Steel Open New Year on the Road against Stampede
January 1, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - Following their strongest offensive showings of the season, the Chicago Steel will try to replicate the electric outings with a pair of road games to open the new year against the Sioux Fall Stampede starting Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:05 pm CT and finishing on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 6:05 pm CT.
This weekend marks the first time in almost six years that the Steel (9-18-2-0, 20 pts.) and the Stampede (18-6-1-1, 38 pts.) will meet in Sioux Falls during the regular season. The last result was an 8-6 win for the Stampede on Feb. 8, 2019. That same year, the Steel and Stampede met in the Clark Cup Final with Sioux Falls sweeping the three-game series including wins at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Games 1 & 2.
Chicago strung together two of its most impressive performances last weekend with an 8-3 win over the USA Hockey NTDP U17 team on Dec. 27 followed by another eight-goal showing in an 8-4 win the next night. Fourteen Steel skaters tallied a point over the weekend, with seven multi-point outings.
Leading the charge for the Steel last weekend was forward Ben Yurchuk, who scored four goals and three assists totaling seven points to earn USHL Forward of the Week. He became the first Steel player to earn a weekly honor this season.
Entering last weekend, Yurchuk had recorded just two goals, 10 shots on goal and was a -7 in his last nine games. Fast forward a pair of games, and Yurchuk had seven shots on goal with a quartet of scores and was a +7 rating.
Forward Kolin Sisson was hot on Yurchuk's tail last weekend. The Providence commit scored the first Steel hat trick of the Steel season on Dec. 28 and had an assist for the first four-point game of his career. He also had an assist the night prior.
Teddy Mutryn returned to the Steel lineup after playing in the World Junior A Challenge in December and didn't miss a beat. The NHL prospect potted two goals and an assist on Dec. 27, his second three-point appearance of the season, and posted two assists the next night. He has scored in three of his last four games and has 12 shots on goal during that span.
The last time the Steel scored eight goals or more in consecutive games was in February 2014 when they scored nine goals on Feb. 14 at the U17 team followed by eight goals on Feb. 15 at Muskegon. Saturday marked the first time this season the Steel outshot their opponent and the first time they won consecutive games since September 27 and 28.
Sioux Falls took on rival Sioux City last weekend and won each matchup with a narrow 3-2 win on the road on Dec. 27 and a 5-1 victory the following night. Anthony Bongo scored a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win and five different Stampede skaters tallied a goal in the 5-1 victory.
Rookie forward Ethan Wyttenbach leads Stampede skaters with 27 points which ranks tied for fifth in the USHL. His 10 goals leads league rookies, as does his 17 assists. In his first season, Wyttenbach has six power play points and 65 shots which each rank fourth among league rookies. He has scored three game-winning goals, tied for the most among rookies. Wyttenbach enters the weekend with a point in six consecutive games and has four goals and five assists in that span.
Third-year Stampede forward John McNelis ranks just behind Wyttenbach, tallying 23 points in 22 games, tied for 15th in league scoring. He has posted 86 shots this season, fifth-most in the league. The Boston University commit has scored seven points on two goals and five assists in the last three games and has 12 shots on goal and a +7 rating during his streak.
Sioux Falls has received strong play from both of its goaltenders, Aiden Wright and Ryan Manzella, who both rank inside the league's top ten in goals against average. Wright resides in third with a 2.34 GAA and his .910 save percentage is tied for sixth. He has helped the Stampede earn a standings point in each of his last eight starts and has a 1.59 goals against average in that span while allowing just one goal in five of those games.
Manzella ranks sixth among league netminders with a 2.40 goals against average and his .904 save percentage is tenth. The first-year Stampede goaltender has won three of his last four starts and has one shutout in that span, a 25-save appearance against Fargo on Dec. 13.
The Steel are 21-25-0-6 all-time against Sioux Falls and 7-15-0-2 on the road. This weekend's games are the only scheduled matchups between the two this season. Chicago split the season series with Sioux Falls last season in a pair of extra-frame thrillers, earning a 4-3 overtime win via a Michael Hage score on Jan. 5 and a 5-4 shootout loss on Jan. 6 after Mick Thompson scored with two seconds left to force overtime.
The next home game is Saturday, January 11 at 6:05 pm for a Hockey Stick Cooler Bag Giveaway (first 500 fans) presented by Meyer Signs and Graphics when the Steel host Green Bay.
All Steel tickets are digital, and fans are encouraged to purchase online in advance at ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
For a limited time, fans can purchase the Star Wars Ticket Pack, which includes two tickets to Star Wars Night on Saturday, Jan. 18 plus a Steel Light-Up Saber. The package costs just $40.
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:
Friday, January 3 at Sioux Falls Stampede (7:05 pm CT)
Saturday, January 4 at Sioux Falls Stampede (6:05 pm CT)
Friday, January 10 at Green Bay Gamblers (7:05 pm CT)
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United States Hockey League Stories from January 1, 2025
- Steel Open New Year on the Road against Stampede - Chicago Steel
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