North Huntingdon's Austen Swankler helps Sioux Falls to USHL championship
North Huntingdon native Austen Swankler’s first season in the USHL ended with a championship celebration.
Swankler, 17, and his Sioux Falls Stampede teammates marched through the USHL playoffs, going 11-1 and claiming the team’s third championship with a 5-1 victory over Chicago on Friday night. Sioux Falls recorded three-game sweeps in the finals and conference finals. Its only loss came in Game 2 of the second round.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/sUzbepeImU
— Austen Swankler (@Aswank21) May 20, 2019
In the clinching game, Swankler set up Anthony Romano for a first-period goal that gave Sioux Falls the lead for good. In 10 playoff games, Swankler had two goals and an assist, including the four-overtime game-winner in the longest game in USHL history in the first round against Sioux City.
Swankler, a 6-foot forward, was traded to Sioux Falls by Waterloo in November. He had 12 goals and 45 points in 59 games in the regular season.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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