MUSKEGON – Muskegon Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton and his team have now been to the USHL Eastern Conference finals for three straight seasons.

Luck did not fall their way in their first two tries. They lost 3 games to 1 to Chicago in 2019, and 2 games to 0 to Chicago in 2021, when the conference final was a 2-of-3 series.

There were no playoffs in 2020 due to COVID.

Needless to say, Hamilton and the Jacks are tired of being conference finalists and missing the chance to play for a Clark Cup championship.

That opportunity will come on Thursday night in a winner-take-all situation, when the Lumberjacks will host the Madison Capitols in the decisive Game 5 of the conference finals, with the winner moving on to the finals against Western Conference champion Sioux City and the loser going home.

Game time will be 7 p.m. at Mercy Health Arena, and all seats for the huge showdown game have been reduced to $5, because the Jacks want the biggest, noisiest crowd possible to help get them over the hump.

“It’s awesome to get here – every year there are 14 other teams that don’t make it,” Hamilton said. “But I love winning more than most people you are going to meet, the ultimate goal here is to win a Clark Cup championship, and we have one more hurdle before we can get that opportunity.

“I would never say this is a do-or-die situation. We’ve had an unbelievable year. It’s been a lot of fun and very rewarding. But we would be fooling ourselves if we didn’t recognize the importance of the coming game.”

The Lumberjacks have been great in the playoffs, sweeping their first two series over Cedar Rapids and Dubuque and posting a 6-2 overall record.

But the Muskegon-Madison series has been an intense, back-and-forth battle between two teams that desperately want to win.

The Lumberjacks looked well in control in Game 1 at home, winning 5-2. Then they took a 2-0 lead in Game 2 at home, but Madison rallied to force overtime and won 4-3.

The Jacks returned the favor in Game 3 in Madison, scoring a late goal in the third period to force overtime, then winning 4-3 when Joey Larson scored in OT.

Muskegon could have clinched the series in Game 4 on Tuesday in Madison, but the desperate Capitols threw everything they had into the survival game and won 3-1.

The game was scoreless after one period, then Madison collected three unanswered goals in the second period. The Jacks tried to mount a comeback in the third period, but the inspired Capitols controlled the play by outshooting them 20-10.

“I thought we had a good start to the game,” Hamilton said. “In the first period we owned the possession time, but we couldn’t get one in, then they jumped on us in the second period and we kind of unraveled a bit, I think. Their team speed is really good, they play in a smaller arena and they were on us really quick. They were the better team in that game, and we accept it. Now we get to go home in front of our fans and hopefully pull through.”

Both teams should be feeling a bit worn out when they hit the ice for Game 5. The Lumberjacks boarded the bus immediately after the game in Madison on Tuesday and drove straight back, arriving back in Muskegon around 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The Jacks are taking today off, then will have a light skate on Thursday morning before the big game.

Madison also made the long bus trek to Muskegon, and will have to play the pressure game in front of a hostile crowd.

Hamilton said the coaches and players are counting on the fans to give them a big edge.

“We’ve had some really good support from our fans over the years, and we know it’s a Thursday night, when people have to go to work or school in the morning, but this is one of those games,” the coach said. “If you’re a Muskegon sports fan – maybe not even a hockey fam – this is an opportunity for our team to move on and our community to shine. We’re hoping for really good support.”