Mounting an offensive attack continues to be a problem for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, who lost 4-1 to the Cedar Rapids Roughriders on Saturday in an important road game.

The Jacks ended up losing both games of the weekend series and took a serious hit in the standings. They are now nine points (four victories plus a point) behind the Roughriders in the race for the sixth and final playoff spot in the USHL’s Eastern Conference.

Muskegon, which has now lost three games in a row, is 20-24-2 on the season with 42 points in the standings. Cedar Rapids is 22-17-7 with 51 points.

Each team has 16 games remaining in the regular season.

Lumberjacks forward Ethan Whitcomb, who scored the team’s only goal on Saturday.

The Lumberjacks only managed 14 shots on goal, compared to 28 for Cedar Rapids. The Jacks were outshot 34-19 in another 4-1 loss to Cedar Rapids on Friday.

The game was close until the end.

The only goal of the first period came from Cedar Rapids’ Dylan Hryckowian at the 11:28 mark.

The Roughriders went up 2-0 at 7:33 of the second period on a goal by Ryan Walsh, then Muskegon got on the board with a goal by Ethan Whitcomb at 19:47 of the second.

Cedar Rapids sewed up the victory with goals from Tyson Gross (7:29) and Hryckowian (16:34) in the third period.

Muskegon goalie Raythan Robbins took the loss.