Mac Swanson Closing in on Fargo Force Record

SWANSON (70 POINTS) IS 1-POINT SHY OF THE FRANCHISE SINGLE-SEASON RECORD.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR)–The Fargo Force are in the midst of a historic season. After clinching the number 1 overall seed in the Clark Cup playoffs and setting a new franchise record for wins in a season earlier in March, another record is on the brink of being broken.

Force Forward and North Dakota hockey commit Mac Swanson has scored 24 goals and racked up 46 assists so far this season. Sitting at 70 points on the year, Swanson is now just one point away from breaking the franchise record for points in a season and this weekend, he has two games here at Scheels arena to try and get it done in front of his home fans.

“Yeah, they are awesome,” said Swanson. “They show up every single game…sellout crowds all the time, so they have treated us great this year and it would be really good to treat them with something special.”

In his first year at the helm, Head Coach Brett Skinner has been continuously impressed by the young forward.

“You know, you kind of squint your eyes and you forget he is 17 at times,” said Skinner. “[He] certainly leads in his own way. He has a relentless work ethic, and just his ability to produce points at a high level come from that for sure.”

Swanson is not only closing in on the Franchise record, but also a family record. His farther Brian notched 80 points with the Omaha Lancers in the 1993-94 season. For Swanson, he’d love to have that family record over his pops.

“I actually just realized that a couple of days ago,” said Swanson. “It would be cool, but I think it would be a tough accomplishment to do.”

How about the bragging rights potentially on the line?

“Oh for sure, I would definitely bring that up a lot,” said Swanson.

But something his dad has over him right now is a Clark Cup title that he won in that 80-point season. A season ago the Force fell short in the Clark Cup Finals, losing to Youngstown in the championship. This year, under Coach Skinner, Swanson and the Force are hungry to end the season on top.

“[My dad] won, so it would be kind of cool to show off my ring once in a while too,” said Swanson.

“You can certainly use it as motivation,” said Coach Skinner on the Force losing in the finals a season ago. “I know there a few other guys on our team that came up short wherever they were and they are using that as motivation. No matter what, I think we have a motivated group that, along this journey, wants to make sure that destination is the Clark Cup final.”

Swanson continued saying, “You kind of think about it all summer. You were so close, but you did not end up winning. So, I think it is definitely a big motivating factor for us.”

The Force will host the Waterloo Black Hawks this weekend, March 29-30, in Fargo. The Force skate into the matchup in first place in the Western Conference with a 45-9-1-0 record and a league best 92 points. Puck drop on Friday night is at 7:05 P.M. and on Saturday night at 6:05 P.M.

Overall, the Force have six games remaining in the regular season, and the Clark Cup Playoffs will begin April 15. But, since the Force hold a bye in round one, their first series will be the Western Conference Semifinals. That will take place April 19-26 in a best-of-5 series.