LocalSportsJournal.com
Comeback playoff victories are becoming a great habit for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks came from behind in all three of their victories over Youngstown in the first round of the playoffs.
They continued that trend on Friday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Muskegon trailed 2-1 late in the game until Corey Schueneman struck for two goals to propel the Lumberjacks to a 4-2 victory over the host Dubuque Fighting Saints.
Mark Petaccio scored the first goal for the Jacks while Ryan Sirko had a late empty-netter.
The Lumberjacks will try to push the Fighting Saints to the brink of elimination in the best 3-of-5 series Saturday night in Dubuque. Faceoff is at 8:05 p.m. EST.
“We did not play as well as we would have liked,” said Lumberjacks Coach Todd Krygier. “You would like to get the first goal of the game, but we responded well and found a way to win.”
Schueneman, a late season acquisition for the Lumberjacks, continued his hot streak in the playoffs. He now has three goals and three assists in the postseason, including the two goals that turned the tide on Friday.
“We acquired Corey (Schueneman) for these types of situations,” Krygier said. “He has a great shot. He’s a leading scorer among defensemen, and he can take over a hockey game.”
The Lumberjacks also got another great performance from goalie Eric Schierhorn, who stopped 45 of 47 shots to keep Muskegon’s chances alive. Dubuque outshot the Lumberjacks in the game 47-32.
“Eric (Schierhorn) played an outstanding game,” said Krygier. “He alone kept us in the hockey game.”
Dubuque’s Seamus Malone opened the scoring at 1:12 of the second period on the power play to give the Fighting Saints a 1-0 lead.
Petaccio responded with a power play goal 1:08 later to tie the game at 1-1. Christian Wolanin and Siroky picked up assists on the goal.
The Fighting Saints regained the lead at 2-1 with a goal from Nate Sucese at 6:02 of the second period.
Schueneman tied the game at 2-2 with goal at 12:54 of the third period, then put the Jacks ahead with another goal with 2:25 left in regulation.
Siroky added an empty net goal with 17 seconds left to put the game away and give the Jacks the crucial road victory.
