Country Night, Military Appreciation Night this Weekend
January 22, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - The Chicago Steel will host two home games this weekend, opening the barn doors for Country Night presented by Saddle Up at Q on Friday, January 24 at 7:05 pm CT followed by Military Appreciation Night presented by Ozinga on Saturday, January 25 at 7:05 pm CT.
Chicago will face off against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders for the final time during the regular season Friday before taking on the Madison Capitols Saturday.
On Friday, Steel fans can enjoy country classics and modern hits throughout the game during Country Night and learn the basics of line dancing with an instructor from Saddle Up at Q, who will provide tips and tricks during a Rusty Line Dance Party during the first intermission.
The Steel will wear special jerseys on Saturday for Military Appreciation Night presented by Ozinga. The sweaters will be auctioned online from Thursday, Jan. 23 to Thursday, Jan. 30, with proceeds to benefit Wounded Warrior Project. The jerseys feature a black base with gold trim, including a gold-colored Steel logo across the front. Along the bottom of the jersey are solid gold and digital camo striping along with a gold digital camo gradient at the bottom of either sleeve. The United States flag sits on the right arm of the jersey.
Wounded Warrior Project works to improve the lives of veterans through programs aiding in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care.
The Steel (10-23-2-0, 22 pts.) dropped a pair of games last weekend with a 6-3 loss at Madison on Jan. 17, followed by a back-and-forth battle at home that resulted in a 7-4 win for Green Bay on Jan. 18. Friday's loss featured the first Steel goal for Cameron Briere after being acquired from Tri-City earlier that week via trade. Saturday's loss saw Teddy Mutryn score for the second consecutive game along with Arseni Marchenko's first USHL goal. Kolin Sisson potted his team-leading 15th goal in the home defeat.
Second-year forward Tobias Ohman moved his point streak to three games after scoring a goal and an assist on Saturday. During his streak, he has one goal and five assists along with nine shots on goal. He ranks tied for second on the team in points (23) and is second in assists (17). He is also second on the Steel in power play points at seven.
Mutryn scored a goal in each game last weekend to move into second place on the team in goals with 13. He has posted four goals in the last six games and sits tied for fifth in team scoring with 20 points. The first-year forward has the second-most shots on the team this year (63) and has scored on 20.6% of his shots, which leads the Steel.
Friday is an important game for the Steel as they take on Cedar Rapids, who sits ten points ahead of the Steel in sixth place, the final playoff spot in the East. Chicago has yet to defeat the RoughRiders in their three head-to-head matchups them this year (0-3-0-0).
The RoughRiders (15-17-1-1, 32 pts.) split a pair of home games last weekend, beginning with a 6-3 loss to Green Bay on Jan. 17 before finishing the weekend with an impressive 4-0 shutout win over Madison on Jan. 18, limiting Madison to just 20 shots as all four Cedar Rapids goals were scored by a different skater in the win.
Second-year RoughRider Amine Hajibi leads the team in scoring with 30 points in 32 games and paces the squad in assists (19) and is second in goals (11). He pointed in each game last weekend and finished with one goal and two assists. His 30 points rank 14th in USHL scoring, and he currently possesses the third-longest active road point streak in the league, having tallied a point in six consecutive road outings. In that span, he has 12 points (5G-7A) dating back to Dec. 7, 2024.
In Cedar Rapids' last game against the Steel on Dec. 13, 2024, Hajibi posted his first-ever four- point game with two goals and two assists, a +3 rating and the game-winning goal.
Rookie goaltender AJ Reyelts posted a 20-save shutout over Madison on Jan. 18, his second blanking of the season, the first coming just two games prior in a 30-save shutout against Waterloo. The two wins in the last three games are Reyelts' first since he posted back-to-back victories in a pair of wins over Chicago on Dec. 13 and 14. He ranks 11th among league netminders in goals against average (2.85), second in minutes (1,473) and fifth in saves (574).
The Steel are 53-58-5-4 all-time against Cedar Rapids and 28-27-2-2 at home. The RoughRiders held the Steel to one goal in consecutive games to sweep a home-and-home weekend on Dec. 13 and 14.
The Madison Capitols (18-11-2-1, 39 pts.) handed the Steel their third consecutive loss in head-to-head play with a 6-3 win in Madison on Jan. 17 before being shut out by Cedar Rapids on Jan. 18. Ryker Lee recorded a hat trick, his second of the season and posted an assist in the win over the Steel.
Lee has scored in each game against the Steel this season and has eight points (4G-4A) in four matchups against Chicago. Before the shutout against Cedar Rapids, Lee had pointed in five consecutive games and had five goals and six assists during his streak. His 35 points rank ninth in the USHL and are second in rookie scoring. He ranks second and third, respectively, in goals (15) and assists (20) among rookie scorers.
Bobby Cowan tailed Lee in the Jan. 17 win with a goal and an assist, marking his fourth straight game with a point at the time. Cowan ranks second for the Capitols in points this season (30) and 14th in league scoring. In the last five games, he has three goals and four assists along with 18 shots on goal and two power play goals.
The Steel are 46-18-4-0 all-time against Madison and 24-9-1-0 at home. Saturday is the seventh of eight matchups between the two this season. The Steel are 1-5-0-0 in head-to-head play with the Capitols this season. The final scheduled matchup against Madison this season is Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:05 pm CT on the road.
The Steel will host The (Next) Eras Night on Saturday, February 15. For a limited time, Steel fans and Swifties can purchase the Red Era Bundle which includes two tickets to the game plus two Red Era t-shirts and two Chicago Steel friendship bracelets for just $70.
All Steel tickets are digital, and fans are encouraged to purchase online in advance at ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
Group tickets and experiences, suites and other premium areas, including the Coors Light Chill Zone and 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, January 24 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7:05 pm CT) | Country Night presented by Saddle Up at Q
Saturday, January 25 vs. Madison Capitols (7:05 pm CT) | Military Appreciation Night presented by Ozinga with Special Jersey Auction
Friday, January 31 at Tri-City Storm (7:05 pm CT)
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