Steel Season Ends in Overtime Loss
April 18, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GREEN BAY, WI - Chicago trailed 2-1 after two periods of play and tied the game on a power play tally from Michael Hage, but Aidan Park scored the game-winning overtime goal 16:10 into the extra frame as the Steel fell 3-2 in overtime.
The loss ended Chicago's season, while the Gamblers will advance to take on the #2 Muskegon Lumberjacks in a best-of-five Eastern Conference Semifinal series.
Charlie Major and Michael Hage each scored power play goals for the Steel.
Goaltender Louka Cloutier made 39 saves on 42 shots in the loss.
The opening moments of the first period were expectedly tight with both teams looking for the first error from the other side to capitalize on. Chicago found the first opening as Green Bay was assessed the first penalty of the game when Kolin Sisson was taken down to the ice.
Chicago struggled to establish a forecheck on the advantage, with Green Bay quickly meeting Steel skaters at the blue line and clearing the zone. The Steel managed to work a few shots towards Gamblers netminder Gavin Moffitt, but Green Bay killed the penalty.
Six minutes later, the Gamblers received their first chance on the man advantage after Hage got his stick up high on a Gambler while bracing for a hit, resulting in a four-minute double minor.
The Gamblers were persistent in the attacking zone, getting cross-crease and backdoor looks, but Cloutier made a handful of great sliding stops with the assistance of crease clears to blank the Gamblers in a huge kill.
At the end of the first period, Chicago was assessed its second penalty of the period on a slashing call, giving the Gamblers a clean sheet of ice to start the second on a power play.
The fresh scrape worked for Green Bay, as Ben Poitras scored 47 seconds into the second frame to put the Gamblers ahead 1-0.
Three minutes later, it was again Poitras getting on the board off a one-timer that just squeaked past Cloutier to make it 2-0.
A sizable chunk of the frame stayed clean without a penalty until Green Bay was handed a holding penalty at 10:29 to send Chicago to a crucial power play.
Chicago maneuvered the puck around the attacking zone before Major gathered speed and collected a pass in the high slot before firing a wrist shot past Moffitt to bring the Steel within one.
Shortly after the goal, Hunter Hady was penalized two minutes for a hit from behind plus a ten minute misconduct. Chicago was successful on the kill, taking a one-goal game into the third.
At 2:39 of the third, the Gamblers went shorthanded again after a high sticking penalty. Down a goal and with seconds left on the man advantage, Chicago came up huge with the tying tally.
A Hage point shot was initially blocked, sending a Gambler to the ice that created an opening. Hage gathered again at the right faceoff circle, dragged and fired past Moffitt to tie the game at two.
Hage's power play tally was the only goal scored in the third period, as Game 3 went to sudden death overtime to declare a series winner.
Overtime featured a handful of solid looks for each team, with Chicago getting more chances but unable to get the winner.
At 16:10 of overtime, Aidan Park skated through Chicago's end and deked around Cloutier, tucking the game-winning goal home to eliminate the Steel and move the Gamblers on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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United States Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2024
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