In The Beginning Five Teams Set the Pace as the USHL Leaves Chicago

The USHL's Fall Classic ran September 16-20 with 16 games that all counted toward the regular season. Every team played two games and walked away with an early read on what works and what doesn't. Two games do not settle much, but they settled enough to sketch out which teams can finish, which can control play, and which already need to address something uncomfortable.

Des Moines made the loudest statement by beating Muskegon 4-1 and Youngstown 7-3, finishing with a plus-seven goal differential. Beating the previous Clark Cup finalist and Anderson Cup winner certainly gives the Buccaneers something substantial to build on.

Joey Argentina led the event with six points, scoring twice and adding four assists with both goals coming shorthanded. Mason Jenson scored four times, including three second-period goals against Youngstown, while Riley Zupfer contributed four assists. That's a productive opening from players who should stay on the watch list well beyond September.

The question is whether Des Moines can sustain it. Muskegon outshot the Buccaneers 33-26, and the Youngstown game finished even at 23 shots apiece. Des Moines made every opportunity count: Jon Kavcic stopped 32 of 33 shots against Muskegon. Over a longer schedule, generating more chances would give that finishing ability a stronger foundation.

Cedar Rapids shut out Fargo 3-0 and beat Sioux City 4-2 while taking no penalties, allowing only 34 shots across both games while recording 62. That's the clearest evidence among the unbeaten teams of consistently controlling play.

Joseph Skidmore supplied the event's only shutout with 19 saves against Fargo. Henry Lechner scored three goals across the two games, including a particularly useful answer against Sioux City: just 20 seconds after Sioux City tied the game late in the third period, Lechner restored the lead. Nathan Chorlton finished with four points. The RoughRiders still went 0-for-11 on the power play, leaving an obvious opportunity to improve even after a perfect start.

Sioux Falls' opening assignment was defending a championship with results. A 3-2 win over Madison and a 4-1 victory against the National Team Development Program's Under-18 team accomplished that, though the games asked different things of the Stampede.

Against Madison, Sioux Falls built a 3-0 first-period lead before the Capitols narrowed the margin. Against the NTDP, the Stampede generated 51 shots and allowed 26, taking command through sustained pressure. Ryder Betzold scored twice against the NTDP, and Sioux Falls killed all seven opposing power plays over the event. Whether that combination of offense and penalty killing travels to Tri-City this weekend remains to be seen.

Chicago gave its arena an encouraging introduction by scoring three third-period goals to beat Lincoln 4-3, then using a four-goal second period to defeat Omaha 6-3. Easton Pace scored twice in each game, tying Mason Jenson for the event lead with four goals, and Cole Bumgarner added three goals and an assist.

The sweep came with a caveat: Omaha outshot Chicago 36-21, forcing Stepan Houdek to make 33 saves. Pace's finishing and the Steel's ability to turn games quickly were both important, but reducing the burden on the goaltender would make future wins easier to repeat.

Dubuque completed the unbeaten group with a 6-3 win over Lincoln and a 4-3 victory against Tri-City. Travis Lefere produced four points, and Melvin Ekman scored in both games. The Fighting Saints allowed three power-play goals in ten opposing opportunities, an area to tighten before Saturday's meeting with Cedar Rapids.

Waterloo fell just short of a sweep with an overtime loss to Muskegon and a 5-2 win over Youngstown, finishing with three points. Five different Black Hawks scored in head coach Brett Olson's first victory, while Muskegon rookie Zaac Charbonneau's overtime winner suggests another player worth following as the season develops.

Youngstown's opening was difficult. Last season's regular-season champion surrendered 12 goals in losses to Des Moines and Waterloo, finishing with a minus-seven differential. The problem cannot be explained by opponents burying them under shot volume: Youngstown allowed only 48 shots across those games. Two games do not settle anything, but the Phantoms need to make opponents work harder for their goals.

Green Bay, Lincoln, Madison and the NTDP finished without a point. Green Bay allowed five power-play goals in 13 chances. The NTDP surrendered a 3-1 lead against Tri-City before facing Sioux Falls' 51-shot attack. Lincoln's third-period lead against Chicago and Madison's one-goal loss to Sioux Falls show why identical records should not be mistaken for identical performances.

Fargo and Sioux City left with split results and contrasting questions. Fargo scored only twice on the power play, making even-strength production an early concern. Sioux City scored eight against Green Bay before managing only 15 shots against Cedar Rapids. Dominik Bednar's natural hat trick against Green Bay makes him worth watching as the Musketeers seek more consistent offense.

The immediate standout arrives September 26 when Dubuque visits Cedar Rapids with both teams at 2-0. Youngstown visits Des Moines October 30-31 for another look at the team that exposed them in Chicago. Sioux Falls' January 29-30 visit to Muskegon brings a rematch of last season's Clark Cup Final.

Sixty games remain for every team, leaving plenty of room for the opening order to change. The Fall Classic gave this season a starting point: Des Moines can finish, Cedar Rapids can limit shots, and Sioux Falls has begun its defense with four points. This weekend begins to show which of those strengths become habits and which teams can turn an uncomfortable first impression into something better.