Four teams remain in the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs as the conference finals begin on Friday.

Dubuque and Muskegon will meet in the Eastern Conference while Lincoln hosts Waterloo out west. Both series will utilize a best-of-five format with games 1 and 2 taking place on Friday and Saturday.

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The two winners will advance to the 2025 Clark Cup Final, which is slated to begin on May 9. Here’s a look at both matchups.

Eastern Conference Finals: Dubuque (2) vs. Muskegon (4)

Dubuque needed four games to defeat Madison in the semifinals while Muskegon swept top-seeded Youngstown.

Lucas Van Vliet (VGK) led the Fighting Saints with six points (2-4-6) in the series and defenseman Matthew Desiderio had five points – including a pair of power-play goals. Dubuque went 6-for-12 on the man advantage and out-scored Madison 16-7 in the series, winning the final three games. Liam Beerman leads all USHL goalies in both playoff save percentage (.951) and GAA (1.26).

However, the Lumberjacks should have plenty of confidence in the offensive zone. Muskegon scored 16 goals over its three wins over Youngstown – two of which came on the road. Muskegon is averaging 4.16 goals through its first six playoff games and David Deputy leads the USHL with six playoff goals. Muskegon’s lineup currently features four of the USHL’s top five playoff point leaders.

The two teams met four times during the regular season with each side earning a regulation and overtime win. Three of the four games were decided by one goal with the lone outlier being a two-goal game, which included an empty-netter.

Muskegon vs. Dubuque Schedule

• Game 1: Friday, April 25, 7:05 p.m. CDT at Dubuque
• Game 2: Saturday, April 26, 7:05 p.m. CDT at Dubuque
• Game 3: Tuesday, April 29, 6:10 p.m. CDT at Muskegon
• Game 4: Wednesday, April 30, 6:10 p.m. CDT at Muskegon *If necessary*
• Game 5: Saturday, May 3, 7:05 p.m. CDT at Dubuque *If necessary*

Players To Watch

• Ivan Ryabkin, F, Muskegon (2025 draft-eligible, No. 35)
• Xavier Veilleux, D, Muskegon (New York Islanders, 2024, 6th round)
• Heikki Ruohonen, F, Dubuque (Philadelphia, 2024, 4th round)
• Cole Spicer, F, Dubuque (Boston, 2022, 4th round)
• Lucas Van Vliet, F, Dubuque (Vegas, 2024, 7th round)

*Numbers according to NHL Central Scouting’s Final 2025 Draft Rankings.

The X-Factor: Tynan Lawrence, F, Muskegon

Lawrence was named a finalist for the USHL Rookie of the Year Award earlier this week and he’s been terrific in the playoffs. The BU commit has nine playoff points, which is tied with Waterloo’s Brendan McMorrow for the USHL lead. Seven (3-4-7) of those points came in the last round against Youngstown, and Lawrence was also a plus-3.

Congratulations @t_lawrence11 for being named a @ushl Rookie of the Year Finalist!!
Way to go, Tynan!💥#ChopChop | #GetJACKD | #USHL | #RookieoftheYear pic.twitter.com/vQjE08PiXb

— X- Muskegon Lumberjacks (@MuskegonJacks) April 21, 2025

Western Conference Finals: Lincoln (1) vs. Waterloo (3)

Lincoln and Waterloo will meet in the playoffs for a fourth consecutive spring. The Stars and Black Hawks met during the 2023 semifinals and twice in the first round (2022, 2024), with Lincoln winning the past two series. Lincoln also won three of this year's four regular-season battles.

The Stars finished atop the USHL with 91 points and enjoyed a first-round bye before opening their playoff run with a sweep of Sioux City. Lincoln took the series with 3-2, 6-3 and 2-0 wins.

As for the Black Hawks, Waterloo defeated a talented Sioux Falls club – which finished second in the Western Conference -- in four games. Waterloo opened the series with a 4-2 road win and finished it with a pair of wins – 6-2 and 6-5. Monday’s finale required double overtime, yet Brendan McMorrow scored 2:32 into the second OT session.

Waterloo defeated Tri-City in the first round and scored nine goals over that two-game sweep. Matt Smaby’s squad has scored a USHL-best 27 goals through its six-playoff games while Lincoln has allowed just five through three games.

Lincoln vs. Dubuque Schedule

• Game 1: Friday, April 25, 7:05 p.m. CDT at Lincoln
• Game 2: Saturday, April 26, 6:05 p.m. CDT at Lincoln
• Game 3: Wednesday, April 30, 6:35 p.m. CDT at Waterloo
• Game 4: Thursday, May 1, 6:35 p.m. CDT at Waterloo *If necessary*
• Game 5: Saturday, May 3, 6:05 p.m. CDT at Lincoln *If necessary*

Players To Watch

• Tanner Henricks, D, Lincoln (Columbus, 2024, 4th round)
• Caeden Herrington, D, Lincoln (2025 draft-eligible, No. 80)
• Bruno Idzan, F, Lincoln (2025 draft-eligible, No. 67)
• Brendan McMorrow, F, Waterloo (2025 draft-eligible, No. 144)
• Brady Peddle, D, Waterloo (2025 draft-eligible, No. 86)

*Numbers according to NHL Central Scouting’s Final 2025 Draft Rankings.

The X-Factor: Yan Shostak, G, Lincoln

Shostak was Lincoln’s brick wall all season and has been more of the same in the playoffs. He stopped 57 of the 62 shots Sioux City fired his way in the semifinals and owns a .919 save percentage and 1.67 GAA through three playoff games. The SCSU commit was named a USHL Goalie of the Year finalist on Wednesday and had a USHL-best 2.40 GAA during the regular season.

GOALIE. OF. THE. YEAR. FINALIST.

Congratulations to Yan Shostak for earning USHL Goalie of the Year Finalist!#LNKHockey #StarsNation pic.twitter.com/kR8UwOu2lf

— y - Lincoln Stars (@LincolnStars) April 23, 2025

How To Stream The 2025 USHL Playoffs

The 2025 Clark Cup Playoffs will stream exclusively live and on demand on FloHockey, official streaming partner of the USHL. Games can be viewed on FloHockey.tv or via the FloSports connected TV app. Sign up today so you never miss a moment of the action.

USHL Playoff Format

The USHL’s Clark Cup Playoffs began with four first-round series, followed by the semifinals. Just four teams remain and the two winners will compete for the league's ultimate prize.

The conference finals begin on April 26 and the Clark Cup Final are slated to start on May 9. The full playoff schedule can be found here.

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