Steel Travel to Muskegon for First Time this Season
October 23, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - Coming off two tough weekends, the Chicago Steel will attempt to break the spell during their first road trip to Michigan against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6:10 pm CT and Saturday, Oct. 26 at 5:10 pm CT.
Following their road trip, Chicago will play a home-and-home series, taking on the Green Bay Gamblers for the first time this season starting in Green Bay on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:05 pm CT and ending at home on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:05 pm CT. November 2 is 2000s Night at Fox Valley Ice Arena, where the first 500 fans will receive a 25th Season Poster, and all fans are invited to stay after the game for a Post-Game Skate with the Steel.
This weekend marks the third and fourth matchups between the Steel (4-7-0-0, 8 pts.) and the Lumberjacks (4-2-2-1, 11 pts.) this season. The Steel have won each of the first two meetings with both contests reaching overtime. Chicago has limited Muskegon to just three goals in the two wins.
Chicago's skid reached a season-high five games last weekend and saw an allowance of 21 goals over three games. The Steel were routed in Madison 10-2 on Oct. 18, marking the first time they allowed ten goals since November 14, 2020, when they allowed ten goals to Muskegon in a 10-8 loss in Geneva. The ten goals were the most scored by any team in the USHL this season.
Madison got the better of Chicago in a rematch the following night with a 6-4 win on Oct. 19. Looking to end the weekend on a good note, the Steel hosted Des Moines on Oct. 20 and were in front for much of the game but couldn't fend off a Buccaneers comeback and fell 5-4.
The Steel have allowed at least five goals and scored two goals or fewer in five of their last seven games.
It's been a difficult stretch for the Steel, but there have been some bright spots.
Rookie forward Aidan Dyer had a great weekend for the Steel, scoring in all three games with two multi-point performances. The Grand Rapids, MI native potted his first goal in seven games on Oct. 18, then posted two assists the following night on Oct. 19. Dyer put a bow on the weekend with a goal and an assist on Oct. 20 while recording five shots on goal with a +3 rating.
Second-year forward Teddy Mutryn snapped a four-game scoreless skid with a solid three-point showing on Oct. 20. The Boston College commit scored two goals, his first lamp-lighters since the first game of the season on Sept. 20, and added an assist for his first multi-point game this season. In 11 games this year, Mutryn has three goals with 19 shots on goal. He skated in the final two games of the 2023-2024 regular season season with the Steel and secured his first career goal against Muskegon.
Another returning forward for Chicago, Tobias Ohman, found a spark over the weekend with a goal in consecutive games and a three-point outing on Oct. 20. Ohman tallied his first goal of the season on Oct. 19 and followed up with another goal while on the power play along with two assists and a +3 rating.
During his rookie season last year, Ohman scored eight goals, one power play goal and one game winning goal while serving as a disciplined asset on the ice, amassing just 12 penalty minutes in 54 games.
The power play unit for Chicago snapped out of a lengthy scoreless streak on Oct. 19, cashing in with its first power play goal in six games and ending an 0-for-14 skid. The Steel built on the man advantage tally and added another on Oct. 20, marking the first time this season they scored on the power play in consecutive games.
The other side of special teams play continues to be one of the strongest points for the Steel. The penalty kill allowed a power play goal for the first time in ten opportunities on Oct. 20, but went 9-for-10 over the weekend. It remains one of the top units in the league, ranking second with a 90.9% success rate.
The Lumberjacks stayed in their home state of Michigan last week and took on the USA Hockey NTDP U17 team in Plymouth and dominated across the board, getting a one-sided 7-2 win on Oct. 18 that saw 13 Lumberjack skaters secure a point in the lopsided victory. Muskegon followed the big win with a 4-0 shutout on Oct. 19 in which they outshot the NTDP 37-13. They have won four of their last six games after losing the first three games of the season.
All but five skaters recorded a point for the Lumberjacks in their big weekend, with veteran forward Teddy Spitznagel leading the way with two goals and two assists and 11 shots on goal between the two games. Now in his third year with the team, Spitznagel is tied for fourth on Muskegon in points with five in eight games and has a game winning goal and power play goal under his belt. In two games against Chicago this year, he has one goal on six shots.
Spitznagel has already matched his goal output of three from the 2023-2024 season. He played in all 62 regular season games with Muskegon last year and scored three goals and six assists while posting 81 shots on goal and 78 penalty minutes.
First-year Muskegon forward Davis Borozinskis also made his appearance known last week by setting up goals and collecting two assists in each game for a four-point weekend. A native of Des Moines, IA, Borozinskis played for his hometown team, the Des Moines Buccaneers, for two seasons and collected 40 points (12G-28A) in 103 games before being traded to Muskegon this past summer. Borozinskis is the second-highest scorer for the Lumberjacks this year, entering the weekend with three goals and four assists and a team-leading two power play goals.
Since the start of the 2024-2025 season, the goaltending of the Lumberjacks has stood tall. They rank fourth-best in the USHL in goals against, averaging just under three per game despite allowing the fourth-most shots in the league.
Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev stopped all 13 shots he faced to record his league-leading second shutout of the season on Oct. 19. The Michigan Tech commit ranks third amongst league goaltenders in goals against average at 1.65 in six games. In that same span, Gadzhiev has recorded the second-most wins (4) and has the fourth-best save percentage at .936. Since dropping his first start of the season, he has helped the Lumberjacks to a point in five consecutive starts and has allowed three goals or fewer in each game.
The Steel are 49-46-7-0 all-time against Muskegon and 23-21-4-0 on the road. Chicago has won the first two matchups this season, a 3-2 shootout win that saw Steel goaltender Jack Parsons make 43 saves during the home opener on Sept. 27 and a 2-1 overtime triumph thanks to a Hudson Gorski breakaway winner. The games are the third and fourth of six total games between the Steel and Lumberjacks this year. The two will conclude their season series in the final weekend of the regular season with a home-and-home series on April 11 in Muskegon and April 12 at home.
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.
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, October 25 at Muskegon Lumberjacks (6:10 pm CT)
Saturday, October 26 at Muskegon Lumberjacks (5:10 pm CT)
Friday, November 1 at Green Bay Gamblers (7:10 pm CT)
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