Four of the six playoff spots are clinched in the USHL’s Western Conference, as the Sioux City Musketeers joined the party Saturday night.
Sioux City goaltender Samuel Urban is 20-13-1 this season with a .900 save percentage. Photo courtesy of the Sioux City Musketeers.Giacomo Martino had three points (1-2-3) and Samuel Urban made 40 saves as the Musketeers earned a 6-4 win over Fargo at Scheels Arena. Sioux City is currently fourth in the conference with 61 points, three ahead of Fargo and seven behind Waterloo.
A top-four finish would earn Sioux City a home playoff series. However, third is the highest the Musketeers can finish in the standings. They currently trail second-place Sioux Falls by 16 points with just seven games left. The USHL released its playoff format earlier this week.
Sioux City’s final stretch includes two games at Chicago, a home weekend against Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Tri-City, and a pair of road games to finish out – at Waterloo and Des Moines. Sioux City has won three straight and is 7-2-1 over its past 10 road games.
The playoff berth extends Sioux City’s playoff streak to six – not including the canceled 2019-20 playoffs – as the 2017-18 season was Sioux City’s last without playoff hockey. The Musketeers advanced to the Western Conference Finals last spring and held a 2-1 series lead before ultimately falling in five games.
The Clark Cup Playoffs begin on April 14 and two spots are currently left in each conference.
