MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Lumberjacks have plenty of time to figure out which players can best help them make a Clark Cup run next spring.
They started getting a few clues on Friday night when they hosted the Chicago Steel in their first preseason game and fell 4-3 at Trinity Health Arena.
The Steel scored three unanswered second period goals to break a first period tie, then held on to defeat the Jacks.
The two teams will face off again on Saturday night in a preseason rematch in Chicago.
[1]The Lumberjacks will host preseason games against Youngstown on Monday and Tuesday before closing their home preseason schedule next Friday against Team USA.
Muskegon will open the regular season with a pair of games in Pittsburgh on September 22 and 23 against Sioux Falls and Tri-City, respectively, before hosting the first regular season home game on Sept. 30 against the Steel.
“I think we were playing a little bit more as a team during the third period,” said Lumberjacks coach Mike Hamilton. “We continued to get better, but we are obviously a long way away on how we want to play.
“The positive is how we responded in the third, but I really didn’t like our compete level in the first and second periods.”
[2]The Steel opened the scoring with a breakaway goal from Cameron Johnson 1:56 into the contest.
Gavin McCarthy tied the game with the Lumberjacks’ first goal of the preseason on a wrist shot that went just past the crossbar at the 17:51 mark of the opening period.
The Steel exploded for three unanswered goals during the second period to take a 4-1 lead.
Chris Delaney gave Chicago a 2-1 advantage with a goal 1:18 into the middle period.
The Steel then added a power play goal by Jayden Perron and another goal by Delaney.
[3]The Lumberjacks fought back in the third period, starting with McCarthy’s second goal on a power play at the 9:50 mark.
“Carts (McCarthy) looked good tonight,” Hamilton said. “Not only with the goals he scored, but I thought he also made some great plays with puck possession, and I think he was clearly our best player tonight. We will need some more players to step up their game.”
Jake Richard added a goal with a shot right in front of the Chicago net at the 11:21 mark to cut the Lumberjacks’ deficit to 4-3.
The Jacks had a glorious chance to get the equalizer with 1:52 left in regulation when Tyler Hotson was awarded a penalty shot after being interfered with by a Steel player on a breakaway.
But Hotson was denied on the attempt and Chicago escaped with the win.
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