Men's Ice Hockey 12/10/2022 9:09:00 PM Chicago Steel

STEEL STIFLE MUSKEGON COMEBACK ATTEMPT IN 5-4 VICTORY SATURDAY

Emerson registers three points; Steel win fifth straight

MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN— The Chicago Steel (16-5-1-1; 34 pts) fended off a furious Muskegon Lumberjacks (12-9-1-0; 25 pts) comeback attempt to win 5-4 Saturday, Dec. 10 at Trinity Health Arena. It was the fifth straight victory for the Steel and another close game, their tenth one-goal decision in the last eleven games.

Five different Steel players scored goals, and Michael Emerson had three points (1G, 2A) as Chicago has now taken the first four games of eight scheduled regular season matchups against Muskegon this season.

In a seesaw affair, Chicago overcame a 2-0 deficit to score four straight goals before the teams traded goals in the final four minutes up until the final horn.

The Lumberjacks scored the first two goals of the game over a 2:31 stretch of the first period.

Following an offensive attack from the Steel, William Hughes carried the puck into the zone to create an odd-man rush. Hughes made a drop pass to Nicholas Rexine who scored on Steel goaltender Jack Stark's glove side.

Two minutes later, the Lumberjacks struck again, this time on a power play. Owen Mehlenbacher shook off a pair of defenders before passing to George Fegaras at the point, who returned the puck immediately. Mehlenbacher took a shot that bounced off Stark, but Michael Callow was on the doorstep to score on the rebound and give the Lumberjacks an early 2-0 lead.

Less than four minutes later, the Steel fired back and got on the scoreboard. Anthony Dowd made a cross-traffic pass to a streaking Michael Hagens. Hagens charged into the zone and blasted the puck past Lumberjacks goaltender Conor Callaghan's glove side for his fourth goal of the season and his third in four games.

Later in the period, the Steel came back for more. Nick Moldenhauer powered through the neutral zone into the offensive zone. Moldenhauer lost the puck, but it was quickly picked up by Michael Emerson. Emerson spun and made a backhand shot which rebounded off Callaghan and was banked in from the doorstep by Thor Byfuglien to tie the game at 2-2.

The Steel took the lead less than three minutes into the second period. Emerson forced a turnover in the Steel offensive zone to gain possession and then passed to Jack Harvey in the slot. Harvey waited for an opening before releasing a sharp shot to gain the lead with his league-leading 19^th goal of the season.

Stark shut down several high-quality Lumberjacks chances as the period wore on, stopping all 14 shots faced in the frame.

Late in the third period, the Steel took advantage of a power play opportunity. Jayden Perron carried the puck into the offensive zone and found Macklin Celebrini driving hard to the net. Perron made a cross-ice pass to Celebrini, who tipped the puck into the net for a pretty goal to increase the lead to 4-2.

With 3:20 to play, Muskegon struck back to cut the lead to one. Michael Callow scored his second of the night off the rebound from Justin Solovey's shot.

Muskegon pulled its goalie and Michael Emerson gained possession at the top of the Steel defensive zone and sent the puck down the ice for the empty net goal and his third point of the night.

Just 16 seconds later, with two minutes left in regulation, Muskegon struck back. Michael Callow carried the puck into the Steel zone and found Nicholas Rexine who made a sweeping shot that snuck past Stark to make the score 5-4.

With its goalie once again pulled, Muskegon dominated possession in its offensive zone. Stark held his own and fended off the onslaught of shots, shutting down the Lumberjacks' comeback attempt.

Stark made a total of 33 saves and has now won seven straight starts. Stark has stopped 30 or more shots in all nine of his starts this season.

Next weekend the Steel hit the road once again for a pair of games against the Madison Capitols. This will be the fourth and fifth meetings of ten scheduled regular season matchups between the two teams. In their last meeting on Nov. 11, the Steel rallied from a two-goal deficit to win in a shootout at Bob Suter Capitol Ice Arena in Wisconsin.

The Steel will next return to the Fox Valley Ice Arena on Friday, Dec. 30 when they host the Green Bay Gamblers. It's a Slumberland Furniture Family Pack Game, a special offer for fans which includes four tickets, four chips, four sodas/waters and four chuck-a-pucks for just $50. After the game, fans can take the ice for a post-game skate.
Tickets for all Steel home games start at just $10 and are available by calling 855-51-STEEL, purchasing at ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com or visiting the Steel box office at Fox Valley Ice Arena during business hours.

All Chicago Steel tickets are digital and available on mobile devices. Fans should create their profile online by clicking here. For more information on digital tickets for the Chicago Steel, click here. Fans attending this weekend's games and all Steel home games this season are encouraged to purchase tickets prior to arriving at the arena to avoid any delays on game night.

Season ticket plans starting at 5 games for just $50 and group tickets and experiences are on sale now by calling 855-51-STEEL or emailing info@ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Friday, December 16 at Madison Capitols (7:05 p.m. CT)
Saturday, December 17 at Madison Capitols (7:05 p.m. CT)
Wednesday, December 28 at Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7:05 p.m. CT)
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Players Mentioned

#26 Michael Emerson: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#26 Michael Emerson
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

Players Mentioned

#26 Michael Emerson

Players Mentioned

#26 Michael Emerson