Brennan Ali netted the overtime winner 7:54 into the extra frame and the Lincoln Stars advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2023 Clark Cup Playoffs with a 4-3 win on Tuesday night at the Ice Box.

Lincoln rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to take the best-of-three series in two games and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2018. They will face the Waterloo Black Hawks in another best-of-three series this weekend, all at Young Arena.

Ali scored his first of the postseason during a four-on-four sequence in the extra frame as the Stars took turns dropping the puck off at the left point several times to each skater on the ice. Ali received a handoff from Boston Buckberger, drifted to the top of the right circle and flicked the puck past goaltender Max Lundgren to send the entire team onto the ice in jubilation.

"He's just a horse out there," head coach Rocky Russo said. "He competes and wins his battles. He plays physical and is a fantastic teammate, an even better human and a great student. I could go on and on. It was a great possession. I was waiting for the Harlem Globetrotters music to come on. We were able to creates some of those two-on-ones with the takeovers and eventually Brennan got it on his off side, got a flash screen and was able to bury it."

Ali, who recorded 43 points (13+30) in 57 games in the regular season, was on the unfortunate end of a prior goal. Des Moines defenseman Aiden Van Rooyan tossed the puck at the net from halfway down the near boards and it clipped the stick of Ali to redirect into the net. That goal extended the Buccaneers' lead to two goals with 12:36 remaining in regulation.

"Not the best feeling going back to the bench. I knew I had to do something out there and didn't think about. I just kept my energy up after that. My linemates (Jared Mangan) and (Tanner Ludtke) were saying, 'it's unfortunate, it's going to happen, but be positive and go score on the next shift.'"

Ali's goal was the Stars' first postseason overtime goal since current Vegas Golden Knights forward Paul Cotter netted the game-winner against Waterloo in Game 1 of the 2018 Western Conference Semifinals. That postseason run was also the last time that the Stars advanced past the First Round and they ironically also did so with an overtime goal to clinch a First-Round victory.

The Stars set the stage for Ali's heroics by clawing back from the two-goal deficit. Jack Larrigan set up Mason Marcellus from behind the net for a tap-in goal at the 10:28 mark before Tyler Dunbar one-timed a pass from Keaton Peters into the back of the net.

"It was late in the game and I was just trying to get something going," Dunbar said. "We knew we needed one and luckily Keaton gave me a nice low-to-high (pass) off the wall and I had a great netfront (presence) in Patrick Raftery and Daniel Sambuco. I don't know if I even looked at the net but I just let it rip and it went in and I couldn't believe it."

Lincoln led the USHL by scoring the game's first goal 41 times in the regular season and lit the lamp first for the second straight time in as many postseason games Tuesday night at the 3:25 mark. Ludtke scored his second of the Clark Cup Playoffs when Dunbar tossed the puck to the front of the net and Ludtke received it, turned himself around to fire the puck past Lundgren stick-side.

Joey Muldowney answered for Des Moines to even it back up just over four minutes later. Henry Bartle one-timed a fortuitous bounce toward him on the power play to give the Buccaneers their first lead of the series at the 16:28 mark of the second for the only goal of the period.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals begins on Friday night at Young Arena at 7:05 p.m. The Black Hawks took five-of-six regular-season meetings against the Stars and finished three points ahead of the Stars for second place. Waterloo defeated Lincoln in three games last year in the First Round.