After a double-overtime victory Friday night, the Muskegon Lumberjacks were looking to close out the Clark Cup Final Saturday night at Trinity Health Arena against the Waterloo Black Hawks, who trailed 2-1 in the series.
Any plans the Jacks had for celebrating would have to wait, although it took another sudden-death overtime to decide the outcome.
Chase Jette scored the game-winner just 1:32 into overtime to give the Hawks a 3-2 victory. They tied the series and forced a fifth and deciding game in Iowa on Tuesday.
"Really proud of the response from our guys at the end," Black Hawks head coach Matt Smaby said after the game. "I think many teams would have found a way or would have lost focus or lost their composure. Our guys coming off the ice and in the locker room just stayed with it. I'm really proud of them for that. They've shown that all year."
The game started in much the same tight-checking, defensive style of Game 3. Muskegon had a chance to get an early lead in the opening period, but Hawks goalie Carter Casey made a beautiful save on Teddy Spitznagel. It was the second straight game Spitznagel was denied by Casey.
Neither team could tickle the twine in the first period. That marked the second time in the series the first 20 minutes went scoreless.
Muskegon outshot the Hawks 12-10 in the frame. The Jacks began the second period with 1:46 left on a power play following a high-sticking call on the Hawks' Morgan Brady; however, Waterloo was able to kill it off.
The Hawks had several more chances on the power play in the middle frame. Jacks forward David Deputy was called for two consecutive interference penalties, but the Hawks, who were 1-for-8 with the man advantage in the series, couldn’t get a goal on either chance.
Vaclav Nestrasil was called for roughing later in the period. This time, Waterloo struck pay dirt.
Easton Hewson put one past Shika Gadzhiev in the top corner off a Kaeden Hawkins pass at 15:25 to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Hawkins and Teddy Townsend earned assists. It was the first goal scored by a Hawks defenseman in the series.
That was the only tally of the period, although the Hawks had a couple more shots at Gadzhiev, but the Russian native was able to withstand the challenge.
Waterloo came out firing in the first five minutes of the third period, hoping to pick up an insurance goal. After looking a bit shaky in the second period following Hewson’s goal, Gadzhiev slammed the door.
At 14:33 of the third, Grady Deering gave the Hawks the insurance they were looking for, firing one in over the shoulder of Gadzhiev for a 2-0 Waterloo lead.
That's when the game took a crazy turn.
The Jacks pulled Gadzhiev with just over four minutes to play for the sixth attacker. At 18:55, Jack Galanek put in a low shot to narrow the gap to 2-1, spoiling Casey’s shutout.
It looked as if the Hawks would hang on for a Game 5, but an extra-attacker power-play goal by Xavier Veilleux from the outside edge of the right circle just as the buzzer sounded completely changed things and tied the game 2-2.
After review, the goal was upheld. Once again, the fans in Muskegon would be treated to sudden-death overtime.
"I took a quick scan and saw there was two seconds left on the clock," Veilleux said. "Great pass from my captain and was able to shoot it quick and found a way to get it in there."
It took just 1:32 into the bonus period for the Black Hawks to win the game, and this time, it would hold.
Chase Jette scored the game-winner to end a roller-coaster of a contest and preserve a 3-2 victory for the Black Hawks.
With the last two games needing extra time, it would have been understandable if both teams had looked gassed or sloppy. Smaby credits his team's conditioning during the season with keeping them mentally focused.
"Just the extra cardio and conditioning and working out that the guys have done, how hard they've practiced day in and day out has prepared them for moments like this," Smaby said. "I thought that showed tonight. There was a lot of hockey played (Friday)... We didn't miss a beat. We came out skating right away."
It was a tough pill to swallow for the Lumberjacks, but head coach Parker Burgess was proud of the way his team hung in throughout a grueling last two nights.
"Our guys showed a lot of fight, character and resilience to battle back," Burgess said. "What a great game. Now, the focus has shifted and we get ready for Game 5."
The winner-take-all game will be in Waterloo Tuesday, with the Clark Cup Trophy on the line. Puck drop is set for 6:35 Pm CT.