$2 Hot Dogs, $3 Beer, Merchandise Sale, and Hundreds of Prizes Round out Regular Season
April 10, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - A week after throwing a party at home by clinching a playoff berth, Steel fans can expect more festivities during the last weekend of the regular season with $2 Hot Dogs, Sodas, and Popcorn and $3 Beer on Friday, April 12 and Fan Appreciation Night with hundreds of prizes for fans on Saturday, April 13.
The Steel will take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks at 7:05 pm on Friday and 6:05 pm on Saturday.
On Friday, the Steel will have a flurry of food and beverage specials for the second time this season including $2 sodas (12 oz. cans), regular hot dogs, and popcorn as well as $3 beers (16 oz. Coors Light/Miller Lite cans).
The team will round out the regular season Saturday with a plethora of prizes from a variety of team sponsors including a gift basket from Culver's of Batavia, a giant toy mixing truck from Ozinga, Vertical Endeavors rock climbing passes, Geneva Family Dental custom whitening trays and more.
The Steel (27-26-3-4, 61 pts) clinched a playoff berth following their 4-3 shootout victory over the Dubuque Fighting Saints on home ice on April 5. It was the first victory against Dubuque this season and marked the eighth consecutive season the Steel have qualified for the Clark Cup Playoffs.
The Steel enter the season's final weekend with wins in six of their last ten games and are locked in as the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Muskegon is currently third, meaning these two teams could match up in the best-of-three First Round of the Clark Cup Playoffs beginning Monday, April 15.
Chicago is guaranteed to face the #3 seed which could be Green Bay, Muskegon or Youngstown with all three games of the series played at the higher (better) seed. Entering the weekend, the four teams in second through fifth place in the Eastern Conference are separated by only eight points, and Muskegon could finish in second, third or fourth.
Last Friday, Chicago fought back and scored the tying goal with an extra attacker to force overtime and eventually a shootout against Dubuque on April 5. Quentin Sigurdson stopped all three shooters, and Hunter Hady scored in the third round to give the Steel a 4-3 win.
Chicago traveled to Dubuque the following night and allowed three straight goals to the Fighting Saints in the first two periods of play and couldn't overcome the deficit, falling 4-2.
The play of Chicago's special teams stood out the most in its weekend series with Dubuque. The Fighting Saints, who rank second in the league in power play percentage, were held scoreless on the man advantage in both games against the Steel. Chicago has not allowed a power play goal in the last three games, with each coming against teams ranked in the top three in power play percentage (GB, DBQ). On the flip side, Chicago has scored a power play goal in four of their last six games and are 7-for-16 on the man advantage in that span, a percentage of 43.8%.
Leading scorer Michael Hage appeared on the scoresheet in both games last weekend, extending his point streak to four games. During his streak, he has five assists and two goals. Entering the weekend, Hage ranks third in the league in points (75), only five behind league leader and upcoming opponent Matvei Gridin of Muskegon.
In the last 17 games, Hage has tallied a point in all but two of them. Nine of those games have been multi-point performances. The future Michigan product has been one of the top stories in the league after missing most of the 2022-23 season due to injury and having worked his way back to full strength leading into the 2023-24 campaign.
Now having played nearly a full season, Hage's lengthy list of attributes and eye-grabbing play has led to him being regarded as a top prospect heading into the 2024 NHL Draft. He is currently ranked as the 19th North American skater on NHL.com's prospect rankings.
Charlie Major recorded an assist in the team's win on April 5. Like Hage, Major has potted five assists in the last three games and has a goal. He ranks tied for seventh in league scoring with 70 points. Only eight players in the USHL have surpassed 70 points this season.
Steel veteran Michael Emerson moved his point streak to six games before being held scoreless on April 6. The forward had flip-flopped between a goal and an assist during his streak, potting three goals and three assists. Emerson posted 64 points in 60 games last season with the Steel and has been the same reliable force since returning to the team on Jan. 19. He has registered a point in 17 of 27 games played this season and has three power play goals and a game winning goal.
The Muskegon Lumberjacks (36-22-1-1, 74 pts) dropped consecutive games to the USA Hockey NTDP U18 team during last weekend's home-and-home series. The Lumberjacks tied the game at two in the second period before three straight goals from the NTDP in the third lifted the team to a 5-3 win on April 5.
On Saturday, Muskegon kept the game tied through two periods, but two unanswered goals from the U18s in the third period gave the NTDP a 4-2 win and weekend sweep. Joe Connor scored in both games, totaling three goals in two games.
The Lumberjacks are led by Gridin, who ranks at the top of the USHL in points with 80, the only skater in the league thus far to record 80 points. He ranks fourth in the league in goals with 36, and his 44 assists are tied for fifth. Before being held scoreless on April 6, Gridin had tallied a point in six consecutive games, with a goal in each game and 12 points.
Gridin ranks amongst the top performers on the power play as well, ranking third in power play assists (18) and second in power play points (28). He has recorded 205 shots on goal this season, the fourth-most in the league and three more than Chicago's Charlie Major (202).
The top complement to Gridin this season has been Sacha Boisvert, who has 65 points this season, 11th in the league. In 59 games this season, Boisvert is right behind Gridin in goals with 34 but rises above in power play goals with 13 on the year.
Gridin and Boisvert are both regarded as top prospects ahead of this summer's NHL Draft. Boisvert is ranked 17th among North American skaters and Gridin ranks 30th.
Ethan Whitcomb rounds out the three Muskegon skaters in the top 20 in points, ranking 16th with 62 points. Whitcomb enters the weekend with a point in eight consecutive road games dating back to Feb. 24. In that streak, he has 12 points.
Muskegon's special teams on the road this season have been up and down. The team has the second-best power play unit on the road (29.1%) and has scored a power play goal in five of its last six road games, going 10-for-22 in that span. Conversely, it owns the 14th-ranked penalty kill on the road and has allowed a power play goal in three consecutive road games.
The Steel are 47-44-7-0 all-time against Muskegon and 24-23-3-0 at home. The last matchup between the two teams was Feb. 3 when the Lumberjacks erased a 3-0 deficit and scored five unanswered goals to shock the Steel and win 5-3. Sacha Boisvert scored two goals for Muskegon, while Steel netminder Louka Cloutier made 38 saves. The Steel have yet to defeat the Lumberjacks this season in five tries.
Single-game tickets are on sale now, starting at just $10. All Steel tickets are digital, and fans are encouraged to purchase online in advance at ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
For a limited time, fans can take advantage of the team's Ticket Plan Madness promotion to receive free regular season and playoff games for this season plus other benefits when signing up for a new ticket plan for the 2024-2025 season. Ticket plans start at just 5 games for $50.
Group tickets and experiences, suites and other premium areas, including the team's new Ice Side Tables, are also on sale now.
For more information, call 855-51-STEEL.
Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Friday, April 12 vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (7:05 pm CT) | $2 Hot Dogs, Sodas, and Popcorn | $3 Beers Saturday, April 13 vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (6:05 pm CT) | Fan Appreciation Night | Hundreds of Prizes
2024 Clark Cup Playoffs - First Round (best-of-three)
Game 1: Monday, April 15 at Green Bay, Muskegon or Youngstown (Time TBD)
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