MUSKEGON, MI – The Muskegon Lumberjacks (32-20-0-1, 65 pts.) did nearly everything right on Saturday night but found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-2 final score against the Lincoln Stars (26-23-4-1, 57 pts.) who were treated to a top-tier goaltending performance.
 
Both teams found the back of the net in the opening two minutes of the game, setting the stage for what seemed to be a high-scoring affair. For Lincoln, their first shot of the game came while on a power play opportunity. Kade Kohanski slid a pass from the middle of the slot to Alex Pelletier on the far side of the Jacks' zone. The USHL scoring leader used a one-timer to get the puck to the back of the net for his 44^th goal of the season.
 
30 seconds later, it was the Lumberjacks captain, Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD), who tied the game 1-1. Branko Vukas (Dyer, IN) carried the puck down the near side wall of the Lincoln zone and cut along the goal line as if he was going to bring the puck behind the net. Vukas slid a pass to Sanderson in front of the net for an easy tap-in goal from the top of the crease.
 
Before the end of the period, Lincoln took a 2-1 lead off Kohanski's second point of the night. A turnover in the far side corner of the Lumberjacks' zone saw the puck land on the stick of John Hirschfeld, who sent it to the middle of the slot, where Kohanski whacked it to the back of the net.
 
With a power play opportunity of their own, the Lumberjacks tied the game 2-2 at the 7:03 mark of the second period. Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) sent the puck from the far side of the Lincoln zone to the near side and Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE). Rather than shooting the puck himself, Norringer sent it to Nathan Larioza (Los Gatos, CA) in the middle of the blue line, where he one-timed it to the back of the net for his 2^nd goal of the season.
 
Layne Loomer scored the next two goals for the Stars in the 4-2 win. The first came with just under three minutes to play in the second period when his shot was deflected off a Lumberjack and into the back of the net. His second goal was an empty-netter with just 20 seconds left in regulation to put an end to the Lumberjacks' comeback effort.
 
By the end of the game, the Lumberjacks held an advantage of 37-19 in shots, but were shut down by Charles Menard (8-6-0-0), who stopped 35 of the 37 shots to earn the win on his record. Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz (Montreal, QC, CAN) (2-2-0-0) earned the loss on his record with 15 saves on 18 shots against.
 
Next week, the Lumberjacks take on the Chicago Steel in a home-and-home series starting on Friday the 13^th at Trinity Health Arena in Muskegon. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. as part of St. Paddy's Party. Get your tickets by visiting muskegonlumberjacks.com or by calling 231-799-7000.