BLOG: Brannon McManus, Justin Holl find postseason success Friday night

Quiet for much of Chicago's USHL Eastern Conference semifinal series against Youngstown, Minnesota commit Brannon McManus (Newport Beach, CA) scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals Friday night in Game 1 of the USHL Eastern Conference finals.

McManus' pair of third period goals came just over six minutes apart. Chicago, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, ended up coming back to defeat #2 seed Dubuque by a 4-3 score.

Steel rallied from a 3-1 deficit in 3rd period to win Game 1, 4-3. Brannon McManus tied it and then scored this game-winner! #SteelTheCup pic.twitter.com/3bqoepyyUB

— #SteelTheCup (@ChicagoSteel) April 29, 2017

Game 2 in the best-of-five series is tonight in Chicago.

McManus, who is expected on campus next season, was not the only person with Gopher ties Friday night to make a dent in the postseason.

Noted eliminator of team dreams Justin Holl brought heartbreak to Albany. Holl, playing for the AHL Toronto Marlies after being at Minnesota from 2010-2014, scored the game winner in triple overtime to help the Marlies advance in the Calder Cup playoffs. Same exact score, same exact ending yet a different way to do the job again.

Relive the moment: Justin Holl scores in triple overtime to give the #Marlies a 2-1 win.#MarliesLive pic.twitter.com/JRzNXvlvyt

— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) April 29, 2017

To make matters worse, Holl and Toronto brought nearly 40 years of AHL hockey in the Capital Region of New York to a close.

Then again, it wasn't a final second Frozen Four buzzer beater winner like this one.