USHL Madison Capitols

Capitols' Charge in the Third Comes up Inches Short

Published on March 28, 2015 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Madison Capitols News Release


Bensenville, IL- The Madison Capitols (21-23-11) fell behind 2-0 before making a valiant comeback effort, but the Chicago Steel (27-25-3) hung on for a 2-1 victory on Saturday at the Edge Ice Arena.

John Schilling was the star of the show in the first period for the Steel, as the Bowling Green State commit struck twice in the span of 3:51 for his 14th and 15th goals of the season to give Chicago the 2-0 lead.

Capitols coach Luke Strand promptly called a timeout after Schilling's second tally to gather his troops, and Madison responded by peppering the Steel net, but Lassi Yrjola was able to come up with the answers, including helping to kill off parts of two Madison power plays. Madison ended up outshooting Chicago in the opening period 11-10.

The Capitols began the second with over a minute of power play time on a clean slate of ice, but could not find the net as Chicago continued its strong special teams play against their division rivals. Chicago finished the season series 20-for-21 on the penalty kill against the Capitols.

However, despite not converting on the early man advantage, the Capitols continued to up the ante on the offensive pressure, and eventually, the Madison captain was able to find the nets.

Ryan Lohin picked up a puck in center ice and raced down the slot on the right wing side and jammed a shot on Yrjola, who stopped the initial opportunity. However, Freddy Gerard was cruising through the slot and he pushed the loose puck behind the fallen netminder to cut the Chicago lead in half, 2-1, at 14:58 of the middle stanza.

At the other end, Garrett Metcalf continued his strong start by turning aside all 17 Chicago shots in the second. Madison also went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill on the evening.

Madison carried much of the play in the third, but could not connect on a power play chance midway through the frame, and then succumbed to terrible luck in the final minutes.

Charlie Gerard nearly tied the score with just under 1:45 to play, but shoveled a backhander over the net. Then, just over a minute later, Gerard clanged the post on a wrist shot from the left side that beat Yrjola. Unofficially, Madison and Chicago finished the night 34 shots apiece, but Yrjola was one save better than a very sturdy Metcalf, who made 32 stops in the loss.

Madison returns home for a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday against Dubuque at the Alliant Energy Center. It is a Kids Day at the Coliseum featuring a post game skate with the Capitols. Tickets are available by visiting Ticketmaster.com or calling (608) 257-CAPS (2277).

Capitols' 2015-16 season tickets are available now by visiting www.MadCapsHockey.com . Fans who pay in full for season tickets by June 1 will receive a specialty season ticket holder jersey. Packages can also be purchased by calling (608) 257-CAPS (2277).

Check out the Madison Capitols Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central