Men's Ice Hockey | 5/8/2026 9:45:51 PM

Madison Capitols 4, Muskegon Lumberjacks 1 | VIDEO RECAP
(Madison leads series 2–1)

The Madison Capitols exploded for four goals in the final nine minutes of regulation to defeat the Muskegon Lumberjacks 4–1 on Friday night. The late surge broke a defensive stalemate and gave Madison a 2–1 series lead in the best-of-five Eastern Conference Finals.

Goals were hard to come by through the first 40 minutes, as both Carl Axelsson and Caleb Heil kept the game scoreless through two periods. 

The deadlock finally snapped at 11:20 of the third period when Nolen Geerdes wired home his fourth of the postseason to give Madison a 1–0 lead. Muskegon answered back late in the frame, as Niles Benson dangled through traffic in the low slot before netting his third of the playoffs at 16:46 to level the score. However, the tie lasted less than a minute. Caleb Pittsley played the hero for the Capitols, scoring the go-ahead goal on a partial breakaway at 17:42 to regain the lead for good.

With the Lumberjacks' net empty in the final minutes, Tyden Bergeson and Sam Kappell both added empty-netters to pull away and secure the victory.

Heil earned the win in net for Madison, turning aside 14-of-15.

Fargo Force 4, Sioux Falls Stampede 3 | VIDEO RECAP
(Fargo leads series 2-1)

Nate Delladonna scored in the third overtime period to lift the Fargo Force in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night. With the win, Fargo takes a 2-1 series lead. It marked the longest game in Force history and second longest in USHL Clark Cup Tier-I history.

Garrett Lindberg put Fargo on the board first with a power-play tally from the point at 7:32 of the opening period, but Sioux Falls responded late in the frame when Brock Schultz netted a power-play goal of his own to even the score. 

The second period belonged to Logan Renkowski, who gave the Stampede their first lead at 5:02 and later added a short-handed goal on the partial breakaway at 14:11 of the frame. Fargo stayed within reach throughout the frame, including a quick strike from Mason West just 11 seconds after Renkowski's first tally.

The third period was largely quiet until the final minute. With the net empty, Fargo found the game-tying goal with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation as Gavin Uhlenkamp buried his sixth of the playoffs to force overtime.

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).