On to Round 2.

The first round of the 2023 USHL Clark Cup Playoffs provided no shortage of excitement. 

In the West, Tri-City swept Sioux City, and Lincoln swept Des Moines, but both series were hard-fought. 

The Storm held off a late surge from the Musketeers, and the Stars won in overtime in their respective Game 2s.

In the Eastern Conference, decisive Game 3s saw lower seeds, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, come out on top, and both should present significant challenges for their second-round opponents.

As a reminder, the second round will be best-of-three matchups, with the higher seed hosting all three games.

Let’s take a look at each of the second-round matchups.

Eastern Conference

No. 5 Dubuque (32-24-5-1) Vs. No. 1 Chicago (39-18-4-1)

Game 1: Dubuque at Chicago (Saturday, April 29 at 7:05 p.m. CDT)
Game 2: Dubuque at Chicago (Sunday, April 30 at 5:05 p.m. CDT)
Game 3: Dubuque at Chicago (Monday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. CDT) (if necessary)

Could Chicago be on upset alert? 

They’ll be without forward Macklin Celebrini, who is with Team Canada at the 2023 U18 World Championship, and Dubuque had the Steel’s number during the regular season.

Chicago still has plenty of firepower without Celebrini, however. The Steel are leading the league in goals scored (275), but they’ll need others to step up in his absence.

Dubuque is coming off a thrilling first-round win against Green Bay and will look to continue that good fortune playing on the road. 

The Fighting Saints won their first game of the season at Fox Valley Ice Arena in early October, but they dropped their final two meetings.

Head-To-Head Record

4-2-0-0 Dubuque

Players To Watch

Jayden Perron, F, Chicago (2023)

Without Celebrini in the mix, the pressure shifts to Perron to provide the offense. 

The North Dakota commit is a highly skilled player with terrific vision, and he has the potential to be a first-round pick in June’s draft. 

Perron can boost his draft stock with a strong performance against Dubuque, a team against which he tallied eight points (three goals, five assists) in six games during the regular season.

Ready to go for Game 1. Hear from Max Burkholder, our @WindstarLines Road Warrior!#HailToTheHalo #StarsRise pic.twitter.com/thXQJO7cJF

— x-Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) April 24, 2023

Max Burkholder, D, Dubuque

Burkholder was awfully quiet in the first round against Green Bay. 

The Chaska, Minnesota, native had just one point in the three-game series, after leading all USHL defensemen in points (51) during the regular season. 

Look for him to find the scoresheet against Chicago, a team against which he tallied seven points (one goal, six assists) during the regular season.

No. 6 Cedar Rapids (30-23-4-5) Vs. No. 2 Youngstown (38-19-4-1)

Game 1: Cedar Rapids at Youngstown (Friday, April 28 at 7:05 p.m. EDT)
Game 2: Cedar Rapids at Youngstown (Sunday, April 30 at 7:05 p.m. EDT)
Game 3: Cedar Rapids at Youngstown (Monday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. EDT) (if necessary)

The RoughRiders have to be feeling confident going into Youngstown after topping the NTDP U17s at USA Hockey Arena. 

Mark Carlson’s squad dropped 2-of-3 at the Covelli Centre this year but collected points in five of their six regular-season matchups.

The Phantoms have been a wrecking ball since the calendar flipped to December. 

After some early-season turbulence, Youngstown made a hard push for first place in the East, coming up just short. 

However, the Phantoms have a significant advantage coming into this series, boasting the league’s best home record. They were 23-7-0-1 during the regular season.

Note, there is no game on Saturday because Alice Cooper will be taking center stage at the Covelli Centre. Rock on, folks!

Head-To-Head Record

3-1-0-2 Cedar Rapids

Players To Watch

Dylan Hryckowian, F, Cedar Rapids

Ryan Walsh and Martins Lavins wrote the headlines in the first round against the NTDP.

Hryckowian had just two assists in the three-game series, despite collecting 65 points in 61 games during the regular season. He feels like a lock to break out against Youngstown.

William Whitelaw, F, Youngstown (2023)

Whitelaw has been climbing NHL draft boards and recently was listed as No. 42 on the NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for North American skaters. 

The Wisconsin commit tallied 61 points (36 goals, 25 assists) in 62 games this season, with 38 points (24 goals, 14 assists) coming after the calendar flipped to January.

Western Conference

No. 3 Lincoln (37-21-3-1) Vs. No. 2 Waterloo (40-21-1-0)

Game 1: Lincoln at Waterloo (Friday, April 28 at 7:05 p.m. CDT)
Game 2: Lincoln at Waterloo (Saturday, April 29 at 6:05 p.m. CDT)
Game 3: Lincoln at Waterloo (Sunday, April 30 at 3:05 p.m. CDT) (if necessary)

Two teams were separated in the standings during the regular season by just three points. Lincoln held second place in the Western Conference for a majority of the season, until a second-half surge by Waterloo helped them leapfrog the Stars.

The Black Hawks finished tied with Fargo for the most goals scored (230) in the West and third-most in the USHL. 

Matt Smaby’s squad also has been outstanding on home ice this year, going 22-9-0-0 at the Young Arena.

Despite going 6-3-1-0 over its last 10 games away from The Ice Box, Lincoln went just 16-14-1-0 on the road this season, with 103 goals scored to 100 goals allowed. The Stars will need to find a way to piece together two wins in Waterloo.

Head-To-Head Record

5-1-0-0 Waterloo

Players To Watch

Garrett Schifsky, F, Waterloo

Schifsky was a big-time contributor for the Black Hawks during the regular season, accumulating 52 points (28 goals, 24 assists) in 57 games, including four game-winners. 

He also played really well against Lincoln, scoring five points (four goals, one assist) in six meetings.

Mason Marcellus, F, Lincoln 

Marcellus was a power-play master for the Stars this year. 

He displays terrific vision and puck facilitation, turning that into 25 assists on the man advantage. 

Lincoln’s captain led the team in points (68) and collected three points in the team’s two-game sweep of Des Moines in the first round.

No. 4 Tri-City (34-20-4-4) Vs. No. 1 Fargo (40-14-4-4)

Game 1: Tri-City at Fargo (Friday, April 28 at 7:05 p.m. CDT)
Game 2: Tri-City Fargo (Saturday, April 29 at 6:05 p.m. CDT)
Game 3: Tri-City at Fargo (Sunday, April 30 at 4:05 p.m. CDT) (if necessary)

Tri-City made quick work of Sioux City in the first round, sweeping the Muskies in two games. 

The first game saw Graham Gamache tally a hat trick. The following night, five Storm skaters found the back of the net in a true team effort.

Then there’s Fargo. The Anderson Cup-winning team was the clear-cut top seed for most of the regular season. 

The Force have no clear holes in their roster, anchored by netminder Matej Marinov, who played a big factor in the team giving up the fewest goals (159).  

This should be one of the best series in all of the Clark Cup Playoffs, given how closely contested their regular season matchups were.

STORM WIN!!!! A 4-0 shutout of Fargo!! Here's the 3rd period highlights! pic.twitter.com/XTIRfsjM3t

— Tri-City Storm (@TriCityStorm) March 26, 2023

Head-To-Head Record

Tied 4-4

Players To Watch

Trevor Connelly, F, Tri-City (2024)

Connelly is a quick skater who can create a lot of the offense all by himself. 

The Tustin, California, native potted four points (two goals, two assists) in Tri-City’s two-game sweep of Sioux City. 

He tallied 47 points in 57 games during the regular season, with 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 26 games, after the team acquired Jake Richard.

Pretty puck movement on the powerplay and Cole Knuble adds Fargo’s 3rd of the night! pic.twitter.com/AHZL5viWMg

— Fargo Force (@FargoForce) March 25, 2023

Cole Knuble, F, Fargo (2023)

Knuble led the Force with 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) in 57 games during the regular season, including three game-winners. 

The Notre Dame commit was terrific against Tri-City leading up to the playoffs, scoring 10 points (six goals, four assists) in eight matchups.