Steel Earn Gritty 3-2 Victory Over Dubuque Saturday
March 18, 2023 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS-The Chicago Steel (32-15-3-1; 68 Pts) earned their first win of the season in four tries against the Dubuque Fighting Saints (26-19-5-1; 58 Pts) with a hard-fought 3-2 victory Saturday at Fox Valley Ice Arena.
Dubuque entered the third period trailing by two goals and twice cut Chicago's lead to a single tally, but the Steel exhibited a strong defensive effort down the stretch in front of goaltender Christian Manz to earn the victory.
Steel forward Jack Harvey scored twice with both goals assisted by Nick Moldenhauer. Manz stopped 21 of 23 shots faced to earn his 17th win of the season.
After penalties against each club led to four-on-four hockey early in the first period, the Steel took advantage of the extra space to notch the game's first goal.
Anthony Dowd spun in the left circle fighting off his defender, making a short pass to Nick Moldenhauer swooping in. Moldenhauer found Jake Livanavage at the point who connected with Jack Harvey in the right circle. Harvey stickhandled before releasing a wrister to beat Paxton Geisel glove side for a 1-0 Chicago lead.
Five seconds later, the Steel doubled their lead. Jayden Perron collected the puck off a faceoff, skating in a wide arc to shake off his defender and carry the puck into the offensive zone. From the slot, Perron made a short pass to Macklin Celebrini in the right circle. Celebrini held the puck, shuffling forward waiting for an opening, before firing a wrister to beat Geisel glove side for his 41st goal of the season.
The teams traded chances in the second period with Chicago's penalty kill staving off a pair of Dubuque power play opportunities in the frame.
Less than two minutes into the third period, the Fighting Saints' power play got them on the scoresheet. Six seconds into a man advantage, Owen Michaels whiffed on a shot in the slot, but Max Montes helped the puck into the net from the doorstep to cut the Steel lead in half 2-1.
Halfway through the third period, the Steel regained the two-goal lead. Moldenhauer carried the puck to the left circle, drawing Geisel to the edge of the crease, before spinning and connecting with Harvey in the bottom of the right circle with a cross-ice pass. Harvey shot a one-timer to notch his 30th goal of the season and give the Steel a 3-1 lead.
Less than a minute later, Dubuque struck back. A bounce off a Steel skate put the puck on the stick of Ryan St. Louis at the top of the offensive zone. St. Louis skated in undefended, deked left and shot right on his backhand to sneak the puck past Manz' left skate.
After the Steel killed a Fighting Saints power play with under six minutes remaining, Dubuque pulled Geisel with an offensive zone faceoff with just over two minutes to play. Chicago limited Fighting Saints chances, teaming up to secure the 3-2 victory.
The win lowered the Steel magic number to four to clinch a playoff berth.
Sunday afternoon, the Steel will be celebrating mascot Rusty's birthday when they host the Madison Capitols at 3:05 p.m. Rusty and mascot his friends will compete in a mascot hockey game and other mini-games while fans can get their faces painted and participate in other fun activities. After the game, fans are invited to stay for a Post-Game Skate with the Steel.
Sunday is a Slumberland Family Pack game. The Slumberland Family Pack is a deal which includes four tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas/waters, four chips and four chuck-a-pucks for just $50. The package may be purchased in quantities of four to eight and may be purchased online by clicking here and selecting from the column on the right side of the ticketing page.
Next weekend, the Steel are home on Friday, March 24 Video Game Night as they battle the Green Bay Gamblers. The following night, Chicago travels to Green Bay for the final regular season matchup between the teams.
Tickets for all Steel home games start at just $10 and are available by calling 855-51-STEEL, purchasing at ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com or visiting the Steel box office at Fox Valley Ice Arena during business hours.
All Chicago Steel tickets are digital and available on mobile devices. Fans should create their profile online by clicking here. For more information on digital tickets for the Chicago Steel, click here. Fans attending Steel home games this season are encouraged to purchase tickets prior to arriving at the arena to avoid any delays on game night.
Season ticket plans for the 2023-2024 season are now on sale starting at just 5 games for just $50. As part of the team's "Ticket Plan Madness" campaign, for a limited time, fans that secure a new season ticket plan for next season will receive complimentary tickets for up to 14 games this season, including playoffs. Fans can call 855-51-STEEL or email info@ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com to learn more.
The Steel are offering fans the opportunity to secure the best seats and lock in the lowest ticket price for?all potential Clark Cup Playoff home games through the team's Pay As We Play program available now through April 21.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2023
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