Laylin, Pilgrim Lead Storm to 4-3 Overtime Victory Sunday at Chicago
USHL Tri-City Storm

Laylin, Pilgrim Lead Storm to 4-3 Overtime Victory Sunday at Chicago

Published on February 15, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Tri-City Storm News Release


GENEVA, Ill. - Bode Laylin tallied the overtime game-winning goal and Carson Pilgrim recorded his first career multi-goal game as the Tri-City Storm knocked off the Chicago Steel 4-3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Fox Valley Ice Arena.

Tri-City (23-19-5, 51 pts) swept the two-game set with the Steel and reached a season-high four games above .500. Chicago (20-18-8, 48 pts) has lost consecutive matchups for the first time in February.

Identical to Saturday's series opener, Tri-City trailed 2-1 entering the third period.

Connor Brown tied the game less than four minutes into the final frame. After collecting a deflected feed from Mason Jenson, Brown swiped a shot past Steel netminder Veeti Louhivaara from the slot for his seventh goal of the season.

Pilgrim handed Tri-City its first lead of the afternoon with just over five minutes left in regulation. Laylin collected the puck on a turnover below the goal line in the Chicago zone, then quickly fed Pilgrim near the right circle. The North Dakota commit released a quick shot through the pads of Louhivaara for his 14th marker of the campaign, tying the team lead.

Chicago pulled Louhivaara in the final minutes of regulation for an extra attacker. Jackson Crowder tied the contest with just under 90 seconds to go. After an errant shot from Luke Goukler, Crowder retrieved the puck in the right circle and flung a shot past the left arm of Storm netminder Michal Pradel for his 14th goal of the campaign.

It didn't take long for Tri-City to strike in overtime. From the Storm zone, Pilgrim slipped a breakaway pass to Laylin near the Chicago blue line. The St. Thomas commit approached Louhivaara, then sent a snapshot through his five hole to end the game. It was Tri-City's second overtime win of the season.

Sunday generated Tri-City's second comeback victory of the series. The Steel built a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Chicago struck first at the 4:36 mark of the opening frame. As the Steel rushed into their offensive zone, Brady Kudrick slipped a shot through the breadbasket of Tri-City netminder Michal Pradel from the left faceoff dot for his 13th marker of the campaign.

Chicago earned a second rush goal 15:47 into the period. Off a feed from Patrick Tolan, Adyn Merrick skated hard down the right wing of the Tri-City zone toward the Storm net. As he neared Pradel, the Ferris State commit tucked an in-tight shot five hole to pick up his 10th goal of the season.

Tri-City narrowed the Chicago lead at the 5:55 mark of the second. Pilgrim cut off an errant Steel feed at his offensive blue line as Chicago looked to exit its zone. The North Dakota commit stepped toward the Steel net, then ripped a swift snapshot past the glove side of Louhivaara. The marker, which made it a 2-1 contest, was Pilgrim's first since January 24.

Pilgrim (2-1-3) and Laylin (1-2-3) were responsible for six of Tri-City's eight points Sunday. Laylin, who scored twice Saturday, amassed five points (3-2-5) over the two-game weekend. Pilgrim's three points tied a career high set on October 5, 2024 in a home game vs. Madison.

Pradel halted 23 of 26 Steel attempts to pick up his eighth win in his previous 11 starts. Louhivaara stopped 20 of 24 Storm attempts.

Up next: Tri-City returns home to host the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-17 squad on Friday (7:05 pm CT puckdrop) and Saturday (6:05 pm CT puckdrop) at Viaero Center.

Kids tickets are $5.00 on Friday with the purchase of an adult ticket courtesy of the FunZone Arcade inside of Pizza Ranch Kearney.

Fans can purchase tickets at stormhockey.com.

Check out the Tri-City Storm Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from February 15, 2026


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