Steel Host Thanksgiving Weekend Game Saturday
November 27, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - While most have their sights set on turkey, stuffing, and the many great dishes for Thanksgiving this week, the Chicago Steel are steadfast on getting back in the win column as they head into Thanksgiving weekend with a road matchup Wednesday against the Green Bay Gamblers before taking on the Madison Capitols at home on Saturday, November 30 at 6:05 pm CT. After Saturday's game, fans are invited to stick around and receive autographs from the entire team.
The Steel will take on the division rival Gamblers on the road on Wednesday, November 27 at 7:05 pm CT.
The Steel (6-13-2-0, 14 pts.) and the Gamblers (10-7-1-0, 21 pts.) have crossed paths twice this season, with the last meetup an overtime thriller that saw Green Bay come away victorious with a 4-3 win in Geneva on Nov. 2. Chicago won in Green Bay the night prior, a 6-2 victory on Nov. 1 which was the last win for the Steel who have dropped seven straight contests entering Wednesday's game.
Dating back to last season, Chicago has lost just once in six games at Green Bay. In that stretch, they've scored at least four or more goals in each game.
Chicago had a pair of games in Iowa last weekend, opening against the Des Moines Buccaneers, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, but the Steel battled back to tie the game at two then again at three in the second period. The Buccaneers got the last laugh, scoring three unanswered goals to win 6-3.
The Steel had another close matchup in the weekend finale against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. After falling 3-0, the Steel scored two straight goals from Aidan Dyer and Teddy Mutryn to get within one. Cedar Rapids scored to widen the gap in the third and Ashton Schultz tallied a power play goal, but a comeback wasn't in the cards in the 4-3 loss.
Last weekend saw rookie Henry Major get on the board with his first goal in the USHL. The Cornell commit has found a rhythm in the assists department, tallying a helper in five of the last seven games. He has recorded a point in six of the last seven games and has eight shots on goal and a +3 rating in that time.
Forward Kolin Sisson continued to build on his strong second-season campaign with a two-goal game on Nov. 22, his second two-goal performance of the season. He has scored four goals in the last five games and has registered a point in six of the last eight outings.
Another second-year forward, Ben Yurchuk, potted two assists on Nov. 23 and has recorded four assists in the last five games. The Merrimack commit leads the Steel in assists with 12 and is tied at the top in points with forward Aidan Dyer with 13.
The Steel have scored a power play goal in three consecutive games and are 5-for-12 during that span. The Gamblers rank 13th of 16 USHL teams in penalty kill at 75.9%. Chicago had allowed a power play goal in eight straight games until Saturday when the Steel were 3-3 on the penalty kill. The Gamblers power play is the best in the league at 32.7%.
Green Bay swept the USA Hockey NTDP U17 team last weekend, squeaking out a 5-4 overtime win on Nov. 22 after Will Zellers scored the game-winner with just six seconds remaining in the extra frame to cap off a two-goal game and a win. Tanner Bruender scored a goal and posted two assists in the game. The Gamblers followed with a 6-3 win on Nov. 23 with Zellers scoring twice again and goaltender Gavin Moffatt stopping 25 shots.
Zellers has been white hot since the end of October. He enters Wednesday's game with a nine-game point streak that dates back to Oct. 26, the longest active streak in the league. During his streak, Zellers has recorded 13 points with nine goals and four assists. He ranks second on the team in points with 17 in 14 games and leads the team in goals with 13.
Goaltender Gavin Moffatt has recorded wins in back-to-back games and has won four of his last five starts. He has allowed three goals or fewer in each of those starts and has stopped at least 25 shots in four of them.
The Steel are 79-69-7-4 all-time against Green Bay and 36-35-5-1 on the road.
The Madison Capitols (13-4-1-1) have been one of the hottest teams in the league, having won four consecutive games and eight of their last ten outings. They swept a two-game series against Sioux City last weekend with a high-scoring 7-6 win on Nov. 22 and a 4-2 win on Nov. 23. Finn Brink scored two goals in each game for a four-goal weekend, and Bobby Cowan also tallied two goals in the Nov. 22 win. Goaltender Caleb Heil made 26 saves on 28 shots on Nov. 23.
Forward Ryker Lee leads the Capitols in scoring with 23 points in 19 games which ranks third in the USHL. His 13 assists leads Madison and his ten goals are second-best on the team. Lee has tallied a point in four consecutive games, including a four-goal game on Nov. 4 against the NTDP, and has tallied five goals and four assists for nine points in the last four games. In that same span, he has posted 21 shots on goal.
Veteran forward Finn Brink has found a new level of play entering the middle portion of the season. He posted two two-goal games last weekend and has tallied a goal in four of the last five games. He has registered a point in seven of the last eight games and has seven goals and four assists for 11 points in that span. Brink's 11 goals on the year rank tied for fourth among all skaters in the league, tied with teammate Bobby Cowan who ranks second on the team with 19 points (11G-8A) in 15 games.
The Steel are 45-16-4-0 all-time against Madison and 23-8-1-0 at home. The Capitols have won each of the first two head-to-head matchups this season, including a dominating 10-2 win on Oct. 18. The Capitols followed up the win with a 6-4 victory in Geneva the following night. Egor Barabanov has scored three goals and four assists over two games against the Steel in two games while Aidan Dyer has tallied a goal and two assists for Chicago. The two teams will meet next weekend for a home-and-home, starting in Madison on Dec. 6 at 7:05 pm and ending in Geneva on Dec. 7 at 7:05 pm CT on NHL 94 Night presented by Rookies All-American Pub and Grill.
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.
Season ticket plans are on sale now, starting at just 5 games for $50. Season ticket plans are built on flexibility as fans have the option of choosing their own games throughout the season with multiple benefits including season ticket gifts and special events.
For a limited time, fans can purchase the Steel Holiday Plan which includes one ticket to Chicago Blackhawks Night featuring Chris Chelios, two additional Steel games of your choice, and a ticket to one Chicago Blackhawks Game (either January 13 vs. Calgary or January 20 vs. Carolina). The package costs just $55.
Group tickets and experiences, suites and other premium areas, including the Coors Light Chill Zone and Ice Side Tables, are also on sale now.
For more information, call 855-51-STEEL.
Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Wednesday, November 27 at Green Bay Gamblers (7:05 pm CT)
Saturday, November 30 vs. Madison Capitols (6:05 pm CT) | Thanksgiving Weekend Fun | Full Team Post-Game Autographs
Friday, December 6 at Madison Capitols (7:05 pm CT)
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- Steel Host Thanksgiving Weekend Game Saturday - Chicago Steel
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