Chicago Keeps Rolling With 4-1 Win
Story By: Steve Jankowski
Bensenville (March 20th, 2009) --As the regular season winds down and the race for the post-season intensifies, each game gets that much more important.  For the Chicago Steel, performances like Friday night's convincing 4-1 win at the Edge Ice Arena against Sioux Falls are required almost every night to earn a berth in the playoffs. 

Chicago outshot the visitors 10-2 in the first period, but were unable to dent the net, but the Steel got on the board first halfway through the second period on Greg Wolfe's 16th goal of the year. 

Josh Balch (Yale University) put his team up a pair later on in the 2nd while the Steel skated shorthanded.  John Moore (Colorado College) grabbed the puck just inside his own blue line and sent a perfect pass to Balch, who scored on a breakaway.

Sioux Falls halved Chicago's lead in the middle period's final minute.  Max Grover's shot from the left-wing boards was kicked out by Steel goalie Hudson Stremmel, but the rebound went right to Sioux Falls' Patrick Divjak, who one-timed the rebound into the open goal with 44 seconds remaining in the second.

Chicago made sure that the Stampede wouldn't garner any momentum from the last-minute power play tally, controlling the play early on in the third.  They got their two-goal lead back when Wolfe caused a turnover deep in the Stampede zone.  He sent a pass to Alex Krushelnyski in the slot, and he one-timed it past Stampede netminder Eric Hartzell with seven minutes left in regulation.

Rob Linsmayer (Holy Cross) iced the game with an empty-net goal with 36 seconds left on the clock.

The Steel head to Waterloo for an important matchup against the Black Hawks Saturday night, before returning home to host the Des Moines Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets for all Steel home games can be ordered by calling the Steel Ticket Office at 630.594.1165.