LocalSportsJournal.com

The Muskegon Lumberjacks are obviously convinced they can come back and win just about any game.

That should bode well for the Jacks in the coming USHL playoffs.

The Lumberjacks gave upĀ four straight goals and trailed the Madison Capitols by two midway through the third period on Friday.

But they answered with three goals of their own, capped by Bobby Kaiser’s game-winner with 3:49 left in the game, to steal an important 5-4 victory on the road on Friday night.

The win allowed the Lumberjacks to take a big step toward clinching a USHL playoff berth. Their magic number for reserving their spot dropped from nine to six, with two points coming off for the victory, and another point dropping off when seventh-place Cedar Rapids lost to Green Bay in overtime.

The Jacks, now 29-22-2 and in third place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference, will play another road game in Madison on Saturday night.

The Jacks took a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals by Vincent de Mey, at 9:09 of the first period and 3:23 of the second. de Mey, whose second goal came on a Madison power play, now has 19 goals on the season.

Madison responded with four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. The first came from Cade Borchardt at 6:58 in the second period. The other three all came in the first 7:15 of the third period, from Trey LeBarge, Mick Messner and Borchardt.

But the Jacks weren’t done.

Nolan Sullivan scored a shorthanded goal at 12:34 of the third period to pull Muskegon within one. Anthony Del Gaizo followed with his league-leading 37th goal to tie the game 4-4 at 14:59 of the third.

Then Kaiser delivered his fourth game-winning goal of the season with just under four minutes left, completing the Jacks’ exciting comeback.

Muskegon outshot Madison 43-28. Keegan Karki got the victory in goal.