Fargo Force win Game One, 2-0

It was a battle between one of the top offensive teams in the USHL (Fargo Force) and the top defensive team in the USHL (Green Bay Gamblers) for Game 1 of the Clark Cup Finals tonight.  Fargo proved they could play a little bit of defense themselves as they shut out the Gamblers 2-0 in the first contest of the Finals.

Garrett Allen started the scoring for the Force with 5:47 left in the second on a rebound that was initially shot by Matt Leitner.  Colten St. Clair added a little insurance a little more than a minute later on a rebound flip shot over Green Bay goaltender Steve Summerhays.  St. Clair's goal was assisted by Oleg Yevenko.  The Force didn't need that insurance with Ryan Massa between the pipes.  Massa stopped all 35 Gambler shots on net and Allen's goal would be the eventual game-winner as the Force held on in the third to win the game 2-0 and lead the series 1-0.  The Force are back in action tomorrow night and the action will once again be on at the Buffalo Wild Wings locations. 

Anyone go to BWWs to watch the game tonight?  How was it?

Game One Links
USHL - Game One Recap
Fargo Hockey Examiner Article
In-Forum Article
Picture by H. Marc Larson - GB Gazette

USHL Clark Cup Finals Preview

USHL Clark Cup Finals Preview :: USHL.COM


Two teams remain in the postseason of the United States Hockey League as the Green Bay Gamblers and Fargo Force are set to meet in a best-of-five series to see who will raise the Clark Cup as USHL playoff champions.

Green Bay Gamblers vs. Fargo Force


In just their second USHL season, the Fargo Force make their second straight trip to the Clark Cup Finals, facing the Green Bay Gamblers who have won the Anderson Cup the last two regular seasons. It has been ten years since the Gamblers last reached the Finals (1999-2000), when they won their second Clark Cup in team history.

Green Bay
Record 45-10-5
Home 22-3-5
Road 23-7-0
Goals For Per Game 3.53 (6)
Goals Against Per Game 2.33 (1)
Shots For Per Game 32.37 (3)
Shots Against Per Game 25.33 (1)
Power Play % 13.1% (14)
Penalty Killing % 85.2% (3) 

(league ranking in parentheses)

Fargo
Record 37-17-6
Home 19-7-4
Road 18-10-2
Goals For Per Game 3.78 (tied 2)
Goals Against Per Game 3.57 (9)
Shots For Per Game 33.08 (7)
Shots Against Per Game 28.47 (6)
Power Play % 19.4% (7)
Penalty Killing % 83.9% (7)

(league ranking in parentheses)

Regular Season Series:

12/11/09 – Fargo 2 @ Green Bay 5 
3/26/10 – Green Bay 1 @ Fargo 3

3/27/10 – Green Bay 4 @ Fargo 3 (SO)
4/3/10 –Fargo 1 @ Green Bay 5

Head-to-Head Stats:

Green Bay
Record 3-1-0
Goals For 14
Goals Against 9
Power Play 4-20 (20.0%)
Penalty Kill 17-21 (81.0%)

Fargo

1-2-1

Goals For 9

Goals Against 14

Power Play 4-21 (19.0%)

Penalty Kill 16-20 (80.0%)

Notes:

* This series features the three top playoff scorers to this point in the postseason; Green Bay's Anders Lee leads all scorers with 15 points (7g, 8a) while Fargo's Chase Grant has 12 points (7g, 5a). Fargo's Matt Leitner leads the USHL with eight playoff goals.

* Three of the seven goals scored by Chase Grant in the playoffs have been game-winners.

* Anders Lee leads all players with a plus-10 rating in the playoffs. Green Bay's Scott Czarnowczan and Fargo's Eamonn McDermott lead all USHL defensemen in the postseason with a plus-seven rating.

* The Gamblers have scored the first goal of the game in six of their seven playoff contests.

* Nine players on the Force roster were part of last season's team that reached the Clark Cup Finals.

* The Gamblers lead the USHL in goals per game in the playoffs (4.29) while Fargo ranks third (3.75).

* Green Bay's Steve Summerhays has the second best GAA (2.01) among USHL playoff goaltenders while Fargo's Ryan Massa has made the second most saves (200). Both have six wins this postseason.

* Green Bay leads the playoffs with a 32.0% power play conversion rate (8-of-25). They also lead the League with three shorthanded goals this postseason, one shy of equaling a USHL playoff record.

* No team has scored on the power play in Green Bay during the playoffs as the Gamblers have killed off a perfect 15-of-15 shorthanded situations on home ice.

* Fargo has scored 17 of their 30 goals in the playoffs during the third period.

* Fargo Force Head Coach Steve Johnson twice led teams to the Clark Cup title when he was coach of the Lincoln Stars (2002-03, 1996-97).

* Fargo can become the first team since the Des Moines Buccaneers in 1998-99 to win the Clark Cup after losing in the Finals the previous season.


Schedule - 2010 USHL Clark Cup Finals


Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates eighth season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2009-10. With over 220 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 13 NHL Entry Draft picks currently on League rosters, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com.

More Clark Cup links

There is another article in the Fargo Forum from Forum reporter Kerry Collins that is about the Clark Cup Finals between the Fargo Force and the Green Bay Gamblers.  Check out the article here.

Here is also a video that was on WDAY with Dom Izzo, Fargo Force goaltender Ryan Massa and head coach Steve Johnson.

Gotta love the coverage the Force have been getting in the playoffs!

In-Forum: Work habits gain Grant Fargo fans

Here is a nice article by Kerry Collins from the Fargo Forum about Fargo Force captain, Chase Grant. It's a pretty interesting article that talks about how Chase started hockey growing up in a non-traditional hockey town in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Check out the full article in the link below!

USHL playoffs: Work habits gain Grant Fargo fans | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

Buffalo Wild Wings showing Clark Cup Finals games

Buffalo Wild Wings will be providing Fargo Force fans with their Clark Cup Finals fix this weekend with a viewing party both Friday and Saturday at both Buffalo Wild Wings' locations.  They will be providing broadcasts from the B2 Network.

Get out to BWWs this weekend and support the Fargo Force!

In-Forum: Force hope to win it all now

Just a heads up to all you Fargo Force fans about an article in the Fargo Forum that will be published April 27, 2010. The article by Kerry Collins talks a little bit about the upcoming series with the Green Bay Gamblers and the status of injured star, Corey Leivermann. Check out the article in the link below.

USHL hockey: Force hope to win it all now | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

Schedule set for USHL Clark Cup Finals

From USHL.com:

Game 1: Friday, April 30^th, 7:05 PM (CDT) – Fargo at Green Bay (Resch Center)

Game 2: Saturday, May 1^st, 7:05 PM (CDT) – Fargo at Green Bay (Resch Center)

Game 3: Friday, May 7^th, 7:35 PM (CDT) – Green Bay @ Fargo (Urban Plains Center)

Game 4: Saturday, May 8^th, 7:05 PM (CDT) – Green Bay @ Fargo* (Urban Plains Center)

Game 5: Wednesday, May 12^th, 7:05 PM (CDT) – Fargo @ Green Bay* (Resch Center)

* if necessary

Force grab Clark Cup Finals berth

The Fargo Force didn't like the way Game 4 started.  They fixed that problem tonight as they scored 4:52 into the game and sent the message that this game was going to be different.  The Force had a little bit of a scare late in the first period when Ryan Massa went off the ice with what appeared to be a leg injury and Dayn Belfour came in.  Belfour saw 31 seconds of action after he misplayed the puck leading to the Lancers' tying goal and Massa came back in.  Massa stopped all 8 Lancer shots he faced in the first.

Fargo jumped on the Lancers quickly once again in the second period thanks to a goal with some nifty stickhandling work by JP Burkemper to regain the Force lead 2-1.  Ryan Massa remained in the net for the 2nd period stopping 10 more Omaha shots.

The Lancers got on the board quickly in the third on a tic-tac-toe play on the power play finished off by Troy Power with assists from Ryan Daugherty and Nick Oddo.  Chase Grant would answer on a feed from Colten St. Clair less than three minutes later to regain the lead yet again for the Force.  Grant's goal would be the eventual game winner after Matt Leitner would net another couple of goals (one empty-netter) to finish off the scoring for the Force and send the Lancers home for the season.  Ryan Massa stopped another 10 shots in the third and stopped 27/28 in the 5-2 Force win.

The Force will now compete in their second Clark Cup Finals in their second year in the league.  This time they hope the outcome is a little better against the Green Bay Gamblers after losing to the Indiana Ice in four games in the '09 Finals.

Fargo at Omaha, Game 5 - Live Blog 7:05pm

Live blog tomorrow

I will be running a live blog here tomorrow night for the decisive Game 5 between the Fargo Force and the Omaha Lancers.  We didn't do the live blog for Game 4 and we lost, but we did it for Game 3 and won!  Hopefully we carry that going into tomorrow night's game to send the Force to the Clark Cup Finals.

Hope to see you all on the blog tomorrow night!  It will be unmoderated so fans can chat freely with other fans.  I will be providing updates as I watch on the B2 Network.

Force lose Game Four 6-2

Well, at least it wasn't a dirty game...

The Force were unable to match the Lancers' intensity for the full 60 minutes and it showed on the scoreboard as Omaha came up with a 6-2 win over the Fargo Force at the Urban Plains Center in Game Four.  With the win, Omaha pushed the series to Game 5, with Game 5 going back to Omaha.

Leading the charge for the Lancers was Dakota Eveland with two goals and an assist, Greg Wolfe with a goal and an assist, Troy Power with a goal and an assist, and Ryan Daugherty with a goal and an assist fresh off his one-game suspension.  The Force got goals from Chad Demers and Matt Leitner.  JP Burkemper, Chase Grant and Garrett Allen added assists for Fargo.  Ryan Massa made 18 saves on 23 shots and Dayn Belfour played 4:52 without seeing a shot.  Jeff Teglia stopped 18/20 for the Lancers.

The Force will need a much better effort if they plan to make their second straight appearance to the Clark Cup Finals...

Live blog tonight

I can't make it to the game tonight.  Check out Kerry Collins' Fargo Force blog at http://www.areavoices.com/force.  He will be doing a live blog.