Local Sports Journal

Sometimes it seems as though the Muskegon Lumberjacks play to the level of their opponents.

Last Saturday they looked great in defeating the first-place Indiana Ice before an enthusiastic home crowd.

Then they changed masks and lost a 3-1 decision to the last-place Youngstown Phantoms Friday at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Phantoms (10-24-5, 25 points) notched the game’s first goal  at the 6:07 mark of the second period when Trey Bradley knocked  a loose rebound past Muskegon goalie Eric Schierhorn.

The Lumberjacks tied the score with 1.9 seconds left in the second period when Matt Iacopelli scored his 29th goal of the season.

Youngstown sealed the victory in the third period with power play goals by Kyle Connor and J.J. Piccinich. The Lumberjacks were 0-for-4 in power play opportunities.

Youngstown goalie Sean Romeo stopped 30 of 31 shots to get the victory. The Lumberjacks had a 31-24 advantage in shots.

The Lumberjacks, now 19-19-4, will return home next weekend for games against Youngstown on Friday and Chicago on Saturday.