MUSKEGON – Over the past two nights, it was hard to tell which team was buried in last place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference.

For the record, the Madison Capitols have been in the conference basement for most of the season.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks are only one spot ahead in the standings in seventh place, but came into the weekend more than 20 points (10-plus wins) ahead of the Capitols.

But you would have never known that if you watched the two teams go head-to-head on Friday and Saturday at Trinity Health Arena.

The cellar-dwelling Capitols completed a two-night sweep of the Jacks on Saturday by a 5-2 score.

Lumberjacks defenseman Gavin McCarthy, who scored one of his team’s goals.

Friday night’s loss to Madison officially eliminated Muskegon from contention for a league playoff spot. Saturday’s loss seemed rather inexplicable, because few if any teams in the conference have lost twice in one weekend to the Capitols this season.

The Lumberjacks fell to 26-31-3 on the season. Madison improved to 16-39-4.

The Jacks will wrap up their season with home games against first-place Chicago next Friday and Saturday nights.

“There were no good results this weekend,” said Lumberjacks Coach Parker Burgess. “We didn’t defend hard enough during the first period and it bit us in the ass and dug us a hole. We had some good opportunities to score during the second period, but you got to put the puck in the back of the net, and we didn’t.”

The Lumberjacks started backup goalie Sebastian Gatto on Saturday over starter Raythan Robbins, who has been carrying the load and playing every game for many weeks following an injury to fellow goalie Conor Callaghan.

Gatto did not fare well, giving up three goals in the first period and another early in the second before being pulled in favor of Robbins.

Lumberjacks forward Ethan Fredericks, who scored Muskegon’s second goal. Photo/Tonya Pardon.

Robbins did not allow any goals the rest of the way – Madison’s fifth goal was an empty-netter – but Muskegon could not generate enough offense to get back in the game.

“Raythan’s has played a lot of hockey, and so I think the thought process was give him a break with our circumstance of not making the playoffs,” Burgess said. “We also wanted to see where Sabastian (Gatto) is at, and he made some good saves, and it was a good learning lesson for him.”

Madison collected first-period goals from Andrew Kuzma at 6:35, Max Nagel at 9:48 and Jack Brandt at 12:11 to take a 3-0 lead into the second.

Kuzma scored his second goal of the game on a power play at 3:04 of the second period, prompting the Lumberjacks to make the goalie change.

Muskegon’s Gavin McCarthy broke the shutout with a goal at 6:36 of the second period and the Capitols led 4-1 heading into the third.

Ethan Fredericks pulled the Jacks within two goals at 8:08 of the final period, but Madison iced the win with an empty-netter by Finn Brink with less than a minute to play.