MUSKEGON, Mich. – For a moment, the Muskegon Lumberjacks were in the series. Less than a minute later, they were right back where the Fort Wayne Komets wanted them.

Just 36 seconds after Luke Stauffacher had completed a two-goal Muskegon surge to tie the game early in the third period, Mathieu Curadeau scored to steal the lead back, helping bolster the Komets to a 5-2 win and 3-0 series lead in the Turner Cup Final Tuesday night at L.C. Walker Arena.

The Komets can clinch their second-consecutive IHL title with one win, and they’ll have four chances to do it. 

“There’s a great deal of excitement in our (locker) room over the Cup being in the house tomorrow,” Komets head coach Al Sims said. “That being said, they’re already over tonight’s game and focusing on the next one.”

On the game-winning goal, 40-year-old Kazakh stickhandling savant Konstantin Shafranov danced through two Muskegon defenders before dishing at the last possible moment to Curadeau, who jumped to the puck at the top of the crease and lifted it over goalie Kevin Armstrong at 2:50 of the third.

“(Shafranov) is a wizard with the puck, the best I’ve seen,” Sims said of the oldest player in the IHL. “(Muskegon) had all the momentum and we took it right back. It was huge.”

David Hukalo scored into an empty net at 19:19 and Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn drilled home a breakaway goal with 11 seconds left to stuff the ‘Jacks in a hole that few teams in the annals of North American pro sports have emerged from.  Their quest to win four straight begins Wednesday night with the Turner Cup on the premises.

“It’s frustrating because we had a chance to win two games so far,” Stauffacher said, referring to the Lumberjacks overtime loss in Game 1. “Now we’re playing for our lives for the first time, but this team has a lot of character and we’ve shown it throughout the season.”

Although the Lumberjacks poured considerable energy into crafting a good start, the Komets calmly absorbed the home team’s attempted breakouts, converting them into transition opportunities. It was on such a reverse skate that Fort Wayne plucked the opening goal of the game.

With most of the ‘Jacks caught up ice, Rick Varone stole the puck and started back the other way, leading Sean O’Connor with a pass into open space. Working one-on-one against Muskegon defenseman Kyle Kos, O’Connor cut to the right post on his forehand before dishing it across the crease to an on-charging Justin Hodgman for a chip-in and a 1-0 lead 5:59 in.

“I gave a quick look over my shoulder as I cut across and I saw (Hodgman) behind me,” O’Connor said of his slick play. “I was just hoping I’d be able to get it to him.”

That’s how the first period would end, but it could’ve been much worse if not for Lumberjacks rookie goaltender Kevin Armstrong’s successive stops on O’Connor, Shafranov and Versteeg-Lytwyn over the span of about 90 seconds late in the frame. The Komets headed into the intermission with a 11-7 edge in shots and a much wider advantage in puck possession and scoring chances.

“It’s no secret (Fort Wayne’s) goal is to slow us down,” Stauffacher said. “They’re hard to fight against when they have the puck in our zone and get the forecheck going.”

The game continued to proceed according to the Komets-approved script well into the second, as an ill-conceived Stauffacher elbow to the face of Guy Dupuis resulted in a Fort Wayne power-play goal and a 2-0 score.

After maintaining pressure in the Muskegon zone for the majority of the advantage, Colin Chaulk, playing the point, fired a pass to an open Shafranov at the right side of the net. None of the ‘Jacks applied anything more than token resistance to Shafranov, who coolly slipped his first goal of the postseason through Armstrong’s legs at 11:27.

The Komets have now converted on 12 of 46 playoff power-play opportunities, good for a lethal 26.9 percent rate.

With the arena quiet and the Komets threatening to choke the life out of the rest of the series, Muskegon nonetheless struck back – in remarkably odd fashion – to cut its deficit to one after 40 minutes.

Billy Collins, his back to the play while behind the goal, took a desperate one-handed swipe at the loose puck in an apparent attempt to center for Stauffacher. However, the unconventional backhand try drilled Komets goalie Nick Boucher in the back and caromed into the net to the surprise of everyone including the goal judge, who waited until referee Jim Hawthorne signaled before switching the light on.

Stauffacher was officially credited with his team-leading sixth of the playoffs at 15:48 even though the puck never appeared to touch him on its strange trip across the goal line. The Komets put up a fight, but the consensus among the men in the striped shirts was that the ‘Jacks were on the board.

“I think Muskegon showed who they really were tonight,” Sims said. “They have some seriously talented forwards who don’t need that many chances to score and they had it going well for a while.”

Game 4 is set for 7 p.m. from Muskegon.

“They’re going to be strong and desperate (in Game 4),” Curadeau said. “We’ve got to do our best to match that.”

If the Komets do, there’s a good chance they’ll be back-to-back Turner Cup champions.

Contact matt.gajtka@prohockeynews.com

Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net