Men's Ice Hockey 4/27/2023 4:08:00 PM Chicago Steel

SERIES PREVIEW: STEEL BATTLE THE FIGHTING SAINTS IN EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

GENEVA, ILLINOIS — The top-seeded Chicago Steel begin their playoff run this Saturday, April 29 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the #5 seed Dubuque Fighting Saints. The Steel will host the best-of-three series at Fox Valley Ice Arena.

Series Schedule:
Eastern Conference Semifinals
#1 Chicago vs. #5 Dubuque
Game 1: Dubuque at Chicago, Saturday, April 29, 7:05 pm
Game 2: Dubuque at Chicago, Sunday, April 30, 5:05 pm
Game 3: Dubuque at Chicago, Monday, May 1, 7:05 pm (if necessary)

All three games will feature a rally towel giveaway courtesy of River Front Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.

Dubuque is coming off a 2-1 series win on the road over the Green Bay Gamblers in the best-of-three First Round. The Steel, who secured the number one seed in the regular season, received a First Round bye.

Both teams enter the Eastern Conference Semifinals after exiting in the same round last season. Last season, the Steel fell to the Madison Capitols in three games while the Fighting Saints fell to the Muskegon Lumberjacks in two games.

Chicago and Dubuque have meet twice previously in the postseason.

In the 2017 Clark Cup Playoffs, Chicago defeated Dubuque 3-1 in the best-of-five Eastern Conference Finals. The Steel went on to win the Clark Cup Championship, defeating the Sioux City Musketeers in five games.

In the 2021 Clark Cup Playoffs, Chicago swept Dubuque in the best-of-three Eastern Conference Semifinals. Chicago went on to win the Clark Cup Championship that year as well, defeating the Fargo Force in four games in the Clark Cup Final.

Dubuque won four of the six meetings between the two clubs in the regular season. Chicago holds an all-time record of 35-24-3-0 against Dubuque, and a home record of 22-12-0-0.

The teams recently split a home-and-home weekend April 14 and 15 with the Fighting Saints capturing the Friday night game in Dubuque 6-2 and Chicago taking the Saturday night game at Fox Valley Ice Arena, 6-3.

Chicago spent most of the regular season atop the goals per game standings, ending in first with an average of 4.44 goals per game. The Steel featured four of the leagues' top six scorers led by rookie forward Macklin Celebrini won the USHL scoring title with 86 points (46G, 40A). Celebrini, who also led the league in goals, is currently competing at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Switzerland. Nick Moldenhauer was second with 75 points (30G, 45A) and Jack Harvey in third with 74 points (40G, 34A). Forward Jayden Perron finished tied for fifth with 72 points (24G, 48A).

Celebrini and Harvey were the USHL's only two 40-goal scorers. Moldenhauer finished second on the Steel in assists, behind only Perron with 48.

Steel forwards Moldenhauer and Perron performed well against Dubuque in the regular season. Both forwards recorded 8 points in six regular season meetings against the Fighting Saints, with Moldenhauer registering 3 goals and 5 assists and Perron tallying 4 goals and 4 assists.

Dubuque was led offensively this season by Ryan St. Louis who shared fifth place in the league in scoring with 72 points (30G, 42A). The five-foot-nine, 170 lbs., Brown University commit has continued to produce at a high level in the playoffs. In the first round against Green Bay, St. Louis registered 4 points (1G, 3A) and recorded at least one point in all three games of the series, ranking second on the team and tying for second in the league in playoff points. During the regular season, St. Louis recorded ten points (6G, 4A) in six meetings against the Steel.

Owen Michaels led Dubuque in its series against Green Bay. Michaels is tied for first in playoff points among all USHL players with 5 (2G, 3A). Michaels registered at least a point in all three games. In six regular season meetings against the Steel, Michaels registered 6 points (3G, 3A) including a hat trick in their last meeting on April 15.

Special teams could play a big role in the contest, with Dubuque being the sixth most penalized team in the league while the Steel was the second least penalized team.

Dubuque's power play finished in eighth with a success rate of 20.9% (46-for-220), while the Steel's led the league for the majority of the season with a success rate of 32.3% (74-for-229). In 26 chances against the Steel, Dubuque's power play was a whopping 10-for-26 (38.4%). The Steel's power play struggled against Dubuque's penalty kill, going 5-for-22 (22.7%).

Dubuque's goaltender Marcus Brannman had the fourth most wins among all USHL goaltenders with 24, led all goaltenders in saves with 1112, and tied for the second most shutouts with 4.

Steel goaltender Christian Manz started 33 games for Chicago, finishing tied for sixth in the league in wins with 21. Teammate Jack Stark won 17 of his 24 starts between the pipes.

The winner of this series will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and take on the winner of the #2 Youngstown Phantoms vs. #6 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders series starting this Friday in Youngstown, Ohio.
Tickets for the Eastern Conference Semifinal series are on sale now.

Group tickets and experiences are on sale now for playoff home games, including the team's Youth Hockey Experience, Scouts Experience, national anthem groups, charity of the game/fundraising, birthdays, and party areas such as the Coors Light Chill Zone and Steel Suites are booking fast for the playoffs.

Season ticket plans for the 2023-2024 season are now on sale starting at just 5 games for just $50. As part of the team's "Ticket Plan Madness" campaign, for a limited time, fans that secure a new season ticket plan for next season will receive complimentary tickets for playoff games this season.

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.

Tickets may be purchased at the Steel Box Office at Fox Valley Ice Arena, by phone at 855-51-STEEL or online at ChicagoSteelHockeyteam.com. Fans with questions should email info@ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com to learn more.

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Eastern Conference Semifinals
#1 Chicago vs. #5 Dubuque
Game 1: Dubuque at Chicago, Saturday, April 29, 7:05 pm
Game 2: Dubuque at Chicago, Sunday, April 30, 5:05 pm
Game 3: Dubuque at Chicago, Monday, May 1, 7:05 pm (if necessary)

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Players Mentioned

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

Players Mentioned

#13 Jack Harvey

#17 Macklin Celebrini

Players Mentioned

#13 Jack Harvey

#17 Macklin Celebrini