Steel Offense Soars to Cloud Nine on Sunday
Published on March 25, 2018 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
Chicago Steel pregame faceoff
(Chicago Steel)
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - The Chicago Steel scored a season-high nine goals Sunday in a 9-6 victory against Team USA (U17) at Fox Valley Ice Arena. The Steel (24-24-1-5, 54 pts.) were led by Aaro Vidgren (2-1-3) and Jack Dugan (2-0-2), who each scored two goals, while Baker Shore (1-1-2), Erik Urbank (1-0-1), Blake McLaughlin (1-1-2), Nick Abruzzese (1-1-2) and Robert Mastrosimone (1-1-2) also lit the lamp for Chicago.
Team USA (37-15-0-1, 75 pts.) received four-point games from Ryder Rolston (3-1-4) and Trevor Zegras (1-3-4), including Rolston's first career USHL hat trick.
For the third time in three games this weekend, the scoring started early. Dugan got the Steel on the board with a redirection of a Tyler Gratton spin-o-rama feed past the glove of USA goaltender Cameron Rowe at 2:04.
Shore then made it 2-0 with a snipe in the upper corner over Rowe's blocker 8:53 into the first period, extending Shore's point streak to five games (4-5-9).
Team USA cut the lead in half two minutes later when defenseman Alex Vlasic scored his fourth goal of the season. Drew Helleson's wrist shot was blocked by Steel goaltender Justin Robbins, but Vlasic was in position to jump on the rebound for the goal.
Urbank opened the second-period scoring with his first Steel goal 4:13 into the frame. The Dartmouth commit intercepted an attempted pass from USA defenseman Ryan Siedem and skated into the slot to fire a wrister over Rowe's blocker. But USA forward John Beecher scored 57 seconds later to cut the lead to 3-2.
Chicago would extend its lead when Dugan and Vidgren added goals at the 8:48 and 13:55 marks. Dugan's second goal of the afternoon came on the power play when he went end-to-end before beating Rowe with a highlight-reel, backhand-forehand move. Vidgren's came as he exited the penalty box and found himself all alone with Rowe, unleashing a sharp wrist shot past the blocker.
The period ended with a flurry starting with Rolston jamming in a rebound from the top of the crease for a power play tally. Each team would score another goal each in the final 1:19 of the second to cap off a seven-goal period. Blake McLaughlin found a loose puck off to the side of the crease to record his 21st tally of the season, then USA's Zegras answered 1:03 later to make it 6-4 Chicago heading to the third.
Ten goals in the first two periods was not enough as the teams added another five in the final 20 minutes, including Chicago scoring the first two goals of the frame off tallies from Abruzzese and Vidgren, increasing the lead to 8-4. Mastrosimone scored Chicago's final goal of the game, sandwiched between a pair of USA tallies in the final five minutes of play.
Only two of the games' 15 goals came on the power play with Chicago going a perfect 1-for-1 and Team USA finishing 1-for-3.
Six games remain in the regular season for the Steel, with five of those games taking place on the road. The Steel, who currently sit in the sixth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, visit the Central Illinois Flying Aces Friday at 7:07 p.m., followed by a 7:05 p.m. showdown Saturday night at the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Steel games are carried live on Mixlr (free audio) and HockeyTV (iPPV). For more information, visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com/broadcast.
Chicago's lone remaining home game of the regular season is Fan Appreciation Night, which takes place Friday, April 13 against Central Illinois. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 855-51-STEEL, stop by the Box Office at Fox Valley Ice Arena or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
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