MUSKEGON, Mich. - Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) netted a hat trick to give him 10 goals in eight games this season, but the U18s comeback bid fell just short in a 7-6 loss to the Muskegon Lumberjacks Tuesday evening at Mercy Health Arena. 

Logan Cooley (West Mifflin, Pa.) made it a 2-1 game at 3:22 of the first with an unorthodox goal for his 19th of the season. Dylan Duke (Strongsville, Ohio) collected a loose puck and flipped a pass to Cooley in front of the net. He gloved the pass up high, placed the puck in front of him, spun and flipped in his backhand shot. 

Muskegon tied the game at twos, but Lucius scored his first off a broken play in front of the 'Jacks cage. The University of Minnesota commit found the puck out of a scrum and slid it into the open net with assists from Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) and Liam Gilmartin (Falls Church, Va.).

After the Lumberjacks tied it at 3-3 before the close of the period, Howard kicked off the middle frame with his 30th goal of the season when he banged home a feed in front from Lucius.

Quinn Hutson, brother of NTDP U17 defenseman Lane Hutson, scored his second of the night to bring the teams even once again. 

Lucius potted his second goal of the evening just shy of the midway mark of the game on a second-chance opportunity with Team USA on the man advantage. Behrens picked up his second helper of the game while Cooley hit Lucius with the initial feed. 

Muskegon's Cameron Berg and Danil Gushchin both tallied to give the 'Jacks a 6-5 lead after 40 minutes. The Lumberjacks established the first two-goal lead of the night when Dylan Wendt found an empty net after Team USA pulled goaltender Gibson Homer (Grand Rapids, Mich.) for an extra attacker.

Lucius completed the hat trick with 41 seconds remaining when he camped out in front of the net for a back-door tap in from Pastujov. 

Team USA appeared to tie the game with less than 10 seconds remaining, but the goal was waved off after a scramble in front of the net.

The U18s hit the road again to play the Chicago Steel Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 8:10 p.m. ET from Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois.