Gophers hockey recruit Brannon McManus hoisted the Clark Cup Tuesday night celebrating the Chicago Steel franchise's first USHL championship.

The Steel scored 11:30 into overtime against the Sioux City Musketeers to win the decisive Game 5 of the Clark Cup Finals, 2-1.

McManus, the Shattuck-St. Mary’s product from Newport Beach, Calif., finished the postseason with six goals, four assists and three game-winning goals. The forward was scoreless Tuesday, but had two assists in Game 4 and two goals in Game 2 of the Clark Cup Finals.

“We dream of this game, especially Game 5, and it went into overtime,” McManus said, “and that’s something you always want, to be the hero. … Now we’re just 4-year-olds out there [celebrating]. It’s awesome.”

McManus is expected to be part of the Gophers’ 2017-2018 highly touted freshman class. The group also includes star forwards Casey Mittelstadt (Green Bay Gamblers/Eden Prairie) and Scott Reedy (U.S. national developmental team/Prior Lake), and defensemen Nate Knoepke (U.S. national developmental team/Farmington) and Sam Rossini (Penticton Vees/Inver Grove Heights).

McManus will be only the second Californian to play for the Gophers hockey program. The first was 1988 Olympic goalie John Blue.

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