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Chicago Steel

First Place Steel to Battle Western Conference Foes

January 13, 2021 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release


GENEVA, ILLINOIS - The Chicago Steel (13-3-2-0; 28 pts.) look to continue a strong start to the season this weekend with a pair of home matchups against two Western Conference foes.

Chicago faces off against the Des Moines Buccaneers on Friday, Jan. 15 and closes the weekend on Saturday versus the Waterloo Black Hawks on Saturday, Jan. 16, both matchups slated for a 7:05 pm puck drop, presented by Waubonsee Community College.

Both the Buccaneers and Black Hawks are making their only trips to Fox Valley Ice Arena during the 2020-2021 regular season.

Chicago split a two-game series against Team USA (U17) last weekend, falling 7-5 on Jan. 8 before bouncing back with an 11-2 victory on Jan. 9. The weekend ended on a high note for the Steel as they captured a 4-2 win over the Youngstown Phantoms on Jan. 10.

Steel forward Matt Coronato made USHL history in the 11-2 victory on Jan. 9, recording a goal and three helpers to extend his active point streak to 26 games, spanning two seasons. The Harvard University-bound forward added a goal on Jan. 10 to push the record streak to 27 games with 52 points (24G, 28A) over that span.

Josh Doan tallied two four-point performances including his first career USHL hat trick on Jan. 9. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native brings a current three-game point streak (4G, 5A) into the weekend series.

The Steel have a 38-24-2-4 all-time regular season record against the Des Moines Buccaneers, the most wins for Chicago against any Western Conference foe. Coronato's active point streak began on February 14, 2020 with an assist in a 4-2 victory at Buccaneer Arena in Iowa.

The Buccaneers (10-8-2-0; 22 ptes.) roster includes three current NHL Draft picks. Alex Laferriere was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round (#83 Overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft after leading the Buccaneers with 45 points (19G, 26A) over 42 games through the 2019-2020 season.

Lucas Mercuri, the sixth round selection of the Carolina Hurricanes (#159 Overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, ranks second on the Buccaneers with 16 points (5G, 11A) this year.

Defenseman Noah Ellis was picked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the sixth round (#184 Overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

After beginning the season by losing six of their first seven games, the Waterloo Black Hawks (6-9-0-0; 12 pts.) have won five of their last eight contests heading into play this weekend. John Waldron (Batavia), Nic Belpedio (Skokie), Jonah Copre (Elgin) and Wyatt Schingoethe (Algonquin) are four Illinois natives on the Black Hawks roster.

Netminder Charlie Glockner has started the majority of games in net for the Black Hawks and is currently ranked fifth among USHL goaltenders with a .904 save percentage and shares eighth with a 2.87 goals-against average over 10 appearances.

After the two-game homestand, the Steel travel back to Ohio for a three-game weekend clash against the Youngstown Phantoms at Covelli Centre. The matchups on Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23 are set for a 6:05 pm CT puck drop while Sunday's 3:05 pm CT start time concludes the weekend set.

Chicago Steel games can be heard on Mixlr at http://mixlr.com/chicago-steel/ (FREE AUDIO) and video may be streamed on available devices through HockeyTV at www.hockeytv.com (STREAM).

Chicago Steel Upcoming Games presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:

Friday, January 15 vs Des Moines Buccaneers (7:05 pm CT) presented by Waubonsee Community College

Saturday, January 16 vs Waterloo Black Hawks (7:05 pm CT) presented by Waubonsee Community College

Friday, January 22 at Youngstown Phantoms (6:05 pm CT)

For more information, call 855-51-STEEL or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

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