The 2025 Clark Cup Playoffs continue this weekend as the focus shifts to the semifinals.
Youngstown (1) and Muskegon (4), and Dubuque (2) and Madison (3) square off in the Eastern Conference, while Lincoln (1) faces Sioux City (4) and Sioux Falls (2) battles Waterloo (3) in the Western Conference. All four are best-of-five series with three of them starting on Friday.
Here’s a look at each of the four matchups.
The Phantoms finished the regular season on a nine-game point streak (8-0-0-1) and clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Youngstown has been one of the league’s best teams on home ice too. Youngstown’s .790 home win percentage is tied with Maidson atop the USHL, and the Phantoms own a six-game (5-0-0-1) home point streak. They’ve also won five of the past six games against Muskegon.
However, the Lumberjacks closed out the regular season with a five-game road point streak (4-0-1) and they’re coming off a first-round win. Muskegon defeated Cedar Rapids in three games, earning a 4-1 victory to clinch the series. Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev made 30 saves in the finale and Jack Galanek had his second four-point game of the series.
The wait is over. It all starts tomorrow.#youngstownphantoms pic.twitter.com/dvoRBuQT5Z
Dubuque finished second in the standings and earned a first-round bye for a second consecutive year. The Fighting Saints have been one of the league’s most consistent teams and they ranked fifth in the USHL in goals scored (226) and sixth in goals against (186). Liam Beerman and Jan Spunar have been solid in net and Dubuque’s defensive corps is one of the league’s best.
While Dubuque enjoyed the rest, perhaps the Capitols built some momentum, as Madison swept Green Bay in two games. Mason Moe scored three times and the Capitols lit the lamp nine times in the series, and Caleb Heil made 51 saves at the other end. Madison’s 250 regular-season goals ranked second in the USHL and its 185 goals against ranked fifth.
Dubuque and Madison were separated by just one point in the standings and for what it’s worth, Madison won three of the four regular-season matchups.
The Anderson Cup champs want to add another banner to the Ice Box rafters, and they’ll start their playoff pursuit against Sioux City. The Stars led the league in nearly every regular-season team statistic and were rewarded with a .734 win percentage. They come into the playoffs playing well too and Rocky Russo’s lineup features plenty of talent and experience.
However, the Musketeers won’t go down without a fight, and Sioux City made quick work of Fargo in the first round – winning by 7-0 and 5-2 finals. Drake Murray (3-3-6), Tate Pritchard (2-1-3), Landen Gunderson (1-2-3) and Liam Hupka (2-1-3) all played their part and the Musketeers will try to carry that production into the second round. The teams split their six-game season series with Lincoln winning the last matchup on March 7.
Western Conference Semifinals Schedule📆
The Stars take on the Musketeers THIS Friday and Saturday! Tickets for Game 1 and 2 in Lincoln are available NOW!
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Sioux Falls finished just six points behind Lincoln and the Stampede were one of the league’s top teams – improving by 12 wins and 23 points from the year prior. They also enjoyed plenty of success on home going, as the Stampede went 21-6-3-1 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center and 6-2-1-1 over their final 10 home games. They also out-scored their opponents 127-87 at home this season.
While the Black Hawks are the lower seed, they’re fresh off a first-round sweep of Tri-City and went a perfect 4-0-0 against the Stampede this season – including a pair of wins in Sioux Falls. Waterloo earned 17 of its 34 wins away from Young Arena and went 7-2-1 over its final 10 regular-season road contests. Brendan McMorrow led the way this week with two goals and an assist, while Kaeden Hawkins had two goals in the finale – a 7-3 win over the Storm.
The 2025 Clark Cup Playoffs will stream exclusively live and on demand on FloHockey, official streaming partner of the USHL. Games can be viewed on FloHockey.tv or via the FloSports connected TV app. Sign up today so you never miss a moment of the action.
The USHL’s Clark Cup Playoffs began with four best-of-three series and the four winners have advanced to the semifinals, which begin on Friday. However, the final three rounds of the playoffs will utilize a best-of-five format.
The conference semifinals run April 18-25, the conference finals are slated to begin on April 26, and the Clark Cup Final starts on May 9. The full playoff schedule can be found here.
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