MUSKEGON, MI – Saturday night was nearly the greatest comeback in Muskegon hockey history. After allowing six goals in the final six and a half minutes of the first period, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (30-17-0-1, 61 pts.) scored five straight goals in a comeback effort before falling 6-5 to the visiting Sioux City Musketeers (25-18-3-2, 55 pts.).
 
From the 13:27 mark of the first period to the 19:52 mark of the same frame, the Musketeers scored 6 goals in what may be the worst six-minute stretch of hockey this season for any team on planet Earth for the Lumberjacks.
 
Max Anderson scored the first goal, then Darik Olson added another one just 52 seconds later. 39 seconds after that, Trey Jefferis made it 3-0 for the Muskies. 55 seconds later, Gavin Garry finished off an opportunity from his brother, Luke, to make it 4-0. It took a whopping minute and twenty-one seconds before Will Tomko made it 5-0, then, with just eight seconds to play in the period, Olson added his second goal to cap off a nightmarish period for the Jacks.
 
The effort from then on from the Lumberjacks was something that belongs in an inspirational movie. Just over a minute into the second period, the Lumberjacks found themselves with a great opportunity to climb back into the game and didn't take it for granted.
 
Daniel D'Alessandro was guilty of a hooking penalty, but to make matters worse for the Musketeers, Gavin Garry head-butted a Lumberjack, which is a 5-minute major and a game misconduct, so with a 5-on-3 power play, the Jacks went to work.
 
Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) held the puck on the far side of the ice and lifted it into the short side, high corner of the net to get the Jacks their first goal of the comeback effort.
 
Back on a second 5-on-3 power play thanks to a cross-checking penalty on the center ice faceoff, Stewart added a second goal to make it a 4-goal game. This time, Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) slid Stewart a pass at the top of the nearside circle, leading to a heavy one-time blast to the back of the net.
 
Before the end of the 5-minute power play, Niles Benson (Tampa, FL) added another goal to bring the game back to a 3-goal difference. Stewart had the secondary assist as he and Nathan Larioza (Los Gatos, CA) worked together to get Benson the puck in the middle of the slot. Benson sent a shot off the near post and in for his 18^th goal of the season.
 
Another two goals came in the third period to continue the comeback effort. Recognizing the importance of momentum to start the period, Jacks Head Coach Colten St. Clair put Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) on the ice to start the frame. A decision that would work out in spades. Jake Stuart (Manhattan Beach, CA) cleared the puck out of the Muskegon zone to Sanderson, who made his way past the Sioux City defense on a breakaway. Sanderson used his forehand to slide the puck past the goalie's pad and into the back of the net.
 
Halfway through the frame, Stewart collected his 4^th point of the game with a second assist. Lars Hutson (North Barrington, IL) gave the puck to Stewart on the far side wall from the blue line. The pass opened up Adam Belusko (Kosice, SVK) on the near side to receive a pass from Stewart. The puck rolled on its edge to Belusko, who sent a knuckle puck into the top corner of the net to bring the Jacks to within a single goal.
 
Despite a great effort from the Lumberjacks in the dying stages of the game, the one-goal deficit was the closest they would come in the end.
 
A quirky stat line saw Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz (Montreal, QC) (1-1-0-0) earn the loss on his record, allowing 3 goals in just over 5 minutes of work to close out the first period. Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) stopped 25 of the 28 shots he faced, and his record stays the same. Ryder Shea (12-9-2-2) earned the win with 35 saves on 40 shots sent his way.
 
Week 23 of the USHL regular season brings three games for the Lumberjacks, starting with a Wednesday morning match-up against the Youngstown Phantoms at 10:05 am EST at the Covelli Center. The week closes with a pair of games in Omaha against the Lancers on Saturday and Sunday night.
 
Catch the action all week long on the official live stream partner of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, FloHockey.