Men's Ice Hockey 1/7/2023 10:39:00 PM Chicago Steel

STEEL FALL 8-5 TO MUSKEGON SATURDAY

Perron and Harvey record two goals each; Steel score four times in second period

GENEVA, ILLINOIS— In a wild back-and-forth game, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (14-13-2-0; 30 pts) scored four third period goals to defeat the Chicago Steel (20-8-1-1; 42 pts) for the first time in six tries this season, 8-5 Saturday night at Fox Valley Ice Arena.

Muskegon's Jake Richard recorded a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Lumberjacks to victory and snap a six-game home winning streak for the Steel dating back to November 5.

Jayden Perron and Jack Harvey each recorded two goals for the Steel. Macklin Celebrini recorded a goal and an assist, and Nick Moldenhauer registered two assists in the matchup to extend his point streak to ten games.

For the second night in a row, Muskegon opened the scoring early in the game. A Chicago turnover on the goal line put the puck on the stick of Nicholas Rexine. Rexine found Tyler Dunbar at the point who ripped a shot which was deflected by David Hymovitch on the doorstep for a 1-0 Lumberjacks lead.

Two minutes later, Muskegon struck again. Owen Mehlenbacher carried the puck down to the left circle before finding Jake Richard in the slot. Richard stickhandled in front of Steel goaltender Christian Manz and scored on a backhand shot behind Manz' right skate.

Late in the period Steel forward Nick Moldenhauer was taken down on a rush to the boards in the offensive zone. Moldenhauer was helped off the ice but returned for the start of the second period.

Down 2-0 for the second straight night, the Steel would once again respond.

A power play opportunity less than thirty seconds into the period led to the first Steel goal. Macklin Celebrini pushed through defenders to carry the puck into the zone before making a backwards pass to Jack Harvey in the slot. Harvey settled the puck with his skate and kicked the puck to his stick before scoring on a backhand shot.

Less than four minutes later, Celebrini buried the equalizer. Hunter Hady connected with Celebrini on the blue line. The rookie forward muscled through the defense, toe-dragged and brought the puck close before lifting it on his backhand for a goal to tie the game 2-2.

Muskegon quickly regained the lead, scoring once again on the power play. Putting on a passing clinic, Muskegon cycled in the offensive zone with expert precision. Tyler Dunbar made a crisp cross-ice pass to Richard who quickly found Nathan McBrayer at the point. With no hesitation, McBrayer released a one-timer that found its way to the top left corner of the net.

Just over a minute later, Jayden Perron found the back of the net to tie the game. Perron carried the puck into the offensive zone and found a streaking Moldenhauer crashing the net. Moldenhauer, pulling Muskegon goalie Conor Callaghan in his direction, made a beautiful no-look pass to Perron on the far side who quickly shot the puck into the open net.

Two minutes later, the Steel took their first lead of the night. Celebrini carried the puck into the offensive zone and connected with Michael Emerson at the bottom of the right circle. Emerson carried the puck to the net before colliding with a diving Callaghan. Chaos ensued in front of the net as bodies piled up but Harvey was able to collect the puck. Taking advantage of the scrum, Harvey stickhandled and scored his second goal of the night to gain the 4-3 lead.

Less than two minutes later, Muskegon's strong penalty kill tied the game. Owen Mehlenbacher took advantage of a turnover by Manz as he came out to play the puck. Mehlenbacher scored to tie, marking Muskegon's tenth shorthanded goal of the season.

The wild period saw Muskegon record 23 shots on goal, with Manz stopping 21 of those shots.

The Lumberjacks took control of the game in the third period, scoring four times to seal the victory.

A power play opportunity early in the third period allowed Muskegon to regain the lead. In an impressive display, Richard carried the puck into the zone and danced around several Steel defenders. With an unfortunate bounce for Chicago, the puck found its way into the net off Hady's stick.

Halfway through the period, Muskegon was awarded another power play opportunity.

Just as the man advantage expired, the Lumberjacks found the back of the net to increase their lead to 6-4. Matthew Morden collected the puck along the near boards and found Matvei Gridin behind the goal line. Gridin connected with Sacha Boisvert along the far boards, who dangled through traffic and released a sharp wrister that found its way into the net on Manz' blocker side.

With just over five minutes left in the period and trailing by two, Perron recorded his second goal of the night.

Defenseman Michael Hagens powered into the zone and connected with Moldenhauer at the top of the two circles. Moldenhauer passed to a streaking Perron who scored on a one-timer and cut the Muskegon lead to 6-5 with 5:17 remaining.

Less than two minutes later, Muskegon increased its lead to 7-5. Ethan Whitcomb collected a bouncing puck in the offensive zone and made a backwards pass to Mehlenbacher who found Richard in the right circle. Richard brought the puck to his backhand and scored to complete his first career hat trick.

Muskegon sealed the deal 21 seconds later for the final goal of the game. David Hymovitch took advantage of the empty Steel net and shot the puck from the top of the defensive zone for the goal.

The Lumberjacks tallied 50 shots on goal to 36 for the Steel, a season-high for a Chicago opponent.

Next weekend, the Steel play a home-and-home against the Madison Capitols beginning with a trip to Madison on Friday, Jan. 13.

On Saturday, Jan. 14, fans can join the Steel at home for the annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Geneva Family Dental. Fans are encouraged to bring new or unused teddy bears to toss on the ice after the first Steel goal against the Madison Capitols. All teddy bears will be donated to local hospitals and charities.

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, January 13 at Madison Capitols (7:05 p.m. CT)
Saturday, January 14 vs. Madison Capitols (7:05 p.m. CT) – Teddy Bear Toss presented by Geneva Family Dental
Friday, January 20 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks (7:05 p.m. CT) – Tie-Dye Day presented by McCormick FONA with a special jersey auction to benefit the Geneva Academic Foundation

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Players Mentioned

#9 Nick Moldenhauer: F; 5' 11"; Freshman; University of Michigan

#13 Jack Harvey: F; 5' 10"; Boston University

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

#18 Jayden Perron: F; 5' 9"; University of North Dakota

Players Mentioned

#9 Nick Moldenhauer
: 5' 11"; Freshman; University of Michigan
: F

#13 Jack Harvey
: 5' 10"; Boston University
: F

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

#18 Jayden Perron
: 5' 9"; University of North Dakota
: F