Incoming Merrimack recruit Linards Feldbergs has the Sioux Falls Stampede just one win away from hoisting the USHL’s Clark Cup.
Feldbergs has been absolute money in the postseason for the Stampede. After posting a 2.51 GAA and .910 save percentage in 49 regular-season games—good for fifth-best in the league—the future Warrior has dialed it up to an elite 1.79/.941 split across 12 playoff starts.
On Saturday night, he put on a clinic, turning away 39 shots in a 3-0 shutout victory in Game 2 of the Clark Cup Finals. The Stampede now hold a commanding 2-0 series lead, with a chance to skate away with the hardware in Game 3 on Friday night at Muskegon.
Sioux Falls bench boss Ryan Cruthers hasn’t been shy about praising his netminder, telling local media all season that he believes Feldbergs isn’t just the best goalie in the USHL, but the best player in the league, period.
“That’s what he does,” Cruthers said on Saturday. “There were some point-blankers, too. We had a couple good chances out there, and then they come down and had some point-blank shots. And he makes them look easy.
“I think what’s been really impressive is the way he’s fought through traffic, especially on the penalty kill. He’s been our best PK guy. Even the Fargo series was tough. They had big bodies, too, and I think that’s what’s unique about Linny is his ability to get better from last series to this series. And the only way he really could was to fight through traffic on the PK, and he’s done it. It’s been impressive what he’s done all year.”
The Stampede can lock up the championship with a victory on Friday night. If Muskegon rallies to take Game 3, Game 4 is slated for Saturday night (May 23), with a winner-take-all Game 5 lingering next week (May 26) if necessary.
Elsewhere on the junior circuit, Mavrick Lachance and Gryphon Bucci are punching their tickets to the prestigious Memorial Cup after Chicoutimi dispatched Moncton in the QMJHL finals.
Lachance has been a monster on this playoff run for the Saguenéens, racking up 23 points (10g, 13a) in 20 postseason contests. It’s been a perfect marriage for the forward, who was acquired by Chicoutimi via a mid-season trade.
The Memorial Cup tournament drops the puck this Friday in Kelowna. Chicoutimi opens its round-robin schedule against the Everett Silvertips on Saturday (May 23), follows that up against the host Kelowna Rockets on Sunday (May 24), and wraps up against the Kitchener Rangers next Tuesday (May 26) before the knockout round begins on May 28.
Here is the latest Merrimack recruit report, with all stats for committed players: