Thursday: Fargo 1, Lincoln 0.
What went wrong: Penalties to two of the Lincoln Stars' leading scorers in the final minutes of regulation turned into a 5-on-3 power play for Fargo, and the Force capitalized with 44 seconds left in regulation in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in Fargo, North Dakota. Mason Marcellus was called for slashing during Lincoln's lone power play to make it 4-on-4 and Tanner Ludtke was called for interference to give the Force a two-man advantage. Lincoln had an early opportunity for a lead after Jack Larrigan received a penalty shot 13:32 into the first period but was denied. The Force had five power plays to just one for Lincoln.
What went right: Cameron Whitehead stood tall for three periods of play, stopping 30 of Fargo's 31 shot attempts. It was a goalie bout throughout, with Matej Marinov stopping all 21 Lincoln shots.Â
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Up next: The Stars and Force continue the series Friday with Game 2 at 7 p.m. at Scheels Arena.