the near side of the ice. Bergeron sent the puck to the slot, where it bounced onto the stick of Christ for a quick snapshot past the goalie.
 
Halfway through the frame the Jacks struck again. This time on an Auto Owners Insurance Power Play. Just like Saturday night, it was Niles Benson (Tampa, FL) who scored the power play goal. Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) slid the puck from the far side wall to the top of the blue line for Carter Amico (Westbrook, ME). Continuing the puck around the top of the zone, Amico slid it to Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE), who tapped it to Benson in the middle of the slot. The smooth passing gave Benson a clean look at the net for his 13^th goal of the season.
 
Crowder finished his hat trick 11:49 into the third period off a pretty pass from Brady Kudrick. From the near side of the Jacks' zone, Kudrick carried the puck below the goal line and moved as if he was bringing it to the far corner. Instead, before he got all the way behind the net, Kudrick turned and sent a pass back to Crowder in the near side circle, where the Capitals draft pick sent the puck to the back of the net.
 
Benson scored another goal two minutes later to bring the score back within one. The closest the Jacks would get. Louis Jonerheim (Lund, SWE) gave the puck to Jake Stuart (Manhattan Beach, CA) on the far side of the slot, just outside the crease, where he backhanded a shot over the net. The puck bounced off the glass to Benson on the near side of the net, where he tucked it back in front and across the goal line for his 14^th goal of the season, and helped the Jacks in the comeback effort.
 
A pair of empty net goals helped the Steel extend the lead to 6-3 before the end of the game. First, Kudrick added a goal for his 3-point performance at the 18:24 mark, then Cole Tuminaro sent the puck down the ice from his own zone to put the icing on the cake.
 
Next week, the Jacks and Steel come together for two more games in Muskegon at Trinity Health Arena on Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at just $15. Get yours at muskegonlumberjacks.com or by calling 231-799-7000.