USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) announced Sunday the First Round matchups for the 2022 Clark Cup Playoffs.  

“As the premier Tier 1 Junior Hockey League in North America, the United States Hockey League is so excited to have our 2022 Playoffs begin and the race to the prestigious Clark Cup, “ said USHL President and Commissioner Bill Robertson. “We cannot wait for our USHL Playoffs to commence this week and look forward to seeing exciting games with these talented young men competing at this high level.”

This season, the Clark Cup Playoffs will begin with a three-game First Round series between the #3 and #6 seed and the #4 and #5 seed in each Conference. All three games will be played at the higher seed’s home location all on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night, if necessary. 

In the Western Conference, the third-ranked Lincoln Stars will host the six-seed Waterloo Black Hawks with all three games beginning at 6:05 p.m. CST at the Ice Box in Lincoln, Neb. The fourth-ranked Omaha Lancers will host the five-seed Fargo Force with all three games beginning at 7:05 p.m. CST at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Omaha, Neb.  

In the Eastern Conference, the three-seed Muskegon Lumberjacks will host the sixth-ranked Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with all games scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. EST at Mercy Health Arena in Muskegon, Mich. The four-seed Youngstown Phantoms will host the fifth-ranked Madison Capitols with all three games starting at 7:05 p.m. EST at Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. 

In the Conference Semifinals, the winners of each Conference’s #3 vs. #6 series will automatically face the #2 seed from their respective conference, the Sioux City Musketeers in the Western Conference and the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the Eastern Conference. The winner of the #4 vs. #5 matchup will play their respective regular season Conference Champions, the Anderson Cup-winning Tri-City Storm in the Western Conference and the defending Clark Cup Champion Chicago Steel in the Eastern Conference. 

Conference Semifinals winners will square off in the Conference Final matchups in a best-of-five series to determine Conference Champions. 

The Conference Champions will then meet in the Clark Cup Final, a best-of-five series played in the 2-2-1 Format with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2 and 5. 

(exact game dates dependent on matchup and building availability)

First Round: April 25-28
Conference Semifinals: April 29 - May 4
Conference Final: May 5-12
Clark Cup Final: May 13-25

Be sure to check USHL.com for the latest news on Clark Cup Playoffs matchups and schedule.