MUSKEGON, MI – Have you ever heard the saying It's the story that matters, not the ending? That's the case for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (0-1-0-0) and Youngstown Phantoms (1-0-0-0), who took to the ice for the first matchup of the 2026 preseason. The result doesn't count towards the standings, but the coaches have a bit more knowledge of the players on their rosters.
 
The Lumberjacks opened the scoring in the preseason with an early goal from Trey Wilson (St. Louis, MO). While Wilson finished the play, it was Alex Smyth (Denver, CO) who made it happen. A strong play at his own blue line, Smyth got the puck out of the defensive zone and deep in the Youngstown end. By finishing heavily on the forecheck, Smyth was able to tap the puck to Chaz Lentz (Cottage Grove, MN) on the far edge of the goal. Lentz pushed a pass to the net front area where Wilson cashed in for his first goal of the preseason just 7:07 into the contest.
 
Later in the frame at the 15:39 mark, the Phantoms tied the game 1-1. Sean Miller carried the puck into the Muskegon zone on the far side of the slot and held off the body contact from a Jacks defender. Miller won the inside position and slid a pass across the middle of the ice to Nikita Koltsov, who released a shot off the near post and into the back of the net.
 
Coming out of the break, it was the Lumberjacks who took momentum, leading to a pair of goals to take a 3-1 lead. The first goal came 1:52 into the frame from Will Schlechtweg (Goshen, NY). Powering his way into the offensive zone, Schlechtweg won possession in the far corner and carried the puck along the goal line before tucking it inside the near post for a pretty goal to give the Jacks a 2-1 lead. Smyth picked up his second assist of the game, while Billy MacAusland (Westwood, MA) added one of his own.
 
Then, another strong forecheck from the Lumberjacks resulted in a loose puck in the crease for Ben Osiashvili (Hewlett, NY) to bang into the back of the net. Jake Tavares (Belmont, MA) and Strider Carhart (Sea Girt, NJ) played big roles on the forecheck and were rewarded with assists on the play.
 
The next four goals belonged to the Phantoms, including a pair of preventable plays, a quirky redirection, and an empty-net goal.
 
The first two were scored in the second period to tie the game before the second intermission. Koltsov intercepted a pass in the middle of the Lumberjacks' zone, leading to a grade-A scoring chance, where he capitalized on the opportunity for his second goal of the game at 6:19 into the second period.
 
Three and a half minutes later, while the Jacks were on a McKenzie Price Power Play, Alexander Svitov skated past the defense and took possession of the puck in the Muskegon zone, using his forehand to force the puck to the back of the net and tie the game.
 
In the third period, Axel Brongel-Larsson found the back of the net 97 seconds into the frame on a shot from the blue line that bounced off a Lumberjacks' stick and into the top corner of the net. Matej Mikes added a shorthanded, empty-net goal in the final stages of regulation to give Youngstown a 5-3 lead.
 
The teams return to action Sunday afternoon at 3 pm at Trinity Health Arena. Get tickets and broadcast information at muskegonlumberjacks.com.