Takeaways from all three USHL playoffs games on Wednesday night
Two USHL teams punched their tickets to the Conference Finals on Wednesday, while another forced a decisive Game 5 on Friday.
The Dubuque Fighting Saints eliminated the defending Clark Cup champion Youngstown Phantoms, and the Fargo Force swept the Tri-City Storm in three games.
The Green Bay Gamblers scored with just over 30 seconds left in regulation to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Let's go to our key takeaways from Wednesday's slate of games:
Reidler Blanks Phantoms
For the second time this postseason and the fourth time all year, Dubuque's Kevin Reidler kept a clean sheet. The Ottawa Senators draft pick stopped all 22 Youngstown shots on goal.
Meanwhile, after a quiet 40 minutes of play, the Saints scored twice in the third period to back their netminder.
Beckett Hendrickson buried a backhander off a rebound in front to give Dubuque a 1-0 lead five minutes into the frame.
With under nine minutes left to play in regulation, Lucas St. Louis effectively put the game away, sending a wrister from the left point through a screen into the net.
Fargo Flexes Depth
Five different skaters found the back of the net in Fargo's 5-3 win over Tri-City. With the win, the Force advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.
Finn McLaughlin fired a one-timer from the right-wing circle just 1:26 into the game to open the scoring.
Zam Plante was credited with Fargo's second goal after Merril Steenari's initial shot hit Thatcher Bernstein, and the puck fell behind him before Plante arrived to push the puck over the line.
Jake Fisher followed less than two minutes later, rifling a wrister off a cross-ice pass from Mac Swanson.
Leading 3-1 at the start of the third period, Merril Steenari buried a loose puck in the slot after some chaos in front of the Tri-City net. Holding a 4-3 lead, Gavin Morrissey put the game away with the empty-netter.
Shaugabay Forces A Game 5
Gamblers forward Jayson Shaugabay scored with 36 seconds left in regulation to break a 1-1 tie and send the series to a decisive Game 5 on Friday.
Ben Poitras opened the scoring on a wrister from the high slot after Green Bay forced a turnover in the Muskegon defensive zone at the 2:38 mark of the first period.
Joe Connor evened the score with under nine minutes left in the frame, splitting the Gamblers' defense and firing a wrister into the back of the net.
Tied at one goal apiece, the game appeared to be headed for overtime before Shaugabay collected a loose puck in front of the Muskegon crease and fired it into the back of the net.
