MUSKEGON – Before the Muskegon Lumberjacks can start focusing on who they might play in the first round of the Clark Cup playoffs, they have to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

That’s very likely to happen, and could come as soon as this weekend.

Two teams in the USHL’s Eastern Conference – first-place Chicago and second-place Dubuque – have clinched playoff spots. The third-place Lumberjacks can add themselves to that list by gaining four more points in the standings (two points for a win, one for an overtime loss), or by having seventh-place Cedar Rapids (currently the top team out of the playoffs) lose two more games.

The Lumberjacks have seven games remaining in the regular season, which means they could earn a maximum of 14 points.

Third place might be as high as the Lumberjacks can finish in the standings, barring a collapse by second-place Dubuque. The Fighting Saints have 73 points, nine ahead of Muskegon, so unless the Jacks get really hot and Dubuque gets really cold, that race may be all but over.

Third place is no guarantee, either, because the Lumberjacks are only one point ahead of fourth-place Youngstown.

The top six teams in the conference make the playoffs. The first and second place teams get byes in the first round while the third-place team plays the sixth-place team and the fourth-place team plays the fifth-place team.

If the regular season ended today, Muskegon would play sixth-place Team USA while Youngstown and Madison would meet in the other series.

The main concern for the Jacks at this point is finishing either third or fourth, so they have the huge home ice advantage in the first round. The first-round series will be two games out of three, with the three games scheduled for three straight nights, all in the higher seed’s building.

“Statistically it would be hard for us to be anything but the third or fourth seed,” said Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton. “So the chance of us hosting a first-round series is highly likely. Then the question becomes whether we would rather play Madison or Cedar Rapids or Team USA in the first round.

“We’re not getting caught up in that right now. Our focus is getting through the grind and continue to build upon playing the right way. Last weekend we played some really good hockey. If we continue to follow that path we will win a lot of games.”

Hamilton: Jacks won eight out of nine periods in Youngstown

In the standings, last weekend’s three-game series in Youngstown was not a success, because the Lumberjacks lost two games.

On Friday they gave up four goals in the first period and lost 6-3. On Saturday the game was tied 1-1 after one period and 2-2 after two, then the Phantoms outscored the Jacks 2-1 in the third to steal a 4-3 win.

The Lumberjacks avoided a sweep on Sunday – and held on to third place in the standings – with a 4-1 victory. They fell behind 1-0, then got goals from Phil Tresca, Jack Williams, Quinn Hutson and Parker Lindauer.

While a 1-2 record does not equal a great weekend, Hamilton said the Lumberjacks played very good hockey following the first period on Friday. He said the problem on Saturday was Youngtown goalie Jacob Fowler, who made a bunch of key saves and stopped 34 of 37 shots.

“I would say we won eight periods in a row,” Hamilton said. “We lost the first period on Friday night, but in the next eight periods I would say we were clearly the better team, everywhere but in the goal-scoring column. We only won one of three, but we came away with a lot of confidence. I really liked the way we played, particularly in the offensive category.”

Muskegon goalie Aleksandr Kuleshov had a rough first period on Friday, giving up four goals on 13 shots, and was replaced with three minutes left in the period by Chase Clark, who played the rest of the game and weekend.

Hamilton admits that the team is still waiting for one of the three goalies – Kuleshov, Clark or rookie Cameron Korpi – to start playing well consistently and grab the No. 1 spot heading into the playoffs.

“They’ve got seven games to sort it out and prove to us who can win every night,” the coach said. “We’re still waiting for that one guy to take the reins and be more consistent.”

20 hours on the bus

The Lumberjacks are heading into what might be their most challenging weekend of the regular season, playing in Dubuque on Friday night, Cedar Rapids on Saturday night and Green Bay on Sunday afternoon.

That’s three games in three days for the second straight weekend, and involves a tremendous amount of bus travel.

On Thursday the Jacks will make the 6 ½ hour trip from Muskegon to Dubuque, Iowa. On Friday night after the game, they will get back on the bus for a 90-minute drive from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Then on Saturday night after the game, they will get back on the bus for a nearly five-hour drive from Cedar Rapids to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The trip back from Green Bay to Muskegon is another 6 ½ hours. That means the Jacks will spend nearly 20 hours on a bus over the next few days!

“We’re going to bring a full load of guys so we can spread out the minutes, but we’ve got to be careful and make sure we still put our best lineup on the ice each night.” Hamilton said. “We’ve just got to get through this weekend, then we will go play Team USA and Chicago (over the following two weekends), which are much easier trips.”

This weekend’s trip will be challenging from a competitive standpoint, as well. Dubuque is a great team that will be looking to get even for the two-game sweep they suffered in Muskegon on March 18-19.

Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids and Green Bay are both desperately fighting for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. to stay alive and make the playoffs. Team USA is currently in sixth with 55 points, Cedar Rapids has 53 and Green Bay is in last place with 48.

Hamilton thinks Cedar Rapids will be extra dangerous, because the Roughriders are only two points out of a playoff spot and draws big, noisy home crowds.

“They are right in the mix and they are one of the tougher teams to play,” Hamilton said. “They are probably the one team in our division that has a real home ice advantage. They get good crowds that are really into the games, and they have that dumping and hitting style of play. It’s a hard place to play.”