Game 1 of the Clark Cup Conference Finals began Friday, with Sioux City and Fargo facing off in the West and Chicago and Muskegon in the East. Check out the Conference Finals summaries and notes below to get you ready for a great weekend of playoff hockey !
Eastern Conference Finals
Chicago Steel (#1) vs Muskegon Lumberjacks (#2)
Chicago made quick work of Dubuque in the opening round, defeating the Saints 2-1 and 6-1 to advance to the conference finals. For Muskegon, the Lumberjacks came out of 2 close games with wins against Green Bay.
Game Schedule
Game 1 - Friday 5/7 7:05pm CT
Game 2 - Saturday 5/8 7:10pm ET
Game 3 - Monday 5/10 7:05pm CT
Players to Watch
Chicago had 9 players listed on the January 2021 NHL Central Scouting Prospects list, and most have been huge contributors this season. Matt Coronato’s scoring pace from the regular season has not slowed down, as he leads the league in playoff points. Teammate Mackie Samoskevich, another one of Chicago’s A rated prospects, is top 5 in playoff points.
For Muskegon, Cameron Berg has continued to perform, he finished the regular season with 58 points in 51 games. A player who has been quiet so far in the playoffs is gifted winger Danil Gushchin, who has only 1 goal in the 2021 playoffs. Look for Gushchin to elevate his game against arguably the best team in the USHL. Gushchin, the San Jose 3rd round selection from 2020, had 64 points in 46 games this season.
2021 NHL Draft Prospects
Chicago Steel
Matt Coronato - A Rated
Mackie Samoskevich - A Rated
Jack Bar - B Rated
Ryan Ufko - B Rated
Jackson Blake - C Rated
Josh Doan - C Rated
Luca Fantilli - C Rated
Lukas Gustafsson - C Rated
Sam Lipkin - C Rated
Muskegon Lumberjacks
Cameron Berg - C Rated
Frankie Carogioiello - C Rated
Jacob Guevin - C Rated
Quinn Hutson - C Rated
Thomas Sinclair - C Rated
Western Conference
Sioux City Musketeers (#3) vs Fargo Force (#4)
In the Western conference, both first round matchups resulted in upsets. Fargo knocked off the #1 seed Tri City Storm in a thrilling series. After losing the opening game 3-2, Fargo would win game 2 in overtime, then comeback with 2, second period goals in game 3 to take the 3-2 win, as well as the series. For Sioux City, they knocked off Omaha with 2 great defensive games, resulting in only 1 goal against in 2 games.
Game Schedule
Game 1 - Friday 5/7 7:05pm CT
Game 2 - Saturday 5/8 6:05pm CT
Game 3 - Monday 5/10 7:05pm CT
Players to Watch
Tristan Broz has been a force in the playoffs with 7 points in 4 games. The B rated prospect will need to continue his playmaking form from the regular season, where he had 32 assists in 54 games. Look for Jack Peart and Jake Braccini to continue to produce for the Force as well. For Sioux City, they will need to find more offensive production, scoring just 3 goals in the opening round. Chase Bradley and Brian Carrabes both led the Musketeers this season with 40 points, and will need to find a way to get more pucks to the net. Shai Buium, the draft eligible defenseman formerly playing with Shattuck St Mary’s, leads the Musketeers in playoff points and has been a treat to watch for scouts.
2021 NHL Draft Prospects
Fargo Force
Tristan Broz - B Rated
Jack Peart - B Rated
Sioux City Musketeers
Shai Buium - B Rated
Daniel Laatsh - B Rated
Bennett Schimek - B Rated