USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Comeback Falls Short in Action-Packed Weekend Finale. Jacks Fall, 4-2, Against Riders

Published on January 3, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - There must be something about a Saturday night on Western Avenue with teal and purple jerseys on the ice. The Muskegon Lumberjacks (22-9-0-0, 44 pts.) annual Throwback night was a resounding success in every way other than the score. A packed crowd, tons of energy, and unfortunately for the home fans, a 4-2 win for the visiting Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (17-9-1-3, 38 pts.)

One goal came in each of the first two periods, one for each team. The lone goal of the first period belonged to the RoughRiders. Similar to the opening goal of Friday night's game, Henry Lechner held the puck on the far side of the ice and fired a pass across the zone to Justin Graf for an easy backdoor tap-in on the near side.

In the second period, the Jacks tied the game 1-1, kicking off a very wild sequence in the later stages of the period. Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) forced the puck off the wall and a battle at the Lumberjacks blue line to Drew Stewart (Minnetonka, MN) on his way through the neutral zone. As the pair entered the Cedar Rapids zone, Stewart dropped a pass back to Norringer in the middle of the slot, who then flipped it to Jack Christ (Chaska, MN) on the near side of the ice. Christ ripped a shot to the back of the net for his 11th goal of the season.

Off the ensuing faceoff at center ice, Jean-Samuel Daigneault (St-Michel, QC, CAN) laid a massive open ice hit on Connor Davis, causing another Rider to drop the gloves and challenge him. Daigneault made quick work of his counterpart with uppercuts and a pair of right-handers over the top to get the fans on their feet.

Moments later, while the Jacks were on a McKenzie Price Power Play, two more fights broke out as Stewart was tangled up with Charlie Emmons, and Carter Sanderson (Pierre, SD) grabbed a hold of Kaarson Young. The fights brought the stands to life and made the 2,700 people in attendance sound closer to 10,000.

Despite holding the momentum coming out of the second period, the Jacks surrendered a pair of goals in the third period. First, Graf scored his second goal of the game thanks to another backdoor pass. This time Davis sent the puck to Graf at the top of the crease. Lechner scored a goal of his own to cap off a 2-point performance later in the period to give the Riders a bit of breathing room.

In the final minute and a half of regulation, the Jacks pulled their goalie and got the extra attacker on the ice. Adam Belusko (Kosice, SVK), who returned to the lineup Saturday after skating at the 2026 WJC sent a pass to the near side of the ice for Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB, CAN). Rather than shooting for his own goal, Lawrence sent a shot off the pants of Niles Benson (Tampa, FL) and into the back of the net.

Trailing by just one in the final minute, the Jacks pulled their goalie again, looking to score again, but this time around, Jason Musa deposited the puck into the empty frame to regain the 2-goal lead and send the RoughRiders back to Cedar Rapids with three more points than they got to Muskegon.

Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) (16-4-0-0) earned the loss on his record, but played well with 22 saves on 25 shots against. Ryan Cameron (13-5-0-2) stopped 24 of 26 shots sent his way to earn the win on his record.

Next week, the Lumberjacks fly to Sioux Falls, SD, for a pair of games against the Stampede on Friday and Saturday Night. Catch the action on the official live stream partner of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, FloHockey, and for free on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network on Mixlr.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from January 3, 2026


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