Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Chicago Wins First Clark Cup
Penn State commit scores OT winner; Maine recruit named MVP.
Future NCAA stars played crucial roles as the USHL’s Chicago Steel captured the franchise’s first Clark Cup as USA Hockey’s Tier 1 National Champion Tuesday night with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Sioux City Musketeers.
Penn State recruit Tyler Gratton scored the winning goal at 11:30 of overtime in the decisive fifth game of the Clark Cup Final series in front of a record sellout crowd at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center.
Maine commit Eduards Tralmaks scored 10 goals in 14 games of the Clark Cup Playoffs to earn playoff MVP honors for the Steel. Harvard recruit Jack Badini of Chicago led all playoff scorers with 17 points.
In total, 22 players who appeared for the Steel in the playoffs – including 19 who dressed for Game 5 – are committed to Division I programs.
Seventeen programs have a member of the Steel committed to their team, representing all six conferences and Arizona State. Colorado College, Harvard, Minnesota, Minnesota State, Providence and Western Michigan each had two recruits appear for Chicago in the playoffs.
Marc Johnstone (Sacred Heart) and Jake Jaremko (Minnesota State) followed Badini on Chicago’s playoff scoring ledger with 15 and 13 points, respectively. They finished second and fourth in the league in playoff scoring. Graham Lillibridge (Yale) and Ben Mirageas (Providence), both of Chicago, shared the playoff lead among USHL defensemen with 10 points each.
Dan Muse, who won an NCAA championship as an assistant coach with Yale in 2012, guided Chicago to the championship in just his second season as the Steel’s head coach.
| NCAA Commitments on Chicago Steel | |
| Jack Badini | Harvard |
| Derek Daschke | Western Michigan |
| Xan Gurney | Western Michigan |
| Tyler Gratton | Penn State |
| Corson Green | New Hampshire |
| Jake Jaremko | Minnesota State |
| Marc Johnstone | Sacred Heart |
| Adam Karashik | Connecticut |
| Matt Ladd | Colorado College |
| Mitch Lewandowski | Michigan State |
| Graham Lillibridge | Yale |
| Austen Long | Colorado College |
| Reggie Lutz | Minnesota State |
| Blake McLaughlin | Minnesota |
| Brannon McManus | Minnesota |
| Ben Mirageas | Providence |
| Jason O’Neill | Providence |
| Dayton Rasmussen | Denver |
| Alec Regula | Michigan |
| Jordan Seyfert | Merrimack |
| Baker Shore | Harvard |
| Eduards Tralmaks | Maine |
| Johnny Walker | Arizona State |
| Includes all commits who appeared in a Clark Cup Playoff game | |