Omaha Tops Steel 6-2 to Snap Losing Skid
March 3, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, IL - Chicago got out to a 1-0 lead after a period of play, but four straight goals from Omaha starting in the second period propelled them to a lead they wouldn't surrender as the Steel (20-21-3-4, 47 pts.) fell to the Lancers (8-35-3-0, 19 pts.) 6-2 at Fox Valley Ice Arena Saturday night.
The win ended a 15-game losing streak for Omaha.
Chris Reiniger scored his second goal of the season in the first frame for Chicago, and Michael Hage scored his 24th goal while on the power play in the third.
Goaltender Quentin Sigurdson made 21 saves in defeat.
Chicago got the start it wanted, as a strong forecheck before the halfway point in the opening period resulted in a picturesque score.
Hunter Hady found Reiniger at the blue line who released a laser that beat Lancers netminder Mikhail Yegorov glove side to open the scoring.
Reiniger's goal would be the only one the Steel would score for another 38 minutes.
The Lancers found a level of offense they hadn't in weeks with three goals in the second and third periods to silence the Steel.
Nicholas Sykora scored his first goal of the season at 9:53 of the second frame, and Will Elger added his 11th goal of the season two minutes later to put Omaha in front for good.
Chicago was assessed a penalty two minutes later, and Omaha, which came in with the league's worst power play unit at 14%, added one more in the middle frame from Aleksi Kivioja to make it a 3-1 game heading to the third.
The Lancers capped off their four-goal frenzy with a tally just two minutes into the third from Christian Kocsis to surge to a 4-1 lead.
Desperate to find life, the Steel were awarded a man advantage shortly after the Omaha goal.
Chicago had a bountiful number of looks and finally connected when Michael Hage made a gorgeous move at the right circle, dragging around a sprawled out defender and ripping a wrist shot high blocker on Yegorov to bring the Steel to within two.
The elation was short-lived, as Omaha took all of 50 seconds to cancel out Hage's goal with a score from David Deputy, making it 5-2.
Omaha took one final bite out of Chicago with another goal from Kocsis late in the third.
The Steel will close out their weekend against Omaha and celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on Sunday, March 3, which is a Steel Family Pack game where fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs, four chips, four sodas/waters and four Chuck-A-Pucks starting at just $60.
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 more information, call 855-51-STEEL or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
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United States Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2024
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- Steel Respond with Dominant 6-1 Victory over Omaha - Chicago Steel
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- Rewind: Recapping Saturday Night's Action in the USHL - USHL
- Omaha Tops Steel 6-2 to Snap Losing Skid - Chicago Steel
- Saints Sweep Phantoms with Shutout Win - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Shorthanded Phantoms Fall 3-0 to Dubuque - Youngstown Phantoms
- Lancers Snap Losing Streak in Chicago - Omaha Lancers
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