Call it karma, call it the hockey gods, call it whatever you want.
Just call it a shutout.
With starting goaltender Brennan Boynton suspended as a result of a line brawl in game one, thanks to a quirky USHL rule, Fargo backup goalie Andrew Miller ended up playing the final game and a half of the Force’s Western Division Final series against Sioux City.
All he did was stop 52 of 53 shots for a .981 save percentage, including all 34 shots as Fargo defeated the Musketeers 3-0 Saturday night to sweep the best-of-three series.
The 21-year-old goalie from Boulder, Colo. is headed to Minnesota State in fall, but there was business to be done in front of a packed house in Fargo Saturday night first.
Fargo now has a dilemma any team would like to have. With two hot goaltenders, who starts game one of the Clark Cup Final Friday night in Chicago?
Whoever it will be will have to do something nobody has done in these playoffs - find a way to beat the Steel. Chicago picked up a 5-4 win in Muskegon Saturday night to sweep their second consecutive series. As usual, it was Matt Coronato leading the way, this time with two goals. While Central Scouting projects him as a late first round pick, common sense dictates he should go in the top five.
Perhaps the best sniper the USHL has seen, his hard, accurate wrist shot with a quick release is reminiscent of Joe Sakic. The scary thing is, he has spent much of the season on the second line behind league leading scorer Sean Farrell.
The Steel have received national media like no USHL team before them, including articles in Sports Illustrated, eliteprospects, The Hockey News, not to mention several TV spots. Yet the team is not without weakness. They are average defensively, prone to slow starts, often get outshot, and are not particularly physical. But put everything together and they are almost impossible to beat in a short series.
Just ask Dubuque and Muskegon. Fargo, you’re up next.
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