Staff photo / Brian Yauger Phantoms defenseman Luke Osburn prepares to fire a shot on net during the second period of Saturday's game.

YOUNGSTOWN — A rough start plagued the Youngstown Phantoms in their series-opening contest against Muskegon on Saturday. A trio of third period goals couldn’t make the difference as the Phantoms fell 5-3 to the Lumberjacks in Game 1 of the second round of the Clark Cup Playoffs.

“It was a wonky game from start to finish,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “Obviously we gave up a couple (goals) that you can’t give up, but it’s just a kind of weird game tonight. Flush it. Short memories, and it’s a race to three (wins), so that’s why it’s a five-game series.”

Muskegon set the tone early, with Ivan Ryabkin beating out Melvin Strahl a minute and a half into the contest.

The goals kept coming into the second period as the Lumberjacks piled on three more goals in the first five minutes of the middle frame.

Ryabkin opened the scoring in the second period as well, beating Strahl again just 23 seconds into the period.

Teddy Spitznagel and Jack Christ quickly followed Ryabkin onto the scoresheet.

Following Christ’s goal, Owen Lepak was tapped to take over in net for Strahl.

Lepak has excelled this season when called off the bench, and Saturday was no different. The Western Michigan commit saved 11-of-11 shots.

“Owen was great off the bench,” Ward said. “He’s done that the last couple months and he was really, really good coming in (the game) in relief.”

The Phantoms started coming alive in the third period, playing faster and piling more shots on net.

It paid off in the form of Ryan Rucinski, who got Phantoms on the board. A quick back-and-forth with Evan Jardine in the offensive zone set the Broadview Heights native up for his first goal of the playoffs.

Rucinski found the back of the net once again a few minutes later. In the midst of a netfront fracas, Rucinski pounded the puck past Muskegon’s Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev.

Just seconds after leaving the penalty box, Phantoms forward Adam Benak helped cut into that lead further, setting up Conner de Haro with a textbook snipe into the back of the net.

Unfortunately for the Phantoms, they couldn’t complete the comeback effort, however. Youngstown trails Muskegon 1-0.

The Phantoms hit the ice again today as they try to even out the series in Game 2. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. Win or lose, Game 3 of the series will be on Tuesday in Muskegon.