USHL Chicago Steel

Steel Complete Weekend Sweep of Team USA with 6-3 Win

November 29, 2020 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release


GENEVA, ILLINOIS -- The Chicago Steel (4-2-0-0; 8 pts.) registered their second win in as many nights against Team USA (1-1-0-1; 3 pts.) with a 6-3 victory over the U18 club on Saturday night at Fox Valley Ice Arena.

In their most impressive win so far this season, the Steel tallied the first three goals of the game and never looked back, holding Team USA to just 20 shots on the night.

From the jump, the atmosphere on the ice was an unquestionable playoff intensity. Both teams were finishing checks in the early going, making for one of the most physical games of the Steel season.

Chicago netted the game's first goal, snapping an unwelcome streak of four consecutive contests allowing the initial marker.

Pressuring on a forecheck, Matthew Gleason lifted the stick of Team USA defenseman Roman Schmidt and carried the puck through the left circle, dishing to linemate Jackson Blake in front of the USA crease. Blake was able to muster enough strength on a wrister to roof his third goal of the season past Team USA goaltender Kaidan Mbereko.

The furious pace continued in the opening frame which continued to tilt in Chicago's favor in chances, shots and goals.

The USHL's leading scorer, Matt Coronato, started his huge night with a coast-to-coast goal.

The Huntington, New York, native picked up the puck below his own end line and deked past a USA forechecker in his own zone. He picked up speed in the neutral zone and flew past two more defenders on his way to ripping home a wrister from the left circle. Chicago kept the offensive pressure on when Erik Middendorf extended his goal streak to three games. The Steel captain was able to slip away from traffic in front of the net, enough space for Coronato to flip the puck across the crease, finding Middendorf for a tap-in.

Steel defenseman David Ma did his part to keep Chicago in control during a play late in the first period. A bouncing puck came off a corner dasher board with an empty Chicago cage behind it but a diving Ma cleared the puck out of danger.

Through the opening 20 minutes, the Steel had limited Team USA to just two shots on goal and they continued the standout defensive performance through the middle frame.

Red Savage got the visitors on the board with a shorthanded tally less than two minutes into the second. The Team USA forward breezed in alone and roofed a shot past Steel netminder Ian Shane, one of only three goals given up in his performance.

Less than a minute later, Mackie Samoskevich and Ryan Ufko teamed up to put the Team USA momentum to a halt.

Samoskevich missed out on a goal by just inches as his wrist shot pinged off the crossbar but ricocheted to Ufko who caught the puck on his backhand and slipped in his second marker of the year.

Team USA got a golden chance to slow the Steel attack when Dylan Duke was taken down in front of the Chicago net and awarded a penalty shot. The forward started to his left and tried to go high on Shane, missing the net over the crossbar, keeping the score at 4-1 Samoskevich got in on the goal scoring action after charting his USHL-leading 10th assist of the season. The University of Michigan-bound forward won a board battle on the left side of the offensive zone and cycled to the front of the net. Colton Huard found Sean Farrell who fed a highlight-reel pass to Samoskevich for a point-blank one-timer. The marker gave Chicago its biggest lead of the game, a 5-1 edge, heading into the final frame.

A late push from Team USA resulted in a 13-shot third period for the visitors who tried to mount a comeback.

Defenseman Luke Hughes tallied his first goal of the season, a powerplay shot from the point that found its way past Shane. The marker cut the Steel lead to 5-2 early in the third but was answered less than a minute later by Chicago.

Middendorf tallied his first two-goal game of the season when Coronato saucered a beautiful pass past two Team USA sticks to the streaking Middendorf. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward flipped home the sixth Steel goal of the night with just over 16 minutes remaining in the game.

Ryan St. Louis reached the back of the net to cap the scoring for Team USA but Chicago was able to hold of the U18s for the 6-3 win on home ice.

Ian Shane made 17 saves as the Steel outshot Team USA by a total of 25-20 including a 16-7 edge after the first two periods.

Chicago's power play scored for the sixth consecutive game to start the season, going 1-for-3 (33.3%) on the night. The Steel return to action in a road contest on Dec. 4 when the club travels to Iowa to take on the Dubuque Fighting Saints for the first of eight highly anticipated regular season matchups.

Last season, the Steel and Saints finished first and second, respectively, in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago Steel games may be heard on Mixlr at http://mixlr.com/chicago-steel/ (AUDIO) and video may be streamed on available devices through HockeyTV at www.hockeytv.com (VIDEO). Chicago Steel Upcoming Games: Friday, December 4 at Dubuque Fighting Saints (7:05 pm CT) Thursday, December 10 vs Youngstown Phantoms (2:05 pm CT) Friday, December 10 vs Youngstown Phantoms (7:05 pm CT)

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

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