Men's Ice Hockey | 5/14/2026 7:35:50 PM

The Sioux Falls Stampede will face the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the 2026 Clark Cup Final starting Friday, May 15.

SCHEDULE

• Game 1: #5 Muskegon at #1 Sioux Falls – Friday, May 15, 7:05 p.m. CT
• Game 2: #5 Muskegon at #1 Sioux Falls – Saturday, May 16, 6:05 p.m. CT
• Game 3: #1 Sioux Falls at #5 Muskegon – Friday, May 22, 7:10 p.m. ET
• Game 4: #1 Sioux Falls at #5 Muskegon – Saturday, May 23, 6:10 p.m. ET*
• Game 5: #5 Muskegon at #1 Sioux Falls – Tuesday, May 26, 7:05 p.m. CT*

*If Necessary
 
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
 
Sioux Falls Stampede

• Clark Cups: 3 (2019, 2015, 2007)
• Previous Finals: 4 (2019, 2015, 2007, 2006)

Muskegon Lumberjacks

• Clark Cups: 1 (2025)
• Previous Finals: 2 (2025, 2015)

ABOUT MUSKEGON

• Muskegon swept the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the best-of-three opening round, then defeated Dubuque Fighting Saints and Madison Capitols in five games each to advance to the Clark Cup Final. In last year’s run to the title, Muskegon defeated the Youngstown Phantoms and Dubuque, both in three games.
• The Lumberjacks earned the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference after posting a 36-24-1-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) regular-season record. They were the league’s third-least penalized team during the regular season and converted at 24.2% on the power play, fifth-best in the USHL.
• Muskegon has three of the top five scorers in the Clark Cup Playoffs and is averaging 3.67 goals per game, best among all playoff teams. Carl Axelsson has started every postseason game, posting a 2.10 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. The Lumberjacks are clicking at 31% on the man advantage and 90.6% on the penalty kill.
• Key offensive contributors include Drew Stewart (Dartmouth), Rudolfs Berzkalns (Boston College), Carter Sanderson (PIT, North Dakota), Melvin Novotny (BUF, UMass), Victor Norringer (NSH, Boston University), and Niles Benson (Harvard).
• Goaltender Carl Axelsson (Minnesota Duluth) went 28-14-1 with a .916 save percentage during the regular season, tied for second among USHL goalies in both wins and save percentage.
• General Manager Jimmy McGroarty began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the River City Lancers in 2003. That team lost in the Clark Cup Final to the Lincoln Stars and featured future NHL stars Paul Stastny Matt Carle, Nathan Gerbe.

ABOUT SIOUX FALLS

• Sioux Falls defeated the Lincoln Stars and Fargo Force in five games each to advance to the Clark Cup Final. In 2015, the Stampede defeated Sioux City Musketeers and Tri-City Storm in five games before sweeping Muskegon.
• Sioux Falls has rallied from 2-1 series deficits twice this postseason and is averaging 46 shots per game in the playoffs. Goaltender Linards Feldbergs (Merrimack) enters the Clark Cup Final with a 6-1-3 record, a 2.02 GAA, and .932 save percentage.
• General Manager Tony Gasparini was named USHL General Manager of the Year, and forward Cooper Soller (Western Michigan) was named USHL Rookie of the Year.
• The Stampede finished 43-16-3-0, best in the Western Conference, and led the league with 41 regulation/overtime wins. Sioux Falls ranked second in the USHL in goals scored (4.31/game) and third in goals against (2.79/game), the only team in the top three in both categories.  Their power play converted at 25%.
• The Stampede went 24-6-1 on the road and closed the regular season on a 12-0-1 run away from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The Herd has not lost in regulation on the road since Jan. 24.
• Key offensive contributors include Thomas Zocco (Merrimack), Logan Renkowski (Vermont), Tobias Ohman (Colgate), Brent Solomon (DET, Wisconsin), and J.J. Monteiro (Providence).
• Forward Brock Schultz (North Dakota) lost in the 2025 Clark Cup Final with the Waterloo Black Hawks before being acquired by Sioux Falls in November.

ABOUT THE SERIES

• This is the second-ever meeting in the Clark Cup Final between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Sioux Falls Stampede. The teams previously met in 2015, with Sioux Falls sweeping Muskegon 3-0 in a best-of-five series.
• The teams split their regular-season series this year:
  • Sioux Falls won 7-4 on Jan. 9
  • Muskegon won 5-3 on Jan. 10
  • Both games were played at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
• Players ranked on NHL Central Scouting’s final North American skater rankings:
  • No. 30: Rudolfs Berzkalns (MUS, Boston College)
  • No. 136: Teddy Lechner (MUS, Augustana)
  • No. 140: Cooper Soller (SF, Western Michigan)
• The series features five NHL draft picks:
  • Muskegon: Carter Sanderson (PIT, North Dakota), Melvin Novotny (BUF, University of Massachusetts), Victor Norringer (NSH, Boston University), Carter Amico (PHI, Boston University)
  • Sioux Falls: Brent Solomon (DET, Wisconsin)
• Sioux Falls forward Jake Stuart (Dartmouth) was traded from Muskegon earlier this season.
• Both goalies, Carl Axelsson (Minnesota Duluth) and Linards Feldbergs (Merrimack), have played every game for their team. Axelsson is 8-4-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. Feldbergs is 6-1-3 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
• Muskegon goalie Carl Axelsson (Minnesota Duluth) was traded from Sioux Falls after last season. He played four games with the Stampede.
• Brent Solomon (DET, Wisconsin) and Jake Prunty won the World Junior A Challenge alongside Carter Sanderson (PIT, North Dakota) and Danny Klaers (Notre Dame) earlier this season.
• Players committed to the same NCAA programs who will face each other in the 2026 Clark Cup Final:
  • Augustana University: Teddy Lechner (MUS) vs. Noah Mannasau (SF)
  • Boston College: Rudolfs Berzkalns (MUS) vs. Matthew Grimes (SF)
  • Colgate University: Nathan Larioza (MUS) vs. Tobias Ohman (SF)
  • University of Maine: Will Schlechtweg (MUS) vs. Wade Weil (SF)
  • University of North Dakota: Carter Sanderson (MUS) vs. Brock Schultz (SF)
  • Quinnipiac University: Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz (MUS) vs. Joey Macrina (SF)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst: Melvin Novotny (MUS, BUF) vs. Jake Prunty (SF)
  • Western Michigan University: Anthony Thomas-Maroon (MUS) vs. Cooper Soller (SF)
• Carter Sanderson (PIT, North Dakota) became the first South Dakotan selected in the NHL Draft when the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him in 2025. He grew up in Pierre and attended Stampede games as a kid.

CLARK CUP HISTORY

• The Clark Cup is symbolic of supremacy in American junior hockey, presented annually to the playoff champion of the United States Hockey League, the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league.
• The trophy is named in honor of Don Clark, longtime registrar of the Minnesota Amateur Hockey Association and recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to hockey in the United States.
• No Clark Cup MVP has ever come from a losing team in Tier I USHL history.

 
BACK-TO-BACK CLARK CUP FINAL APPEARANCES

• Muskegon (2025, 2026)
• Fargo (2023, 2024)
• Chicago (2019, 2021)*
• Green Bay (2010, 2011)

*Clark Cup not awarded in 2020.
 
RECENT CLARK CUP MVPs

• Tynan Lawrence (2025)
• Mac Swanson (2024)
• Jacob Fowler (2023)
• Alex Tracy (2022)
• Adam Fantilli (2021)

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world's leading junior hockey league. This season, more than 50% of NCAA Division I men's hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and nine of the last 10 Hobey Baker Award winners, including Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel).

Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% 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 Auston Matthews (NTDP), Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede), and Johnny Gaudreau (Dubuque Fighting Saints).