The 1999–2000 USHL season was the 21st season of the United States Hockey League as an all-junior league. The regular season began in September 1999 and concluded in March 2000. The Lincoln Stars won the Anderson Cup as regular season champions. The Green Bay Gamblers defeated the Twin City Vulcans 4 games to 1 for the Clark Cup.
| 1999–2000 USHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | United States Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | Regular season September 1999 – March 2000 Postseason March 28 – April 27, 2000 |
| Games | 58 |
| Teams | 14 |
| Regular season | |
| Anderson Cup | Lincoln Stars |
| Clark Cup Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Green Bay Gamblers |
| Runners-up | Twin City Vulcans |
Member changes
edit- The Sioux Falls Stampede joined the league as an expansion franchise.[1]
- The North Iowa Huskies relocated and became the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
Regular season
editFinal standings[2]
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched league title
Eastern Conference
edit| Team | GP | W | L | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – USNTDP | 58 | 39 | 16 | 3 | 81 | 216 | 151 |
| x – Green Bay Gamblers | 58 | 35 | 18 | 5 | 75 | 232 | 174 |
| x – Waterloo Black Hawks | 58 | 28 | 26 | 4 | 60 | 186 | 213 |
| Rochester Mustangs | 58 | 26 | 28 | 4 | 56 | 155 | 178 |
| Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | 58 | 19 | 34 | 5 | 43 | 156 | 220 |
| Thunder Bay Flyers | 58 | 18 | 39 | 1 | 37 | 164 | 254 |
| Dubuque Fighting Saints | 58 | 16 | 39 | 3 | 35 | 141 | 230 |
Western Conference
edit| Team | GP | W | L | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xyz – Lincoln Stars | 58 | 41 | 16 | 1 | 83 | 218 | 139 |
| x – Sioux Falls Stampede | 58 | 37 | 17 | 4 | 78 | 239 | 179 |
| x – Omaha Lancers | 58 | 36 | 18 | 4 | 76 | 168 | 151 |
| x – Des Moines Buccaneers | 58 | 35 | 20 | 3 | 73 | 220 | 196 |
| x – Twin City Vulcans | 58 | 31 | 19 | 8 | 70 | 203 | 174 |
| x – Sioux City Musketeers | 58 | 27 | 26 | 5 | 59 | 170 | 162 |
| Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks | 58 | 18 | 34 | 6 | 42 | 181 | 228 |
Note: The USNTDP was unavailable for postseason play due to participating in the NAHL playoffs.
Statistics
editScoring leaders
editThe following players led the league in regular season points at the completion of all regular season games.[3]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Sejna | Des Moines Buccaneers | 58 | 41 | 53 | 94 | 36 |
| Aaron Smith | Green Bay Gamblers | 55 | 33 | 42 | 75 | 93 |
| John Eichelberger | Green Bay Gamblers | 49 | 19 | 50 | 69 | 58 |
| R. J. Umberger | USNTDP | 57 | 33 | 35 | 68 | 20 |
| Rick Gorman | Sioux Falls Stampede | 55 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 166 |
| Jared Hanowski | Sioux Falls Stampede | 57 | 22 | 45 | 67 | 88 |
| Troy Riddle | Des Moines Buccaneers | 53 | 36 | 30 | 66 | 95 |
| Keith Dore | Lincoln Stars | 57 | 24 | 41 | 65 | 44 |
| Alex Kim | Des Moines Buccaneers | 57 | 20 | 42 | 62 | 67 |
| Dwight Hirst | Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks | 56 | 32 | 29 | 61 | 24 |
| Paul Caponigri | Omaha Lancers | 57 | 28 | 33 | 61 | 122 |
Leading goaltenders
editMinimum 1/3 of team's minutes played.
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | OTL | SO | GA | SV | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Ellis | Omaha Lancers | 55 | 3274 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 123 | 1,517 | .925 | 2.25 |
| Wayne Russell | Lincoln Stars | 48 | 2838 | 32 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 108 | 1,210 | .918 | 2.28 |
| Adam Coole | Rochester Mustangs | 45 | 2581 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 113 | 1,338 | .922 | 2.63 |
| Mike Betz | Sioux City Musketeers | 50 | 2918 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 132 | 1,223 | .903 | 2.71 |
| Adam Berkhoel | Twin City Vulcans | 49 | 2848 | 25 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 129 | 1,544 | .923 | 2.72 |
Clark Cup playoffs
editThe regular season division champions received the top two seeds.
Teams were reseeded after the quarterfinal round.
| Quarterfinal (Best-of-5) | Semifinal (Best-of-5) | Championship (Best-of-7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Lincoln Stars | 3* | 3* | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Sioux City Musketeers | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Lincoln Stars | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Twin City Vulcans | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Sioux Falls Stampede | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Twin City Vulcans | 3 | 3* | 3 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Twin City Vulcans | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Green Bay Gamblers | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2* | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Omaha Lancers | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Des Moines Buccaneers | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Green Bay Gamblers | 4* | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Des Moines Buccaneers | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Green Bay Gamblers | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4* | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Waterloo Black Hawks | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Awards
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Hockey team to start play in city in '99". Argus Leader. May 26, 1998. p. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "USHL Standings". Ushl2011.stats.pointstreak.com. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
- ↑ "USHL – 1999–2000". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ↑ "2024-25 USHL Media Guide". USHL. Retrieved June 18, 2025.