Be here - FargoForceBlog.com - for Game 5

Be here at www.FargoForceBlog.com for live chat/updates for Game 5 of the Clark Cup Finals.  Join Force fans on this blog as we will all watch the Fargo Force win the Clark Cup in Green Bay!

Gamblers force decisive Game 5

For the fourth time in four Clark Cup Finals games the away team won as the Green Bay Gamblers jumped to a big lead early and hung on to defeat the Fargo Force 5-3 at the Urban Plains Center tonight.  The Gamblers jumped on the Force with three quick goals to start the first period with a 3-0 lead only 3:31 into the game.

Garrett Allen would jump start the Force on a goal midway through the first period on a feed from Matt Leitner and Johnnie Searfoss to make it 3-1.  Reed Seckel would regain the three goal lead a little more than a minute later on the power play for the Gamblers' fourth goal.  Less than a minute later, the Force answered with a goal by Joe Rehkamp assisted by Chad Demers to make it 4-2.  With 4:27 left in the first, Johnnie Searfoss would add a goal to close within one goal of the Gamblers.  Matt Leitner assisted on the Searfoss goal.  The 4-3 score after the first 20:00 was identical to the score of the previous night's score of 4-3 after 101:38 minutes of play.

The Force and the Gamblers both picked up their defensive game following the 7-goal first period as neither the Force or the Gamblers were able to score a goal until the Gamblers added an empty net tally to finish off the game with a 5-3 win over the Fargo Force.

The good news for the Force is that if the trend continues with the away team winning every game of the Clark Cup Finals, they will come out of Green Bay with their first ever Clark Cup championship.  The bad news for the Force is that they will have to do it without their captain, Chase Grant (according to Steve Johnson on his radio interview with Dan Hammer on 740 The Fan) .  That makes two of the Fargo Force captains out for Game Five as Corey Leivermann also won't play as he is still feeling the effects of the concussion along with a shoulder injury sustained in Game Two of the West Division Finals against Omaha.

I will be doing a live blog for Game Five in Green Bay.  I will be watching the game on the B2 Network and providing updates on the blog.  The blog will go unmoderated as long as we keep it PG-13 : ) - Hope to see everyone there as Force fans can come together on the blog to follow the Force to their Clark Cup victory!

...if anyone is going to Green Bay for Game Five, have fun and represent Fargo and the Force proudly!

Photo by RJ Meyer from USHLimages.com

Game Four Links:
Force lose captain, home ice, and game four
Game Four Recap by USHL
Here is a video from Green Bay's news station:

Green Bay Gazette Article

For Game Three Highlights check it out below:

Green Bay at Fargo, Game 3 - Live Blog 7:35pm

It will be a packed house for Game Three tonight between the Fargo Force and the Green Bay Gamblers.  You can't even get tickets to this anymore.  Standing room only!  If you weren't lucky enough to get tickets, we will be providing you with live updates below.  Force can win the Clark Cup tonight at home.  Game starts at 7:35pm.

Force look for the sweep in front of a SELL-OUT crowd

The Fargo Force sold out their reserved seat tickets today at 11:00am and they will look to bring home the Clark Cup in front of a capacity crowd of 5,000 on Friday night at the Urban Plains Center. 

There are still General Admission tickets available.

Along with the possibility of winning the Clark Cup and doing it in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000, the Force are treating fans with yet another $1 night - that is $1 hot dogs, beer and pop!  See you at the Urban Plains Center on Friday night and don't forget to BRING YOUR BROOMS!

Videos from Game Two

Even Kevin Allen of the USA Today has written about the goal scored by goaltender Ryan Massa.  Check out his blog entry here.

Massa, Force take Game Two 4-1

Photo courtesy of mJoy Photography -->

The Fargo Force were led once again by goaltender Ryan Massa and picked up two big road wins to start the Clark Cup Finals in Green Bay.  Massa stopped 31 Gambler shots and even added an empty net goal late to put the exclamation point on the Force win.

Colten St. Clair added his second goal in the last two games on a slap shot that found Summerhays' 5-hole to give the Force a 1-0 lead in the 1st period.  St. Clair was assisted on the goal by future Minnesota Golden Gopher Nate Schmidt.

Green Bay tied the game quickly to start the second period but Fargo answered 5:13 later on a jab at a loose puck by John Stampohar.  Stampohar was assisted by Joe Rehkamp.  Garrett Allen gave the Force an insurance goal on the power play after wristing the puck over Green Bay goaltender on a feed from Matt Leitner. 

The game would remain 3-1 after a couple of close calls for Green Bay in the second and third period with a shot that rang the post in the second and a high sticking call that led to a "no goal" call in the third that upset the Gamblers' announcer.  Later in the third period, with the Green Bay net vacated, Ryan Massa would score an empty netter to put the icing on the cake.  Massa celebrated Teemu Selanne style after his goal which is a rare feat for any goaltender and deserving of a celebration but he was whistled for excessive celebration on the play.  Green Bay fans, announcer and goaltender Steve Summerhays took exception to Massa's celebration as the announcer and fans were livid and GB goaltender Summerhays apparently challenged Massa to no avail (according to the Gamblers' radio announcer). 

It definitely might make for another interesting homestand in Fargo at the Urban Plains Center.  I don't see why everyone has beef with Massa celebrating.  A goalie scoring an empty netter is a once in a lifetime feat, give him a break.  Not only did he score a goal, but it was also a goal in a championship series...  Very deserving of a celebration (Teemu Selanne style shown below).

Game Two Links
USHL Game Two Recap
Fargo Forum's story on Game Two
Fargo Hockey Examiner Recap
In-Forum Article

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

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!

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.

Fargo holds on for victory

Fargo was able to hold off a late rally from Omaha to take a win and a lead in the series 2-1 from the Omaha Lancers.  The Force won the game 4-3 in front of a crowd of 4,120 after a couple of close calls with under two minutes to go.

From USHL.com, picture also from USHLimages.com: With their top two scorers sidelined for Game Three, Fargo Force captain Chase Grant stepped up in a big way as he recorded a hat trick to lead his team to victory and a 2-1 series lead over the Omaha Lancers.  Johnnie Searfoss started the scoring with his first of the playoffs just under four minutes into the contest.  Grant scored his first of the night early in the second before Seth Ambroz cut the lead in half a minuter later with his fourth playoff goal for the Lancers.  Grant again gave the Force a two-goal lead in the third period on a power play tally.  Greg Wolfe kept the Lancers in it scoring his third playoff goal with just over five minutes to play in the final period.  The Fargo captain then completed his hat trick on an empty net goal with 1:16 remaining in the frame.

However, the game wasn't over at that point as with goaltender Jeff Teglia pulled in favor of the extra attacker, Erik Haula buried a loose puck after a scramble in front of the Force net to pull the Lancers back within a goal as just 33 seconds remained on the clock.  Omaha again made a charge and after another scramble in the Fargo crease, the Lancers were awarded a penalty shot after a Force defenseman illegally covered the puck with only four ticks left in regulation.  Wolfe took the penalty shot but his attempt went wide and the Force earned the victory.  Ryan Massa made 23 saves for Fargo and defenseman Nate Schmidt assisted on all four Force goals.  The series resumes in less than 24 hours for Game Four at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo.

My picks for the three stars of the game have to be (1) Chase Grant with the hat trick, (2) Nate Schmidt with a 4-point night and (3) Ryan Massa.  I know Massa only had 23 saves but he made a lot of quality saves and made a lot of big stops when the Force needed it the most.

Game 4 will have a little more intensity to it, as the Lancers are facing elimination and get Ryan Daugherty back from suspension.  Fargo gets Matt Leitner fresh off his one game suspension.  The addition of those two players adds a lot more hype to Game 4.

Omaha at Fargo, Game 2 - Live Blog 7:05pm

Omaha at Fargo for Game 3 of the West Division Finals of the USHL Playoffs.  Series is tied 1-1 after the series intensified in Omaha for games one and two.

$5 Tickets, $1 Night

There are $5 ticket vouchers available at both Happy Harry's locations in Fargo.  A limited number of vouchers are available so be sure to get yours for Wednesday night's game!

It's also $1 night at the Urban Plains Center.  Beers, pops and hot dogs will be $1 each.

We already know that the intensity of the series have been amplified given what had happened in Omaha over the weekend.  Hopefully for everyone's sake it doesn't get out of hand for games three and four on Wednesday and Thursday in Fargo.  I hope the players can keep it clean regardless of high emotions, but I hope the games have great playoff intensity.

Win 'em for 18.  Go Force!

Crazy weekend ends with series tied up 1-1

I think by now everyone knows what happened after this weekend's games but I think it deserves a blog entry regardless.  The Force lost game one after some strong goaltending by both Jeff Teglia and Ryan Massa.  Massa finished with 29 saves on 31 shots, Teglia stopped all 24 Force shots for the shutout and the 1-0 series lead for Omaha.

In game two, the Force were able to overcome a 1-0 deficit going into the 3rd period with three straight goals to start the third and an empty netter to finish it off to give the Force a 4-2 victory and the series tied at one heading to Fargo on Wednesday.  

I think everyone has heard about the vicious hit by CJ Ludwig on Corey Leivermann. From what I've heard things were really getting ugly in the third and the refs lost control of the game, things escalated, and bad things happened.  I hope Corey Leivermann is alright.  I don't think anyone ever wants to see anyone get hurt in a hockey game regardless of which team you may be for.  Leivermann is doubtful for the rest of the series and Ludwig has a 5-game suspension which the Lancers are appealing because they believe it was a "clean hit".  I didn't get to see the hit, but it sounded like an intent to injure to me.  I think anytime you are down by two with under a minute remaining and head hunting, it's a dirty play (just my opinion).

From what I've seen of Ludwig's hits, he appears to head hunt a lot of players.  I think this is what the NHL is trying to take out of the game now.  I am sure the USHL will be looking to address it as well.  Ludwig hit on Leivermann below.

Back to the hockey - the Force are now in control of the series after tying it up 1-1.  I say they are in control despite the series being tied because the Force now have home-ice advantage for the rest of the series with two games at home that they could use to close it out.  Ryan Massa had another strong game for the Force stopping 31/33.  Matt Leitner (2 goals) and Nate Condon (1 goal, 1 assist) led the team with two points each.  Highlights of the game (excluding extra-curriculars shown below).

EDIT:  Suspensions - CJ Ludwig is suspended for 5 games.  Ryan Daugherty is suspended for one and Matt Leitner is suspended for one game.

Links from the series:

Article about Fargo Force coaches

How the West will be won, Fargo Hockey Examiner

Game one, Lancers take series lead 1-0

Game two, Force win 4-2, Leivermann injured
Leivermann out for series
Fargo Force, Omaha Lancers players suspended

Attendance

Okay so this year's playoffs hasn't been up to snuff on the attendance in our two home games and I'm hoping that improves here as the Force inch closer to the Clark Cup finals but here is a little excerpt from the Fargo Forum that I thought was pretty cool.  You can check out the full article here.



The Force averaged 3,209 fans per game during the regular season – sixth-most in the 14-team USHL.


That makes them the most popular sporting event in town during the winter. North Dakota State men’s basketball averaged 2,792 fans per home game this season.


Last summer, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks minor league baseball team averaged 3,870 fans.


“It can really be a great atmosphere,” said Lance Johnson, general manager of the Urban Plains Center. “It’s so much more positive when you get those big crowds in the building.


“It’s like that 3,500 number is the breaking point. That’s when you really see a change in the place.”


The Force’s average number of fans is pretty much the same as their total from the team’s inaugural season in 2008-09 – when they averaged 3,203 fans.


But that total jumped substantially in the postseason. In last year’s playoffs, Fargo averaged 3,864 fans – tops in the USHL.


“That’s what you want from the playoffs,” Steve Johnson said. “At this time of year, you want to be playing in your own building, and you want that home ice to be an advantage.”


Let's give the Force a little home ice advantage and fill the UP Center for the next series against the Omaha Lancers.

Force sweep, win game 3-1

The Fargo Force were able to sweep the Sioux Falls Stampede at the Urban Plains Center tonight.  Ryan Massa was the big factor in the game posting 32 saves on 33 shots in the win.  Massa showed that he is able to rebound from his struggles as he was pulled after giving up 4 goals in last night's game and getting pulled in the 2nd period, to allowing only one goal in his last four periods since being pulled.  That's exactly how you are going to need your goaltender to be in the playoffs.  Goalies need to have a short memory when it comes to goals against and I think Massa just proved he can do that.

Nick Oliver started the scoring off for the Force in the second period on the power play on a nice tic-tac-toe play from Eamonn McDermott to Corey Leivermann to Nick Oliver who buried it to make it 1-0.  Garrett Allen extended the Force lead with a spin-o-rama backhander on a nice feed from Matt Leitner.  Matt Bailey would put the Herd on the board on a shot over Massa's glove to cut the Force lead in half.

Chase Grant would finish the game off with an empty netter to make it a 3-1 final with the Force sweeping the series 3-0 and giving the Force a 9-0 all-time record in the West Division playoffs.  The Force will now take on the Omaha Lancers in the West Division championship for a chance to get into the Clark Cup finals.

Sioux Falls at Fargo - Live Blog 7:05pm

Game 3 of the USHL playoffs.  Fargo leads the series 2-0 and goes for the sweep tonight at the Urban Plains Center.  Fargo has yet to lose a West Division playoff game (8-0).  Check out the live blog below.