General 3/16/2024 9:24:00 PM

Steel Complete Six-Point Weekend with 3-2 Win

Late second period goal proves enough to cap off third straight victory

LINCOLN, NE — Consecutive goals between the first and second period put Chicago ahead, and a clutch goal from Charlie Major with seconds left in the middle frame put the team ahead for good as the Steel (24-23-3-4, 55 pts.) defeated the Lincoln Stars (22-26-3-2, 49 pts.) 3-2 at the Ice Box Saturday night.

Chicago swept a three-game road trip with a victory over Green Bay Wednesday before a pair of wins over Lincoln Friday and Saturday.

Satudray's win moved Chicago into sole possession of sixth place, the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with eight games remaining in the regular season. Cedar Rapids trails the Steel by two points with nine games left and will face Chicago next Saturday.

Chris Able scored a goal to get the Steel rolling and added an assist, while Michael Hage and Charlie Major each scored a goal in the second period and each had an assist to propel Chicago to the win. A strong defensive effort in the third period preserved the one goal lead.

Goaltender Quentin Sigurdson made 25 saves on 27 shots to pick up his third win of the season.

Chicago rode into Saturday's game with the same energy from the previous night, keeping Lincoln off the board in the first 20 minutes while scoring the game's first goal.

At the middle point of the first frame, the Steel broke out with Michael Emerson on the right wing, and he dished a pass left to Able in the slot who hammered a one-timer home on the rush to start the scoring.

The first line of Steel skaters added another to their count early in the second period when Major connected on a back-door pass with Hage to extend Chicago's lead to 2-0.

Lincoln offered a response four minutes later as Jack Pechar beat Sigurdson to bring the Stars within a goal.

Six minutes later, Matt Maltais scored a power play goal on a wrist shot to bring the Stars into a 2-2 tie.

Chicago would regain the lead with just 19 seconds left in the middle frame, giving the Steel the lead heading into the third.

After getting the puck deep, Hage sent a great pass from the icing line to Major at the right circle, who smoked a quick shot past Lincoln goaltender Yan Shostak to put the Steel ahead 3-2.

Lincoln fought to find the equalizer in the third period, but Sigurdson turned aside all 11 shots. Chicago killed off a pair of penalties in the period and controlled the puck for the majority of the last five minutes to preserve the win.

Chicago will return to home ice for a pair of home games on Saturday, March 23 at 6:05 pm CT against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Sunday, March 24 at 3:05 pm CT against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

March 23 is Military Appreciation Night presented by Ozinga, where the Steel will wear specialty military jerseys that will be auctioned online with proceeds benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project.

March 24 is Superheroes Day presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush with a special Superhero Rusty Bobblehead Giveaway to the first 500 fans in attendance. After the game, fans can Skate with the Steel. Plus, it's a Steel Family Pack Game with a great deal for families – four tickets, hot dogs, chips, soda/waters, and chuck-a-pucks for just $60.

Single game tickets are on sale now starting at just $10. All Steel tickets are digital and fans are encouraged to purchase online in advance at ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

For a limited time, fans can take advantage of the team's Ticket Plan Madness promotion to receive free regular season and playoff games for this season plus other benefits when signing up for a new ticket plan for the 2024-2025 season. Ticket plans start at just 5 games for $50.

For more information, call 855-51-STEEL or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Saturday, March 23 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (6:05 pm CT) | Military Appreciation Night presented by Ozinga | Special Jersey Auction with proceeds to benefit Wounded Warrior Project
Sunday, March 24 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints (3:05 pm CT) | Superheroes Day presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush with Superhero Rusty Bobblehead Giveaway (first 500 fans) | Post-Game Skate with the Steel | Steel Family Pack Game
Friday, March 29 at Green Bay Gamblers (7:05 pm CT)

###

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#2 Chris Able: D; 6' 2"; Freshman; Ohio State University

#19 Michael Hage: F; 6' 0"; Uncommitted

#20 Charlie Major: F; 5' 10"; Cornell University

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

Players Mentioned

#2 Chris Able
: 6' 2"; Freshman; Ohio State University
: D

#19 Michael Hage
: 6' 0"; Uncommitted
: F

#20 Charlie Major
: 5' 10"; Cornell University
: F

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