Men's Ice Hockey 1/27/2023 9:24:00 PM Chicago Steel

STEEL FALL 4-1 TO YOUNGSTOWN PHANTOMS FRIDAY

Manz stops 41 shots; Finley registers a goal

GENEVA, ILLINOIS—The Chicago Steel (22-11-1-1; 46 pts) fell 4-1 to the Youngstown Phantoms (18-12-3-1; 40 pts) at Covelli Centre Friday, Jan. 27 in their first of two matchups this weekend.

Despite the final score, Steel goaltender Christian Manz stood strong in net stopping 41 of 44 shots faced.

Quinn Finley scored the lone Steel goal in the contest with an assist from Macklin Celebrini, who now has points in four straight games.

The Steel's league-leading power play was kept off the scoresheet, unsuccessful in six attempts on the man advantage.

The game started as a battle of goaltenders. With the Phantoms getting the majority of scoring chances, Steel goaltender Christian Manz held his own in net stopping 20 of 21 shots faced. Although the Steel had few scoring opportunities, Phantoms goaltender Jacob Fowler robbed Jayden Perron of a wide-open net scoring opportunity.

The Phantoms opened the scoring late in the period with a three-on-two opportunity. USHL Forward of the Week William Whitelaw came flying down the right side, crashing the net and shooting the puck which ricocheted past Manz to gain Youngstown a 1-0 lead.

The Steel's strong power play was stifled in the first period. The power play, which thrives on the road with a 37% success rate, had two unsuccessful early opportunities despite Macklin Celebrini hitting the crossbar on Chicago's first chance of the night.

Just over halfway through the middle frame, the Phantoms doubled their lead to 2-0. Following an interception at the Steel offensive blue line, Justin Varner forced a two-on-one opportunity. Varner didn't take advantage of his extra man and shot a wrister above Manz' right shoulder.

With less than seven minutes left in the second period, the Steel earned a much needed spark and cut the Phantoms lead in half. Celebrini carried the puck into the offensive zone before connecting with Quinn Finley, who beat his defender, in the left circle. Finley deked wide and scored on a backhand shot to beat Fowler above his glove for his 12^th goal of the season and second in a Steel sweater.

The spark from Finley's goal did not carry into the third period. Chicago took three penalties in the first five minutes of the frame and had to fend off Youngstown's power play unit.

Following a successful five-on-three Chicago penalty kill, the Phantoms increased their lead soon after. Jack Wilson received a pass at the point before connecting with Tomas Machu on the other end of the blue line. Machu fired a shot, which was saved by Manz, but Hunter Bischoff collected the rebound on the doorstep and scored to give Youngstown a 3-1 lead.

The Steel were given a two-man advantage of their own less than a minute after Bischoff's goal, but Chicago was unable to capitalize as Fowler and the Phantoms continued to frustrate the Steel offense.

With less than three minutes left in the third, the Steel pulled Manz in the hopes of a comeback. With 22 seconds left, Chase Pietila delivered an empty net goal from his own zone to secure the 4-1 win for Youngstown.

The weekend continues tomorrow night in Youngstown as the Steel battle the Phantoms Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6:05 p.m. CT. Following Saturday's game, the Steel travel to Michigan to battle USA Hockey NTDP (U17) Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3:05 p.m. CT.

Next weekend the Steel hit the road to visit Cedar Rapids on Friday, Feb. 3 before returning home on Saturday, Feb. 4 for a Velcro Wallet Giveaway against the RoughRiders. The first 500 fans to arrive at Fox Valley Ice Arena Saturday night will receive a free Steel velcro wallet. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT both nights.
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 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:
Saturday, January 28 at Youngstown Phantoms (6:05 p.m. CT)
Sunday, January 29 at USA Hockey NTDP (U17) (3:05 p.m. CT)
Friday, February 3 at Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7:05 p.m. CT)

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Players Mentioned

#17 Macklin Celebrini: F; 6' 0"; Boston University

#35 Christian Manz: G; 6' 0"; Augustana University

Players Mentioned

#17 Macklin Celebrini
: 6' 0"; Boston University
: F

#35 Christian Manz
: 6' 0"; Augustana University
: G

Players Mentioned

#17 Macklin Celebrini

#35 Christian Manz

Players Mentioned

#17 Macklin Celebrini

#35 Christian Manz