General 1/21/2026 9:49:00 AM Calvin Bush

Steel Host Star Wars Night this Saturday

Character appearances from 501st Midwest Garrison before the game

GENEVA, ILLINOIS — Winners of three straight games, marking their best run of the season to date, the Chicago Steel will look to continue their winning ways when they host Star Wars Night on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7:05 pm CT against the Madison Capitols.

Fans arriving ahead of puck drop will be welcomed by Star Wars characters from the 501st Midwest Garrison, who will be available in the main lobby for photos and interaction. The pregame character appearances have become a hallmark of Star Wars Night and one of the most anticipated traditions on the Steel's theme-night calendar.

For a limited time, fans can purchase the Star Wars Ticket Pack, which includes two tickets to Star Wars Night plus a special Steel Light-Up Saber that also makes sound. The package costs just $40.

Chicago will face Madison on the road Fri., Jan. 23 at 7:05 pm CT to begin the home-and-home weekend series.

The Steel (16-14-4-2, 38 pts.) strung together three consecutive wins last weekend for the first time since Oct. 24 starting with a 3-2 win over Cedar Rapids on Jan. 16 before sweeping a two-game road set against Madison with wins of 2-1 and 3-0.

A stretch of three consecutive goals, including the first USHL goal for Alex Assadourian, gave the Steel a lead they did not surrender in Friday's win over the RoughRiders.

Chicago gutted out a tough 2-1 shootout win the following night. After a clutch penalty kill late in the third period forced overtime, Marco Senerchia and Ashton Schultz scored in the shootout, and Louis-Felix Charrois stopped the final two shooters to secure the win. Charrois tied a single-game high in saves (42) in the victory, which was his third in his last four starts.

A Sunday afternoon matchup featured a sparkling 60 minutes of play from the Steel, as Brady Kudrick tallied his first USHL hat trick, with two of the three goals coming shorthanded. He became the fifth Steel player to record a hat trick this season (Luke Goukler, Tobias Ohman, Ashton Schultz, Kolin Sisson). Louhivaara turned in his best performance with the Steel, stopping all 30 shots he faced to record his first USHL shutout. Chicago was a perfect six-for-six on the penalty kill, its best special teams showing of the season.

It marked the first time the Steel swept a three-game weekend since December 2020 and set a season-long point streak of five games.

Louhivaara earned USHL Goaltender of the Week following his noteworthy pair of performances, marking the second consecutive week a Steel player earned a weekly honor (Kolin Sisson – Forward of the Week). The New Jersey Devils prospect netminder stopped 56 of 58 shots over the weekend and earned his third consecutive win with his shutout on Jan. 18. He has helped the Steel earn a standings point in five of his six starts and has allowed more than three goals just once in that time.

Kudrick's three-goal outing marked the third time this season he potted three points in a game and was his fifth multi-point performance. Each of the last two games he has recorded a point have been multi-point games. The Boston College commit has had a positive plus-minus rating in five consecutive games and is a +7 overall in that span.

Sisson continued to build on his Jan. 12 Forward of the Week accolades with an assist in each game against Madison last week. The third-year forward has pointed in five of the last six games (3G-5A), compiling a +8 plus-minus rating. He leads the Steel in points (31) and goals (14) and is second on the team in assists (17).

Chicago has earned a point in four consecutive road games and has limited opponents to two or fewer goals in three consecutive games, its best defensive stretch since it allowed three goals in four games from Dec. 12 to Jan. 2.

The Madison Capitols (18-14-0-3, 39 pts.) had their five-game point streak end after the shutout loss to Chicago on Jan. 18, and it was the third time this season they were shut out. Sunday's 0-for-6 showing on the power play was the 18th time this season they were blanked on the advantage. They have scored three or fewer goals in four of their last five home games.

Capitols forward Max Rider was held off the scoresheet in both games last weekend but tallied eight shots on goal on Jan. 17 and had 13 total shots over two games. He is the only Capitols skater to have more than 100 shots on goal this season. Rider ranks third on the team in scoring (22 pts.) and is tied for the most assists (13).

Caleb Pittsley and Will Dosan each tallied ten shots on goal over the weekend.

Caleb Heil suffered his first regulation loss since Oct. 31, ending a streak of ten consecutive games in which he helped Madison earn a standings point.

The Steel are 49-19-5-0 all-time against Madison, 24-10-3-0 on the road, and 25-10-2-0. This weekend's games are the fifth and sixth of eight scheduled matchups between the two. The Steel are 3-1-0-0 against the Capitols this season and have limited them to three or fewer goals in each of their wins. The final two matchups are Feb. 27 in Middleton and Feb. 28 in Geneva.

Tickets for all Steel home games are on sale now starting at just $10.

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

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Friday, January 23 at Madison Capitols (7:05 pm CT)
Saturday, January 24 vs. Madison Capitols (7:05 pm CT) | Star Wars Night | Character Appearances from 501st Midwest Garrison
Friday, January 30 vs. Youngstown Phantoms (7:05 pm CT) | Sensory-Friendly Night presented by Rising Lights Project

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