General 1/7/2026 9:32:00 AM Calvin Bush

Chicago Opens Second Half of Season in Sioux City

Steel look to end seven-game skid as they face Musketeers

GENEVA, ILLINOIS — With 31 games in the books, the Chicago Steel will begin the second half of the season in playoff contention as they square off against the Sioux City Musketeers on the road on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7:05 pm and Saturday, Jan. 10 at 6:05 pm.

Chicago will return home next weekend and host Cedar Rapids for Superhero Night presented by Rookies at the Rink on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:05 pm. The Steel will wear special superhero jerseys for the game that will be auctioned online, with net proceeds to benefit Marmion Academy.

The Steel (12-14-4-1, 29 pts.) dropped a pair of tight games against Dubuque during a home-and-home set last weekend. Despite a strong showing on the penalty kill, Chicago couldn't get its offense going and was shut down by Dubuque in a 3-1 loss on Jan. 2. The Steel successfully stopped Dubuque's number one-ranked power play on its first four attempts, but gave up a power play tally on its fifth opportunity. Defenseman Wyatt Herres scored a power play goal for his fourth goal of the season. Goaltender Veeti Louhivaara stopped 28 of 31 shots in defeat.

The Steel returned home the following night to host the Fighting Saints and a late power play goal and empty netter by Dubuque allowed the Saints to sweep the two-game weekend series with a 6-4 win. Zach Spagnuolo and Jonas Kemps both tallied their first USHL goals for Chicago. Henry Major potted his sixth goal and Timo Kazda recorded his 11th goal. Goaltender Louis-Felix Charrois stopped 24 shots in his first game back from injury.

The loss on Jan. 3 extended Chicago's losing streak to a season-long seven games. They open the second half of the season just three points outside of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, currently held by Madison, who the Steel will take on for four consecutive games starting next weekend.

Timo Kazda had a two-point performance on Jan. 3 and enters the weekend with 11 goals, the second-most among USHL rookies and his 16 points this season are the fifth-most, just one point behind fellow rookie forward Nate Chorlton.

Chorlton potted two assists on Jan. 3 for his second multi-point outing this season. He ranks third among rookies in assists with 13 and is fourth on the Steel in scoring with 17 points (5G-12A).

Also staying in the top rookie scoring conversation is James Scantlebury, who has recorded three assists in as many games and is second among rookies with 13 helpers. His 19 points (6G-13A) are the second-most, and he ranks third in power play points (6).

Defenseman Wyatt Herres added another weekend of landing on the scoresheet with a power play goal on Jan. 2 that extended his point streak to three games. It also marked the eighth time in nine games that he has recorded a point.

The Sioux City Musketeers (17-16-1-0, 35 pts.) come off a high-flying weekend with a combined 15 goals over two games as they swept the USA Hockey NTDP U17 team last week. Five different Sioux City skaters recorded multi-point games as the Musketeers outshot the NTDP 40-27 in a 7-4 win on Jan. 2.

The Musketeers took it up several notches the following night with a perfect 4-for-4 showing on the power play in an 8-2 victory that included five second period goals on Jan. 3. Forward Luke Garry recorded six points with two goals and four assists in the one-sided win, and Shayne Gould matched a single-game high in points with three assists.

Sioux City has been on a strong run of late, winning four consecutive games and eight of its last ten. Despite its recent winning ways, the team has struggled to stay out of the box this season, averaging almost 25 penalty minutes per game and accumulating 198 minor penalties, 22 more than the next most penalized team.

Former Steel forward Will Tomko has led the way with his new squad this season with a team-leading 36 points (15G-21A) in 33 games. He ranks fifth in USHL scoring in points and has the third-most power play points (18). The Penn State commit has recorded an assist in five consecutive home games, the league's longest active assist streak, and has six assists in that span. He has scored in four consecutive games and has eight points (4G-4A) during the streak.

Gould leads USHL defensemen in scoring with 32 points, seven more than the next highest-scoring blueliner. He leads all defensemen in goals (9) and assists (23), and has the most power play points (17) and assists (15). Gould has recorded points in seven consecutive home games dating back to Nov. 6, the second-longest active USHL streak. He has nine points during his current home streak. He has also scored in six consecutive outings and has 11 points (2G-9A) in that span.

The Steel are 25-23-4-3 all-time against Sioux City and 12-13-0-3 on the road. The two last met in Geneva last season, where the Musketeers came away with two wins, 5-3 and 6-2. Former Musketeer Jackson Crowder potted two goals and an assist in the two-game set. It's the first time the two teams will meet at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City since October of the 2023-2024 season. The Musketeers won both games that season, each by a 6-3 score.

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

The Star Wars Ticket Pack is now on sale. For just $40, fans can receive two white zone tickets to Star Wars Night on Saturday, Jan 24, plus one Steel light saber that lights up and makes sound.

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

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Friday, January 9 at Sioux City Musketeers (7:05 pm CT)
Saturday, January 10 at Sioux City Musketeers (6:05 pm CT)
Friday, January 16 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7:05 pm CT) Superhero Night presented by Rookies at the Rink | Special Jersey Auction to benefit the Marmion Academy

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