General 3/25/2026 10:56:00 AM Calvin Bush

Steel Face Lincoln for Final Road Trip of the Season

Chicago returns home for final two games at Fox Valley Ice Arena next weekend

GENEVA, ILLINOIS — The Chicago Steel will take to the road for the final time this season and take on the Lincoln Stars on Friday, March 27 at 7:05 pm CT and Saturday, March 28 at 6:05 pm CT.

The Steel will return home for the final two games at Fox Valley Ice Arena next weekend starting on Friday, April 3, against the USA Hockey NTDP U18 team with a Fox Valley Farewell Tour stop, Steel-a-palooza featuring a special Rusty Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Circle K.

Chicago will play its final game at Fox Valley Ice Arena on Saturday, April 4 against the U17 team on Fan Appreciation Night with a Team Poster Giveaway presented by Minuteman Press. Fans are encouraged to stick around after the April 4 game for a brief ceremony to celebrate the team's time in the Fox Valley.

The Steel (25-25-6-2, 58 pts.) were swept on home ice last weekend in two matchups against Youngstown and one game against Green Bay. Chicago was limited to 14 shots, tied for its fewest in a game this season, in a 4-1 loss to the Phantoms on March 20. The Steel were outshot 27-7 in the final two periods of the game. On March 21, Youngstown scored three goals in the first 7:48 of regulation to jump out to a 3-0 advantage. The Steel scored a goal in each period, including a late tally to get within one, but couldn't record the equalizer in a 4-3 loss. Adyn Merrick scored twice for Chicago.

The Steel hosted Green Bay on March 22 and tied the game twice in the first two periods, but Green Bay scored four goals in the first 8:55 of the third period including a penalty shot goal to start the outburst of five total goals in the final period to down the Steel 8-5. The five third period goals were the most allowed by the Steel in the third period of a game this season. Dallas Vieau scored two goals, and Jayden Kurtz recorded his first USHL goal. James Scantlebury tallied two assists in defeat.

Chicago has dropped five consecutive games and has been limited to three or fewer goals in five of its last six outings. The Steel trail Madison by seven points for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with Madison's magic number to clinch down to one.

Merrick potted an assist on March 22 to extend his point streak to four games. He has five points (4G-1A) during his streak and has scored a point in seven of the last eight games (9P-6G-3A). He had scored four goals in three games before March 22. He has a +3 rating in the last four games despite Chicago being outscored 19-11 in that span.

Scantlebury's multi-assist outing marked his eighth multi-point game of the season. He has three points (1G-2A) in the last four games and has the third-most assists among USHL rookies (21) while ranking fourth in points (35).

Louis-Felix Charrois has faced an average of almost 38 shots on goal over his last five starts. He has allowed four or fewer goals in ten of his last 11 outings.

The Lincoln Stars (27-25-4-1, 59 pts.) had last week off and are back in action for the first time since March 15. Des Moines defeated the Stars 5-1 on March 12 in Lincoln with the Stars going 0-for-7 on the power play, snapping a four-game winning streak. Lincoln hosted Sioux Falls on March 14 and was again limited to one goal in a 4-1 loss. It marked the fourth consecutive home game in which Lincoln was limited to two or fewer goals.

The Stars offense awoke the following day as they downed Omaha 7-6 in overtime on the road. Alex Pelletier and Layne Loomer each scored two goals and two assists in the win, and Kade Kohanski potted a goal and two assists.

Lincoln currently holds fourth place in the Western Conference, with just three points of separation between the third and the sixth place teams. All six playoff spots have been claimed in the Western Conference.

Pelletier leads the USHL in scoring with 78 points (46G-32A) and has found the scoresheet in eight of the last 11 games. He has 18 points (10G-8A) in that span with 40 shots on goal and has eight points (4G-4A) in the last five games. He also leads the league in goals and shots (243). The Boston College commit possesses the two longest goal streaks in the USHL, both eight games, scoring ten and 11 goals in separate streaks.

Loomer has pointed in consecutive games (5P-3G-2A) and four of the last five (8P-5G-3A). He ranks second on the Stars in scoring and is third in the USHL with 69 points (29G-40A). His 40 helpers rank third in the league, and he has the fifth-most shots (193). He has the USHL's longest point streak this season, where he recorded 18 points over 12 games from Sept. 20 to Nov. 29.

The Steel are 28-22-3-1 all-time against Lincoln and 17-10-1-0 on the road. Lincoln won both matchups in Geneva last season with a 7-0 win on Nov. 15 and an 8-5 victory on Nov. 16. Chicago won the last matchups at Lincoln during the 2023-2024 season with wins of 6-1 and 3-2 in March 2024.

Tickets for the final two Steel home games at Fox Valley Ice Arena are on sale starting at just $10.

Season ticket memberships for the Chicago Steel's 2026-2027 inaugural season at USG Arena at Blackhawks Ice Center are on sale now. Memberships start as low as just $15 per game.

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

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule presented by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush:
Friday, March 27 at Lincoln Stars (7:05 pm CT)
Saturday, March 28 at Lincoln Stars (6:05 pm CT)
Friday, April 3 vs. USA Hockey NTDP U18 Team (7:05 pm CT) | Steel-a-palooza | Rusty Bobblehead Giveaway (first 500 fans) presented by Circle K
Saturday, April 4 vs. USA Hockey NTDP U17 Team (6:05 pm CT) | Final Game at Fox Valley Ice Arena | Fan Appreciation Night | Team Photo Giveaway (first 500 fans) presented by Minuteman Press | Post-Game Skate

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