High Shot Output Doesn't Translate for Lumberjacks. Fall, 2-1, to Madison in Game One of ECF
USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

High Shot Output Doesn't Translate for Lumberjacks. Fall, 2-1, to Madison in Game One of ECF

Published on May 1, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - The best-of-five series between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Madison Capitols for the Eastern Conference Finals kicked off Friday night at Trinity Health Arena. The Lumberjacks dictated much of the play, but in the end, the Capitols secured a 2-1 win to take a 1-0 series lead.

The story heading into the series was which team would carry their game into the third round of the Clark Cup Playoffs. For Madison, it is all about bending, not breaking, while capitalizing on the opposition's mistakes. The Lumberjacks have one of the more powerful offenses in junior hockey and used it to take control of the game from the opening faceoff.

Despite firing 17 shots on goal in the first period, the Jacks were held scoreless in the opening frame. It took another 15 minutes in the second period for the Lumberjacks to open the scoring and take a 1-0 lead. Louis Jonerheim (Lund, SWE) carried the puck up the far side of the ice into the Madison zone before cutting towards the net from the bottom of the circle. Anthony Thomas-Maroon (St. Louis, MO) and Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, MI) met Jonerheim and the puck at the net, leading to a flurry of opportunities to score a goal. Bergeron got the final touch of the puck as it crossed the goal line for his 2nd goal of the postseason.

A pair of goals, one at the start of the third period and one in the final minute of regulation, helped the Capitols tie the game and take the lead they carried to the final buzzer. The first goal came three minutes into the period when Jackson Nevers redirected a shot to the back of the net. John Stout took the initial shot, and Nolen Geerdes picked up the secondary assist to pick up his team's leading 7th point of the playoffs.

With 56 seconds left before the end of the third period, Madison took a 2-1 lead. Dexter Brooks fired a shot from the blue line that was turned aside, but provided a rebound on the near side of the slot for Tyden Bergeson. With nearly the whole net to shoot at, Bergeson scored his 3rd goal of the postseason to send Madison to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Shots were heavily lopsided in favor of the Lumberjacks, but both goalies played well in the game. Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) (5-3) started the game for Muskegon and made 20 saves on 22 shots against. Caleb Heil (6-1) stopped 39 of the 40 shots fired by the Lumberjacks to earn his 6th win of the playoffs.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final is tomorrow, Saturday night, at 6 pm at Trinity Health Arena. Tickets are available at muskegonlumberjacks.com or by calling 231-799-7000.

The game is the FloHockey, USHL Game of the Week, and is available to watch for free on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Bell Fibe (Canada), Rakuten (Europe), and the Lumberjacks/FloHockey social media channels. The game will also be available for free on the Lumberjacks Hockey Network presented by Grey Supply Corp.

Check out the Muskegon Lumberjacks Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from May 1, 2026


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