Muskegon, MI – The Dubuque Fighting Saints skated to a 5-2 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday night to take a two games to one lead in the best-of-five series.

With a 2-1 lead late in the second period, Gavin Lock took a Lincoln Krizizke pass on the left circle and beat Carl Axelsson for his first-career playoff goal. The tally put Dubuque ahead 3-1 and counted as the game-winner for Dubuque. Lock's goal also came after he had a goal called back for goaltender interference following a Muskegon challenge earlier in the frame.

The Fighting Saints never trailed in the Game 3 win, taking the lead early as Michael Barron opened the scoring for the second-straight game. Barron's goal came at 4:20 of the first, from Charlie Arend and Colin Frank.

Dubuque added to the lead with rookie Caden Dabrowski's first playoff goal at 10:14 of the second. After a Viktor Norringer breakaway goal less than two minutes later cut the Saints' lead to one, Lock added the game-winner with 17 seconds left in the second period.

Xavier Lieb logged the second assist on Lock's goal and added his second of the series at 3:26 of the third to put Dubuque ahead 4-1.

The Lumberjacks pulled Axelsson with just under six minutes to play and chipped back into the game with Jack Christ's second of the series with 4:58 left. Christ's tally was the Lumberjacks' only third period goal despite 17 shots on net.

Saints goaltender Vojtech Hambálek stopped 35 of 37 shots for Dubuque, including 28 of 30 over the final two periods to earn his second win of the series.

Masun Fleece added an empty-netter with five seconds left, icing the Saints' 5-2 win. The Fighting Saints return to the ice in Muskegon on Saturday with a chance to clinch the series and move on to the Eastern Conference Final.