USHL Chicago Steel

Steel Host Women in Sports Night Friday

February 7, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release


GENEVA, ILLINOIS - The Steel will look to continue to earn points on home ice when they host Women in Sports Night on Friday, February 9 at 7:05 pm CT. A pregame panel of successful women in Chicago sports will kick off the night at 5:30 pm before the game which will feature recognitions throughout the night.

The pregame panel features three women in the Chicago sports scene who will share their insights into what it takes to succeed as a woman in the industry. Panelists include People and Culture Business Partner with the Chicago Blackhawks, Jillian Kozlowski, Haley Munn who works with the Chicago Cubs as a Specialist in Corporate Partnerships, and Morgan Cassidy, Operations Manager with the Chicago Red Stars.

The Steel are offering a special ticket package for Friday's game which includes a ticket to the pre-game panel.

Geneva High School Athletics Hall of Fame 2024 Inductee Sarah Carlson will perform the ceremonial puck drop Friday night. Carlson played varsity softball in all four years of her high school career and was a three-time All-Area selection and was named All-Area Player of the Year as a senior in 2002.

Carlson went on to play collegiate softball at Winona State in Minnesota, where she still holds the Winona State record for career home runs with 53, as well as for career doubles with 62.

During the game, the Steel will highlight women in athletics when they recognize the Aurora University Women's Golf and Lacrosse teams, who each won their third consecutive NACC Conference championships. Women's lacrosse coach Christina Fried was named Conference Coach of the Year, and senior midfielder Monique Gibson, senior attack Bailey Simpson , and senior midfielder Jalyn Yaukovitz, respectively, won the NACC Midfielder, Attack, and Defensive Player of the Year honors. The women's golf team won its eighth NACC title in the last ten years, and were led by Ellie Knight, Avary Henry, Maddie Pink, Natalie Schroeder, Michelle Beggs and Megan Kobelt, who all earned NACC All-Conference honors.

The Steel will travel to Iowa for the second consecutive weekend to finish their weekend series against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7:05 pm CT.

The Steel (16-18-3-2) opened last weekend with its first game of the season against the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Feb. 2 and earned a point after coming back from 4-1 deficit, scoring a season-tying high three goals in the third period and forced overtime before falling 6-5. The following night marked Chicago's first regulation loss since Dec. 30 when Muskegon scored five unanswered goals to defeat the Steel 5-3. Chicago bounced back with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Green Bay Gamblers on Feb. 4. Michael Hage scored the game-winner to cap off the weekend for Chicago.

The Steel are now 7-1-2-1 since Dec. 30.

Michigan commit Michael Hage was a spark plug for Chicago over the weekend, earning at least a point in each game and amassing five points over the three games. The Mississauga, Ontario native has a six-game point streak entering the weekend and has 11 points during his streak. The second-year forward ranks tied for seventh in the USHL in overall scoring with 42 points in 35 games this season.

Another top-scoring forward, Mick Thompson, has provided monumental assistance for the Steel during their recent hot stretch. Like Hage, Thompson has managed a point in six consecutive games and has 12 points during this span. On home ice, Thompson hasn't had any shortage of turbo in the tank. He currently owns the second-longest current home point streak, earning 14 points in the last nine home games dating back to Dec. 3.

A week after earning USHL Goaltender of the Week, Louka Cloutier stayed poised between the pipes and now ranks third among all goaltenders in the league in saves with 712 this season. He is the only rookie goaltender that ranks in the top five in that category.

The Madison Capitols (17-14-4-2) enter the weekend searching for their first win in four games and have won just three times in their last ten. Madison also comes off a three-game weekend, falling 4-3 to Waterloo on Feb. 2, then 5-2 to Green Bay on Feb. 3 before dropping a 5-4 decision to Muskegon at home on Feb. 4.

Madison features one of the league's top scorers in Austin Burnevik, who ranks tied for second in the league in goals (25) and 13th in points (41). Burnevik scored two goals in the Capitols' loss to Muskegon which broke a season-long three-game scoreless streak. The first-year Capitol was held without a shot during those three games but had 12 in five games before the drought.

Despite consecutive losses, goaltender Carsen Musser still sits in third among league goaltenders in goals against average (2.70). In 19 games, Musser owns a 9-6-2-2 record and a .903 save percentage. In the last five games, Musser only has one win but has a save percentage over .900. Before the recent tough stretch, Musser had helped Madison record a point in six consecutive games and allowed two goals or less in four games.

The Steel are 43-14-4-0 all-time against Madison. Friday is the seventh of eight matchups between the two teams this season. The Steel are an even 3-3-0-0 against Madison. Friday is the first matchup with the Capitols since Dec. 30 at home. Madison won the game 5-4 in a contest that saw the Capitols score three straight goals to take an insurmountable lead in the third period. Burnevik has scored five goals and five assists against the Steel this season, and Charlie Major has scored seven goals for Chicago in head-to-head play. The Steel are 21-7-1-0 at home all-time against the Capitols.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (14-19-4-2) have dropped consecutive games and are three points behind Chicago, sitting in seventh in the conference heading into the weekend. The RoughRiders played on the road against Youngstown last weekend and were held in check, losing 6-1 on Feb. 2 and 5-3 on. Feb. 3. Cedar Rapids attempted to spark a comeback in the Feb. 2 matchup, scoring just 16 seconds into the third period, but the Phantoms replied 34 seconds later to snuff out the fire. Saturday's game started at a much better pace for the RoughRiders as Cedar Rapids scored the first two goals of the game, but Youngstown scored three straight goals and two more after the RoughRiders tied the game to skate to the win.

Rookie forward Landan Resendes has taken on a big role in his first season with Cedar Rapids, ranking third among league rookies in goals (11) and tied for 16th in scoring with 15 points this season. His four power play goals rank tied for second among rookies, and his 71 shots are fourth.

Defenseman Erik Kald scored two goals in the loss on Feb. 3, but has been at the forefront among defensemen for Cedar Rapids in special teams this season. Kald has four power play goals this season which rank tied for third among defenseman. The other blueliner with four PPGs is Kald's teammate Joel Kjellberg who ranks tied for tenth among defensemen in scoring with 22 points this season.

The Steel are 53-54-5-4 all-time against Cedar Rapids. Saturday marks the third of four matchups between the two teams this season. The final matchup of the regular season is scheduled for Saturday, March 23 at Fox Valley Ice Arena.

Chicago met with Cedar Rapids just two weeks ago at home and came away victorious thanks to a three-goal third period in a 5-2 win. Joey DelGreco scored twice in the third period, and Michael Hage added another to cap off the win. Charlie Major recorded three assists and Mick Thompson scored a goal and two assists in the victory. The Steel are a perfect 2-0-0-0 this season and 24-28-3-2 on the road all-time against the RoughRiders.

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.

Group tickets and experiences, suites and other premium areas, including the team's new 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:

Friday, February 9 vs. Madison Capitols (7:05 pm CT) | Women in Sports Night | Pregame Panel

Saturday, February 10 at Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7:05 pm CT)

Friday, February 16 vs. Tri-City Storm (7:05 pm CT) | Chicago Blackhawks Night featuring Tommy Hawk

Check out the Chicago Steel Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2024


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