Eight-Game Night: Action Across the League

Men's Ice Hockey | 4/4/2026 9:02:09 PM

The Des Moines Buccaneers pulled away with a dominant second period, the Fargo Force won in a shootout, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints exploded for seven goals in a high-scoring night across the USHL that dictated playoff seeding and home-ice advantage for the Clark Cup Playoffs, which begin Thursday, April 9. 

Sioux City Musketeers 2, Des Moines Buccaneers 6
Des Moines used a big second period to pull away for a 6–2 win over Sioux City, winning its third straight game and securing home-ice advantange for the first round of the postseason. 

After goals from Owen Tylec and Brock Stevenson in the first, Des Moines took control in the middle frame behind tallies from Luke Norcross, Keaton Orrey, and Jason Davenport, with Norcross adding his second of the night later in the period. Joseph Argentina added another in the third as the Buccaneers extended the lead.

Des Moines outshot Sioux City 37–21 and went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Musketeers finished 0-for-5. 

Tri-City Storm 2, Fargo Force 3 (SO)
After a scoreless first period, Fargo broke through in the second with a power-play goal from Zac Zimmerman, assisted by Kolin Sisson and Graham Jones. Cullen McCrate followed later in the frame, with Jones and Sisson each picking up another assist.

Tri-City responded late in the period as Braydon Sisco got the Storm on the board. In the third, Mason Jenson tied the game early, finishing a play from Sisco and Luka Rohloff. Mason West gets the shootout winner for Fargo. 

Fargo outshot Tri-City 58–25 and went 1-for-4 on the power play, ultimately holding on for the 3–2 win.

Cedar RoughRiders 3, Youngstown Phantoms 1
Cedar Rapids jumped out to an early lead in the first, as Jason Musa opened the scoring at 10:13 before Henry Lechner made it 2–0 just seconds later. Youngstown answered late in the period with a goal from Jakub Heš to cut the deficit.

In the second, Musa added his second of the night at 6:23 to extend the RoughRiders’ lead, as the physicality picked up with matching penalties midway through the frame. From there, Cedar Rapids shut things down defensively to close it out.

Cedar Rapids outshot Youngstown 28–21 on the night.

Muskegon Lumberjacks 3, Dubuque Fighting Saints 7 
Dubuque opened the scoring in the first period, as Melvin Ekman found the back of the net at 13:37. Muskegon responded quickly in the second, with Jack Christ and Gus Thorp scoring just over a minute apart to take the lead early in the frame.

Ekman answered with his second of the night shortly after to even things up, before Hudson Lohse gave Dubuque the lead again later in the period. Viktor Norringer added a power-play goal late in the second, and Caden Dabrowski extended the lead early in the third as Dubuque pulled away. In the third, Caden Dabrowski extended the lead before Eetu Orpana and Xavier Lieb added late goals as Dubuque pulled away for the 7–3 win.

Dubuque outshot Muskegon 34–23 on the night.

Green Bay Gamblers 3, Madison Capitols 1
The Gamblers peppeed the Capitols, outshooting them 32-22. Elliot Gulley scored 2:02 into the opening period for Green Bay. John Stout responded for Madison before the end of the first period, but Green Bay scored once more in the second and third period each to win its fifth straight game and take the third seed for the Eastern Conference in the first round of the Clark Cup Playoffs. 

NTDP U18, Chicago Steel 6
The Steel saluted the Fox Valley faithful to a six-goal performanced powered by a four-point performance from Aydn Merrick, but it wasn't enough to overcome the U18s. Cannon Thibodeau scored a hat trick for NTDP, notching the game-winner at 15:44 of the third period. Both teams scored three times in the final frame.

Omaha Lancers 8, Lincoln Stars 5
Eighteen total skaters earned a point in a fiesty, rivarly game with home-ice advantage on the line for the Stars. Lefty Markonidis scored a hat trick against his former squad. 

Sioux Falls Stampede 3, Waterloo Black Hawks 0
The Western Conference champion reeigned supreme as Joey McGraw, Markus Jakobsen, and Anthony Bongo scored for the Herd and Waylon Esche made 19 stops in his first USHL shutout.

Three Stars
1st Star: Lefty Markonidis, F, Omaha Lancers
3 G, W

2nd Star: Cannon Thibodeau, F, USA Hockey NTDP
3 G, W

3rd Star: Mason West, F, Fargo Force
GWG

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 eight 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).