Madison Capitols top Youngstown Phantoms in Game 1 of conference semifinals

Capitols take 1-0 series lead with 2-1 victory over top-seeded Phantoms

Apr. 18, 2026 at 1:36am

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting the chaotic movement and competing perspectives of a hockey game, with players, sticks, and the ice surface broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of color.A cubist interpretation of the intense action and energy of a USHL playoff hockey game.Youngstown Today

The Madison Capitols defeated the top-seeded Youngstown Phantoms 2-1 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2026 USHL Clark Cup Playoffs on Friday night at the Covelli Centre. Madison's Tyden Bergeson scored both goals for the Capitols, giving them a 2-0 lead before the Phantoms cut the deficit to 1 in the third period. Madison now leads the best-of-five series 1-0.

Why it matters

This is an important early matchup in the USHL playoffs, as the top-seeded Phantoms look to bounce back after dropping the series opener at home against the lower-seeded Capitols. The outcome of this series could have major implications for which team advances to the Clark Cup Finals.

The details

Bergeson opened the scoring for Madison in the first period to give the Capitols a 1-0 lead. He then added a second goal midway through the third period to make it 2-0 Madison. The Phantoms were able to cut the deficit to 1 goal late in the third when Cooper Simpson scored following a review, but they were unable to net the equalizer.

  • The game was played on Friday, April 18, 2026.
  • Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday, April 19, 2026 at 6:05 p.m.

The players

Tyden Bergeson

A player for the Madison Capitols who scored both goals in their 2-1 victory over the Youngstown Phantoms.

Cooper Simpson

A player for the Youngstown Phantoms who scored his team's lone goal in the 2-1 loss to Madison.

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What they’re saying

“We knew this was going to be a tough series against the top team in the conference. But our guys battled hard and we were able to come away with the win in Game 1.”

— Madison Capitols Head Coach

What’s next

Game 2 of the best-of-five series will be played on Saturday, April 19, 2026 at 6:05 p.m. at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The Phantoms will look to even the series at 1-1 before the action shifts to Madison.

The takeaway

This was an important opening game win for the Madison Capitols, who were able to steal home-ice advantage from the top-seeded Youngstown Phantoms. The Phantoms will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole against their conference rivals.