The Muskegon Lumberjacks are back where they believe they belong.
For the second straight season, Muskegon will play for the USHL’s Clark Cup after storming past the Madison Capitols, 6-2, in a decisive Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The win sends the Lumberjacks into a best-of-five championship series against the Sioux Falls Stampede, with the Clark Cup Final opening Friday, May 15, in Sioux Falls.
The series marks another major moment for a Muskegon organization that captured its first Clark Cup championship in franchise history in 2025. Now, the Lumberjacks are chasing a repeat and a chance to further cement one of the strongest runs in team history.
Muskegon’s path back to the final was anything but easy. Entering the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Lumberjacks knocked off higher-seeded opponents and then survived a five-game battle with Madison. In Game 5, Madison jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Muskegon answered with six straight goals, including four on the power play, to take control and close out the series.
The clincher showed exactly why the Lumberjacks remain dangerous. Rudolfs Berzkalns scored twice, Anthony Thomas-Maroon started the comeback, and Drew Stewart added the finishing touch with his USHL-leading seventh goal of the Clark Cup Playoffs. Muskegon went 4-for-6 on the power play, killed off four of five Madison advantages, and outshot the Capitols 44-23.
Stewart has been one of Muskegon’s postseason leaders, entering the final with seven goals and six assists. The Lumberjacks’ offense has also been one of the most productive in the playoffs, averaging 3.67 goals per game, while their power play has operated at a dangerous 31 percent.
Sioux Falls brings its own championship credentials into the matchup. The Stampede, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, advanced by defeating the Fargo Force, 3-2, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Sioux Falls is chasing its fourth Clark Cup title, while Muskegon is looking to become a back-to-back champion.
The championship series will begin with two games in Sioux Falls before shifting to Trinity Health Arena in Muskegon. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. If necessary, Game 4 will also be played in Muskegon on Saturday, May 23. A deciding Game 5 would return to Sioux Falls on Tuesday, May 26.
For Muskegon fans, the return home carries special weight. Trinity Health Arena was the scene of last year’s championship celebration, and the Lumberjacks now have another opportunity to bring Clark Cup hockey back to the lakeshore.
The matchup also carries history. Muskegon and Sioux Falls last met in the Clark Cup Final in 2015, when the Stampede captured the title. Eleven years later, the Lumberjacks enter with a chance to write a different ending.
Lumberjacks 2026 Clark Cup Final Schedule
Game 1: Friday, May 15, Muskegon at Sioux Falls, 8:05 p.m. ET
Game 2: Saturday, May 16, Muskegon at Sioux Falls, 7:05 p.m. ET
Game 3: Friday, May 22, Sioux Falls at Muskegon, 7 p.m. ET
Game 4, if necessary: Saturday, May 23, Sioux Falls at Muskegon, 6 p.m. ET
Game 5, if necessary: Tuesday, May 26, Muskegon at Sioux Falls, 7:05 p.m. ET
For a team that has already made history once, the next challenge is clear. The Lumberjacks are three wins away from doing it again.
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