PAPILLION, NEBRASKA – After two exciting rounds of playoff hockey, the time has come for the Clark Cup to be awarded. The Clark Cup is honored to the franchise that wins the playoffs. After three grueling best-of-five series which over the history of the USHL has seen everything happen, one team will be Champions. Along with the cup comes the title of National Champions as the USHL is the only Tier I league in the junior ranks.
The Clark Cup finals will open in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Pepsi Coliseum featuring the Indiana Ice receiving the top seed and the Fargo Force. The Ice dominated the season series winning three of four games by a combined score of 14-6. Fargo had one lone win at home where they split with the Ice 1-1. Both teams boast a total of 34 college commitments and have four NHL draft picks on their rosters. The two teams alo have the largest divide within the USHL, they are separated by 826 miles.
The Fargo Force have been the hottest team in the playoffs this season. They are 6-0 after sweeping the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars in the first two rounds. The Force have played solid road hockey as they were the lesser seed in both rounds. Fargo won four road games, two in Lincoln and two in Omaha, before closing out each series at home. One of the brightest points for the Force has been the power play. An impressive 10/33 conversion gives Fargo a 30.3% success rate in the playoffs which is the best overall. The Force have not won solely on special teams alone. Led by goalie Mike Lee, Fargo has allowed a stellar 1.81 goals against per game while Lee has a .948 save percentage. The Fargo Force will be led by their head coach Dean Blais who is leading only the second inaugural franchise to the finals (Lincoln 1996-97). Blais is a local legend who won two NCAA National Championships with the University of North Dakota in 1997 and 2000.
The Indiana Ice have played some of the most aggressive hockey of the playoffs. After going five games with #2 Cedar Rapids and four games with #1 Green Bay, the Ice have locked in home ice advantage holding the regular season record over the Force. This will be the first time in the 2009 playoffs that Indiana will hold home ice. Indiana has been an effective scoring juggernaut as they have scored four times shorthanded and have played exceptionally well on the power play. The Ice have played the most games in the playoffs (9), have the most times shorthanded (47), and the most times with the advantage (41). The Indiana penalty kill ranks third in the playoffs as does their power play unit.
Both teams have taken a different approach to reach the finals. Fargo has been the embodiment of efficiency winning all six of their games and only going to overtime once. Indiana has played a total of nine games over the last two series and has claimed to use the first to catapult themselves into the second. When the puck drops on game one, Fargo will not have played a game in five days, Indiana will have had a two day layoff. The biggest question that could be answered here is rest verses momentum.
The Clark Cup Finals Series Schedule
Game One – Friday, May 1 at 7:05 at Indiana
Game Two – Saturday, May 2 at 7:05 at Indiana
Game Three – Wednesday, May 6 at 7:05 at Fargo
Game Four – Friday, May 8 at 7:05 at Fargo (if necessary)
Game Five – Sunday, May 10 at 5:05 at Indiana (if necessary)
Contact john.strathman@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.