MUSKEGON – The up-and-down Muskegon Lumberjacks are a bit down again.

The Jacks lost their second straight game on Saturday night, falling 5-2 to the first-place Cedar Rapids Roughriders in front of a big home crowd at Trinity Health Arena.

The loss continued a pattern for the Lumberjacks, who have looked great at different points so far this season, and not so great at others.

The season started with a loss and then a win, another loss and then two wins, four straight losses followed by a win and a loss, and three straight wins before the current two-game skid.

In other words, the Jacks are a team with talent that is searching for some much-needed consistency.

Photo/Sondra Workman

“We just have to grow up a little bit,” said Lumberjacks head coach Colten St. Clair. “We use the word maturity. It means staying on the plan and having discipline.

“The feeling in the room shows that we are growing. The organization expects us to be awesome all the time, and eventually we will be.”

The Roughriders opened the scoring with a goal from Nathan Chorlton just 35 seconds into the contest.

The Lumberjacks took advantage of their first power play of the contest, tying the game 1-1 with a goal from Gustas Zemaitis, who took a pass from Zaac Charbonneau at the left goal post at the 8:20 mark of the first period.

Cedar Rapids responded with two goals 1:05 apart. Chorlton scored his second of the game at the 13:59 mark, then Jackson Fox found the back of the net 15:04 into the first period.

The Rough Riders led 3-1 despite getting outshot 13-12 through 20 minutes of play.

Cedar Rapids’ Braiden Scuderi scored the lone second period goal at the 9:54 mark, and the visitors led 4-1 heading into the third period.

The Roughriders extended the lead to 5-1 with a goal from Henry Lechner 4:34 into the third.

Muskegon’s Nicholas Kosiba scored the final goal late in the game.

The Lumberjacks outshot Cedar Rapids 35-29. Goaltender Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz suffered the loss, stopping 24 of 29 shots.

The Lumberjacks are 7-7-2 on the season, good for 16 points and fourth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference. Muskegon will look to once again bounce back and earn a weekend split on Saturday with a rematch against the Rough Riders. Faceoff is at 6 p.m.