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The USHL Clark Cup Playoffs have entered the second round, with eight teams left to contend for the championship.
Conference semifinal matchups include the Madison Capitols and Dubuque Fighting Saints, Muskegon Lumberjacks and Youngstown Phantoms, Sioux City Musketeers vs. Lincoln Stars, and the Waterloo Black Hawks against the Sioux Falls Stampede.
The best-of-three first round playoff series featured three sweeps. The Capitols swept the Green Bay Gamblers, the Black Hawks swept the Tri-City Storm, and the Musketeers got out the brooms against the Fargo Force.
The Lumberjacks won a win-or-go-home third game to advance past the Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
Here are things to watch for in each of the Conference Semifinals matchups. All series are best-of-five.
Eastern Conference
Game 1: #4 Muskegon Lumberjacks at #1 Youngstown Phantoms – Saturday, April 19, 6:00 p.m. ET
Game 2: #4 Muskegon Lumberjacks at #1 Youngstown Phantoms – Sunday, April 20, 7:05 p.m. ET
Game 3: #1 Youngstown Phantoms at #4 Muskegon Lumberjacks – Tuesday, April 22, 7:10 p.m. ET
Game 4: #1 Youngstown Phantoms at #4 Muskegon Lumberjacks – Wednesday, April 23, 7:10 p.m. ET*
Game 5: #4 Muskegon Lumberjacks at #1 Youngstown Phantoms – Friday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. ET*
These two teams became quite familiar with each other during the 2024-25 regular season. The Jacks went 4-3-0-2 in the nine games they played against the Phantoms.
The last time the two clubs met in the post-season was in 2015, when Muskegon came away with a 3-1 series triumph in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Jack Galanek was the leading scorer for the Jacks in their first-round series against Cedar Rapids, picking up four points over the three games.
As the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Phantoms got the luxury of a bye while they awaited the winner of the Muskegon-Cedar Rapids series. Adam Benak led the team in scoring with 59 points (17-42-59) in 56 games.
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Game 1: #3 Madison Capitols at #2 Dubuque Fighting Saints – Friday, April 18, 7:05 p.m. CT
Game 2: #3 Madison Capitols at #2 Dubuque Fighting Saints – Saturday, April 19, 7:05 p.m. CT
Game 3: #2 Dubuque Fighting Saints at #3 Madison Capitols – Monday, April 21, 6:05 p.m. CT
Game 4: #2 Dubuque Fighting Saints at #3 Madison Capitols – Tuesday, April 22, 6:05 p.m. CT*
Game 5: #3 Madison Capitols at #2 Dubuque Fighting Saints – Thursday, April 24, 7:05 p.m. CT*
*If necessary
This will be the Capitols’ second trip to a Conference Semifinals in team history. The first came in 2022, when they eliminated the Chicago Steel in a best-of-three.
Madison went 3-0-1-0 against the Fighting Saints in their regular-season series, taking both games played in Middleton. Since rejoining the USHL in 2014, the Caps are 20-29-6-0 overall against Dubuque. This will be the first post-season meeting between the two teams.
Mason Moe was the Caps’ leader in goals with three during their first-round series sweep of the Gamblers, while Colton Jamieson had four assists.
Dubuque finished the regular season with a 21-8-1-0 record at ImOn Arena. They posted a 24-7-1-2 mark in games decided by one goal, including an impressive 10-1 record in overtime games.
Western Conference
Game 1: #4 Sioux City Musketeers at #1 Lincoln Stars – Friday, April 18, 7:05 p.m. CT
Game 2: #4 Sioux City Musketeers at #1 Lincoln Stars – Saturday, April 19, 6:05 p.m. CT
Game 3: #1 Lincoln Stars at #4 Sioux City Musketeers – Monday, April 21, 7:05 p.m. CT
Game 4: #1 Lincoln Stars at #4 Sioux City Musketeers – Tuesday, April 22, 7:05 p.m. CT*
Game 5: #4 Sioux City Musketeers at #1 Lincoln Stars – Thursday, April 24, 7:05 p.m. CT*
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The Stars have a score to settle with Sioux city after the Musketeers swept them in last season’s Western Conference Semifinals.
While Sioux City was sweeping the defending Champion Fargo Force in their first-round series, Lincoln earned a bye after posting a USHL-best 44-15-3-0 regular-season record. The team captured its fourth Anderson Cup and first since 2003.
The Stars led the league with 272 goals, breaking their single-season record of 246 set in 2000-01.
Sioux City racked up 12 goals in their two first-round games against the Force. They boasted the USHL’s top two scorers in Giacomo Martino (74 points) and Landen Gunderson (73 points).
Lincoln managed to hold Martino to just two points during their six regular-season meetings, but Gunderson led all Musketeer skaters with eight points during that span.
Game 1: #3 Waterloo Black Hawks at #2 Sioux Falls Stampede – Friday, April 18, 7:05 p.m. CT
Game 2: #3 Waterloo Black Hawks at #2 Sioux Falls Stampede – Saturday, April 19, 6:05 p.m. CT
Game 3: #2 Sioux Falls Stampede at #3 Waterloo Black Hawks – Monday, April 21, 6:35 p.m. CT
Game 4: #2 Sioux Falls Stampede at #3 Waterloo Black Hawks – Tuesday, April 22, 6:35 p.m. CT*
Game 5: #3 Waterloo Black Hawks at #2 Sioux Falls Stampede – Friday, April 25, 7:05 p.m. CT*
*If necessary
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The Black Hawks went unbeaten against Sioux Falls during the regular season, sporting a perfect 4-0-0 record against the Stampede over their four meetings. They included an eight-goal barrage on Jan. 30 and a comeback from a four-goal deficit March 18.
Waterloo’s Brendan McMorrow is tied for fourth in the league with three points so far this post-season. He and Caeden Hawkins are among 10 USHL skaters who have scored more than once in the playoffs.
The Herd reached the 40-win mark to draw a first-round bye. Ethan Wyttenbach led the team in goals with 24, Noah Urness led in assists with 32, while Reid Varkonyi topped the club in points with 52.
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