Men's Ice Hockey 9/19/2026 10:19:00 PM Calvin Bush

Steel Sweep Fall Classic Weekend with 6-3 Win Over Omaha

Bumgarner, Pace score twice as Chicago opens season with pair of wins

CHICAGO, IL — Thanks to a four-goal second period and two-goal performances from Cole Bumgarner and Easton Pace, the Chicago Steel (2-0-0-0, 4 pts.) earned a 6-3 win over the Omaha Lancers (0-1-0-0, 0 pts.) at USG Arena inside Blackhawks Ice Center presented by Fifth Third Bank Saturday night.

Chicago closed out the USHL Fall Classic with a flawless record, marking the second consecutive year it finished with a 2-0 record at the season-opening slate of games.

Bumgarner recorded his second straight two-point game with his second and third goals. Pace scored twice after potting a pair of goals Friday. Patrick Tolan scored for the second consecutive game, and MJ Campbell scored his first USHL goal.

Goaltender Stepan Houdek made 33 saves on 36 shots for his second straight win.

The Steel opened the game shorthanded after being assessed a delay of game penalty during warmups, but their penalty kill remained sharp after a 5-for-5 effort Friday, keeping Omaha off the scoreboard until a Lancers penalty briefly created 4-on-4 play.

Chicago's penalty expired, creating an abbreviated man advantage, and the Steel only needed 17 seconds as Bumgarner deflected a perfect centering feed from Harrison Smith to make it 1-0.

The Lancers quickly replied when Yegor Kim accelerated through the Steel defense for a breakaway and scored to tie the game 1-1.

The Steel had a late power play opportunity in the period and maintained zone time but couldn't get a solid look.

Omaha held a 9-6 shots advantage through the first 20 minutes.

The Steel went on a scoring spree in the middle frame, scoring four times in 12 minutes to take a stranglehold on the game.

Chicago opened the blitz at 5:11 of the period after Benson Grande made a heads-up play to send a shot along the ice that was deflected in by Tolan to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.

Just before the midway mark, Bumgarner found twine for the second time, once again set up by Smith in the slot for a sweet score to make it 3-1.

At 14:21, Pace took on the Lancers defense by himself, hesitating at the Omaha blue line before hitting the gas to evade a defender and drag and fire over the shoulder of Lancers goalie Nils Maurins, making it 4-1.

The Steel capped off the big second period with just under three minutes left when Campbell pounced on an available rebound near the left post for his first USHL goal to extend Chicago's lead to 5-1.

Omaha bounced back to open the third period, getting a goal from Edgar Viskantas at 6:46 to make it 5-2.

Kim cashed in with his second goal of the night one minute later to tilt the ice the Lancers way and bring Omaha within two, 5-3.

The Lancers dictated play over the next several minutes, testing Houdek and the Steel defense repeatedly, but could not further capitalize on their momentum.

Despite being outshot 16-3 in the final 20 minutes, Chicago survived the heavy push by Omaha and stymied the comeback attempt with an empty net goal from Pace to seal the victory.

The Steel will travel to Cedar Rapids for their first road game of the season on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:05 p.m. Chicago will return home for its inaugural Opening Night at USG Arena on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:00 pm against Green Bay. After the game, fans can hit the ice for the first Skate with the Steel this season.

Single-game, group, and premium seating tickets for the 2026-2027 season are on sale now. Season tickets are also available and start at just $15 per game.

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

Chicago Steel Upcoming Schedule:
Friday, October 2 at Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7:05 pm CT)
Saturday, October 3 vs. Green Bay Gamblers (6:00 pm CT) | Inaugural Opening Night at USG Arena | Post-Game Skate with the Steel
Friday, October 9 vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks (7:00 pm CT) | 0K Night in Honor of the Chicago Marathon

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