Men's Ice Hockey | 4/10/2026 10:10:59 PM

The Lincoln Stars evened their series with the Des Moines Buccaneers, while the Madison Capitols, Muskegon Lumberjacks and Sioux City Musketeers all took the lead in their best-of-three first-round series on the first Friday of the Clark Cup Playoffs.

Madison Capitols 2, Green Bay Gamblers 1 | VIDEO RECAP
The Capitols withstood a heavy offensive push to edge out the Gamblers, 2–1, in Game 1 on Friday night.

Green Bay jumped out to an early lead in the first period when Zach Wooten found the back of the net on a one-timer on the power play. Madison responded before the end of the frame, as Harper Frey walked the puck in and scored from the right-wing circle.

The Capitols took control in the closing minutes of the second period. Capitalizing on a power play opportunity, Nolen Geerdes notched the go-ahead goal at 18:20 on power-play goal from the high slot.

The story of the night was the disparity in chances. Green Bay dominated the shot volume 37–13. However, Madison’s Caleb Heil was a wall in net, finishing with 36 saves to stifle the Gamblers' comeback attempts throughout a scoreless third period.

With the victory, Madison takes a 1–0 lead in the series heading into Game 2 on Saturday.

Muskegon Lumberjacks 3, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 2 | VIDEO RECAP
The Lumberjacks rallied from multiple one-goal deficits to secure a 3–2 road victory over the RoughRiders in Game 1 on Friday night.

Cedar Rapids opened the scoring midway through the first period when Nick Romeo found the back of the net at 8:20 off a 2-on-1 rush. The RoughRiders carried that 1–0 lead into the first intermission while holding a 10–6 advantage in shots.

Muskegon’s Melvin Novotny evened the game at 9:59 of the second period with a power-play goal, but the RoughRiders answered just over a minute later when Connor Davis reclaimed the lead for Cedar Rapids. However, the Lumberjacks responded late in the frame, as Carter Sanderson scored at 18:41 to tie the game at 2–2 heading into the break.

Muskegon took its first lead of the night early in the third period. Novotny struck for the second time at 4:49 on a wrister from the high slot. From there, the Lumberjacks' defense clamped down, limiting the RoughRiders to just five shots in the final frame to preserve the one-goal lead.

The Lumberjacks outshot the RoughRiders 28–19 overall, aided by a 12-shot second period. Carl Axelsson earned the win with 17 saves on 19 shots.

With the 3–2 win, Muskegon takes a 1–0 series lead and will look to close things out in Game 2 on Saturday.

Lincoln Stars 8, Des Moines Buccaneers 4 | VIDEO RECAP
The Stars unleashed a dominant offensive performance to overwhelm the Buccaneers, 8–4, in Game 2 on Friday night.

Lincoln jumped out to an early lead in the first period, fueled by a Nate Pederson power-play goal and tallies from Kade Kohanski and Layne Loomer. Des Moines kept pace through the opening frame with goals from Ryan Seelinger and Blake Zielinski, leaving the Stars with a narrow 3–2 lead at the first intermission.

The Stars separated themselves in the second period by tightening their defensive play while adding to their total. John Hirschfeld and Cooper Williams both found the back of the net to extend the lead to 5–2, while Lincoln kept the Buccaneers off the board in the frame.

The third period saw the Stars pull away for good. Josef Eichler notched a power-play goal midway through the period, followed by Loomer’s second of the night and a late tally from Samuel Murin. While Henry Major and Cade De St. Hubert added goals for the Buccaneers, the deficit proved too large to overcome.

William Prowse earned the win in net for Lincoln, finishing with 27 saves.

With the victory, Lincoln evens the series at 1–1. The two teams will meet for a decisive Game 3 on Saturday.

Sioux City Musketeers 4, Tri-City Storm 3 (OT) | VIDEO RECAP
The Musketeers survived a back-and-forth battle to defeat the Storm, 4–3, in overtime of Game 1 on Friday night.

Sioux City jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first period. Daniil Butin opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, and Gavin Garry doubled the lead late in the frame. The Musketeers outshot the Storm 9–6 in the opening period and carried that two-goal cushion into the first intermission.

The Storm responded immediately in the second period, as Cameron Springer found the back of the net only 39 seconds in. While Luke Garry answered back for Sioux City on a sharp-angle shot to reclaim a two-goal lead, Bode Laylin struck at 8:44 on a play in transition to keep the Storm within one. Tri-City finally pulled even early in the third period when Brecken Smith scored at 4:28, eventually forcing the contest into overtime.

The Musketeers wasted little time in the extra frame. Ashton Schultz notched the game-winner at 3:18 of overtime to secure the victory. Jack Fichthorn picked up the win in net for Sioux City, making 29 saves on 32 shots.

With the win, the Musketeers take a 1–0 lead in the series heading into Game 2 on Saturday.

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League and its 16 member clubs are committed to being the leading 16–20-year-old junior hockey league in the world. More than half of Division I men’s hockey roster spots are held by USHL alumni and more than 195 alumni were listed on NHL rosters at the start of the 2024-25 season.

The league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel), Cole Caufield (NTDP), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede). More.