LocalSportsJournal.com
Timing is everything when it comes to winning championships. Sometimes teams need a puck to bounce their way or a player to step up at the right moment to get across the finish line. 
On Monday night, the Muskegon Lumberjacks bounced back with a 4-3 overtime win against host Madison. The win puts Muskegon in control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 advantage in the best of five-game series.
The Jacks had fallen to the Capitols at Mercy Health Arena in Muskegon on Saturday in reverse fashion, losing 4-3 in overtime.
The Muskegon Lumberjacks aren’t across the finish line by any means. But Joey Larson will go down as the Lumberjack that kept the postseason alive with his point production through the first seven games.
Larson, who tallied 66 points during the regular season on 32 goals and 34 assists, has been a stud for Muskegon. The forward now has 13 points in the postseason, including Monday’s game winning goal.
The Lumberjacks haven’t had just one puck bouncing their way either in the Clark Cup Playoffs.
Enter goalie Chase Clark, who came on the scene late in the season for Muskegon. Clark continued his incredible postseason performance on Monday night, stopping 43 Madison shots in the win. Clark is now 6-1 in the playoffs with a shiny .928 save percentage.
Muskegon started out incredibly slow on Monday night, getting only six shots on goal while letting in an embarrassing Quinn Finley goal with just 13 seconds left in the period.
The second period saw the Lumberjacks loosen up, getting 13 shots and a pair of goals. The first coming from Larson, just two minutes into the middle session for a 1-1 tie.
Jack Williams came through late in the second period with a goal that again tied the score 2-2 after Madison’s Casey Severo put his team up 2-1.
Muskegon again fell behind at the start of the third period when Madison’s Tyler Haskins made the score 3-2, just a minute into the final 20 minutes.
Noah Ellis stepped up with a goal for Muskegon with three minutes left in regulation, giving the Lumberjacks hope of getting the important victory on the road against the Capitols.
Larson tallied the game winner and his second goal of the night, with under five minutes left in the first OT, giving Muskegon a key win on the road.
Both teams played disciplined hockey all night, giving up just one penalty each.
Muskegon will now look to close out the series on Tuesday night in Madison. A win will place the Lumberjacks into the Clark Cup Finals for the first time since 2015 when they got swept by Sioux Falls.
A loss will send Game 5 back to Muskegon where tickets are now priced at $5. That price will hold for all remaining home games in the playoffs.
