LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON–The Muskegon Lumberjacks opened their four-game preseason slate against the defending Clark Cup Champion Youngstown Phantoms on Friday night at Trinity Health Arena.
The Jacks scored three unanswered third-period goals in a five-minute span and defeated Youngstown by a 5-2 margin.
Muskegon will host the Phantoms on Saturday before closing out preseason play next weekend with a home-and-home matchup against the Chicago Steel.
The Lumberjacks will open the regular season in Pittsburgh at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Fall Classic against Omaha and Dubuque before playing their home opener on Sept. 29 against Team USA.
Youngstown opened the scoring 2:42 into the contest with a goal from Zach Osburn.
The Lumberjacks tied the game 1-1 at the 6:56 mark of the opening period with a shorthanded goal by Joe Connor.
The game was tied 1-1 at the first intermission.
The Phantoms took a 2-1 advantage 12:58 into the middle frame with a goal from Michael Burchill.
Muskegon’s Cody Croal scored a power-play goal at the 16:08 mark of the second period to tie the contest 2-2 heading into the third stanza.
The Lumberjacks scored three goals just over five minutes apart in the final stanza.
Sam Spehar gave Muskegon a 3-2 lead at the 9:04 mark of the third period, then Croal added his second goal of the contest 10:21 into the final frame to give the Jacks a 4-2 lead. Xavier Veilleux closed out the scoring with a tally 14:44 into the third period.
Youngstown outshot the Lumberjacks by a 47-30 margin.
The Lumberjacks went 2-for-7 on the power play and killed four of the five Youngstown power plays.
Lukas Swedin started in net for Muskegon and stopped 22 of 23 shots, while Paxton Geisel earned the victory in net for the Jacks. Geisel stopped 23 of 24 shots on goal in relief.
