Feature Story

Eight teams set to vie for the Clark Cup

 

By Jon Garver

 

The 2007-08 regular season came to a close in the USHL over the weekend, with four teams putting the wraps on their year while the other eight prepare for the post-season and the right to hoist the Clark Cup, the symbol of junior hockey supremacy in the United States.

”This is the time of year that everyone looks forward to. It’s the reason that all of these people start working so hard in the off-season – to get to the playoffs,” USHL president Gino Gasparini said. “The regular season once again was a tight one, with none of the four series decided until the final day. The way the league is right now, with how close and competitive these eight teams are, it should make for a great playoff season.”

All series in all rounds will be best-of-five.

The Indiana Ice claimed their first-ever East Division crown on Friday night, and with the No. 1 seed will play No. 4 Chicago. The Ice had never even won a playoff game until going on their run in last year’s Clark Cup Playoffs, losing out in the league semifinals. The Steel, meanwhile, were ousted in five games last year in the first round.

The other East Division match-up features Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, who finished second and third, respectively. The two neighbors in the Cedar Valley form arguably the league’s best rivalry right now, and should create what many think will be the best series of the first round. The two teams have met once in the postseason, that coming last year in Waterloo and the Black Hawks overwhelmed the RoughRiders, 6-0.

In the West Division, second seed Sioux Falls will take on Lincoln in a rematch of their first-round series from last season. The Stampede swept the Stars in four straight a year ago, including a memorable 8-7 win in game four, which saw 10 goals scored in the first period. The Stampede are 7-1 all-time against Lincoln in the postseason.

The final series of the first round has Omaha pitted against Sioux City, two teams that were eliminated in the first round a year ago. Another of the great rivalries in the league, this one will feature the league champion versus a team that has limped to the season’s finish line. The Lancers have an all-time record of 14-9 in the playoffs against the Musketeers. It is interesting to note, however, that the Lancers have not survived the first round of the playoffs since the 2002-03 season, and have been dispatched by Sioux City once during that period.

And after a one-year hiatus, the league has returned to a playoff format that is more familiar, and accepted, by people within and outside the league. This means the top four teams in each division qualify and the first two rounds are played within the division. The two teams that survive (one from each division) the first two rounds will then play in the Clark Cup Finals, with the winner being crowned Tier I National Champions. 

“Last year we tried something different. We had changes to the schedule and it was necessary to tweak the playoffs. We did what we felt would work the best,” Gasparini said. “In the end, the playoffs were successful, but everyone in the room felt it wasn’t the best thing for the league so we voted to change it back.”

 

 

Let’s Play Hockey wants to publish your hockey stories. From tournament reports, to feature stories on teams, players or coaches, to opinion pieces on the game of hockey, Let’s Play Hockey accepts submissions from readers throughout the hockey community. To submit your hockey story and/or photo(s), e-mail us at editor@letsplayhockey.com.