Second Period Sinks Jacks in 5-2 Loss to Lincoln
USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Second Period Sinks Jacks in 5-2 Loss to Lincoln

Published on March 6, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - A trio of goals in a short span during the second period proved to be too much for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (32-19-0-1, 65 pts.) to handle on Friday night. Paired with a lopsided shot total, the Lincoln Stars (24-23-4-1, 52 pts.) picked up the 5-2 win and punched their ticket to the postseason.

Scoring was opened by the Lumberjacks in the final moments of the first period. Nathan Larioza (Los Gatos, CA) fished the puck out of a scrum on the far side wall of the Lincoln zone and sent a pass to the near side of the blue line for Branko Vukas (Dyer, IN). Melvin Novotny (Stockholm, SWE) was positioned on the back post to redirect a pass to the back of the net, but after a pass from Vukas, it went off his stick and wide of the goal. A fortuitous bounce saw the puck land on Rudolfs Berzkalns' (Cesis, LAT) stick for an easy tap-in to the nearly empty net.

Just under seven minutes of play in the second period brought three goals for the Stars to tie the game, take a lead, and extend the lead. The first goal came at the 3:30 mark of the frame off a long shot from the blue line by Nikolas Young. Layne Loomer picked up his team-leading 38th assist of the season. With a pass to Young from the near side corner.

At the 8:44 mark, the Stars made it 2-1 with a power play goal. Will Kortan parked himself at the top of the crease so when a shot from the near side of the ice was turned aside, he was in the perfect position to knock the puck out of the air and into the back of the net for his 6th goal of the season. Just under two minutes later, Cooper Williams was the beneficiary of a turnover in the Lumberjacks zone and scored to give his team a 3-1 lead.

It didn't take long in the third period for the Stars to make it 4-1. Kade Kohanski found a rebound sitting in the crease and tapped it into the back of the net after a Muskegon defenseman was knocked out of the play by blocking the shot and falling to the ice.

The comeback effort started strong for the Lumberjacks, who converted on their first and only McKenzie Price Power Play of the game. Lincoln won the face-off on the near side of the zone but wasn't able to clear the puck. Instead, it bounced to the middle of the slot where Viktor Norringer (Kungsbacka, SWE) picked up possession and ripped it to the back of the net for his 22nd goal of the season with just 8:40 to play in regulation.

The Jacks pulled their goalie with four minutes to play, looking to bring the score within a single goal, and maybe strike a second time to tie the game. Instead, a regroup in the neutral zone went awry, and the puck ended up on the stick of Alex Pelletier for an empty net goal to make it 5-2.

Carl Axelsson (Danderyd, SWE) (24-11-0-0) earned the loss on his record with 28 saves on 32 shots against. William Prowse (18-12-2-1) earned the win on his record with 26 saves on the 28 shots he faced.

The Jacks and Stars close out the weekend series at Trinity Health Arena on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. as part of Billet Appreciation Night. Tickets are available at muskegonlumberjacks.com or by calling 231-799-7000.

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 6, 2026


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