Three's Company

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, Steel players Alex Sakellaropoulos, Christian Heil, and Thomas Ebbing represented Team East at the 2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. The event, which was held at L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Mich. and showcased the league’s finest talent, was attended by more than 100 NHL scouts.

Sakellaropoulos, Heil and Ebbing recently took some time out of their busy schedules to answer a few questions about their experiences at this year’s prospects game.

Alex Sakellaropoulos #1

You were a late addition to the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.  How did you get focused in such a short period of time for a game that was heavily scouted by NHL personnel?

• "Well, I had a day or so to get ready and I treated it like a normal game.  You try not to think about all the scouts; I was just trying to play the best I could when I was in net."

You had a great game in net, stopping all nine shots you faced in more than 29 minutes of work.  How were you feeling after your performance?

• "I felt great. Yes, there were only nine shots, but more than half of those shots were from the slot."

Going up against the best talent in the USHL, was there a noticeable difference in game speed and what did you need to do to adjust to the talent on the ice?

• "I have been in the league for over a year and a half now, so I was used to the speed.  I just went out on the ice and played my game."

What will you take away from playing in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game?

• "I’m very fortunate that I was picked to play in the game.  Now I just have to play consistent for the rest of the season and everything will take care of itself." 

 Christian Heil #11

When you were notified that you would be representing Team East in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, what went through your mind?

• It was just a huge honor, and I was beyond excited to represent the Steel and the USHL Eastern Division in the game.

You assisted on Team East’s only goal of the game.  It had to be pretty special tallying an assist in a game featuring the league’s top players.

• Just playing in the game was a great experience.  To be able to come out of the contest with a point was very special.

Was there a noticeable difference in game speed during the Top Prospects Game and what did you need to do to adjust to the level of play on the ice?

• The hardest part was just jumping in and playing with guys I had never played with before.  The speed was fast and it was a lot of fun to be a part of.

What will you take away from playing in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game?

• It definitely gave me more confidence.  Competing with all the top talent from the league was just a great overall experience and I am grateful I got the opportunity to play.

Thomas Ebbing #10

When you were notified that you would be representing Team East in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, what went through your mind?

•  I was honored to be selected to play with the top 40 USHL players in their draft years and getting to play in front of so many scouts.

What a difference a year makes.  Last year at this time, you were well on your way to leading Michigan’s Brother Rice High School to a state championship and on Wednesday, you were representing Team East and playing in front of over 100 NHL scouts.  You said it was a difficult decision to forgo your senior season at Brother Rice, but suiting up for the United States at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge and getting selected to the Top Prospects Game are quite the honors.  You have to be happy about making the jump to the USHL?

•  I was very blessed being selected by Chicago in last year’s USHL Entry Draft, and haven’t looked back once on my decision. Brother Rice helped me develop, but making the jump to the USHL was a step I needed to take. The coaching staff and players have been wonderful here and are a big reason I was selected to the World Junior A Challenge and the Prospect Game. It has been an honor to represent my country and league.

Was there a noticeable difference in game speed during the Top Prospects Game and what did you need to do to adjust to the level of play on the ice?

•  I wouldn’t say there was a difference in speed because every player in the USHL knows there are scouts every game, so it felt just like another game. The talent was great though. Everyone wanted to showcase their skills so it was a hard fought game, with a lot of speed, physical play, and talent.

What will you take away from playing in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game?

•  I will take away the experience and memories. I was able to play on a team with kids I never have and never will again. Also, the chance to play in front of 100 NHL scouts was very special.

Let's Recap!!

Good evening Steel Fans! This weekend the Steel only played one game against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Steel fell to the Lumberjacks 1-0. We were able to talk to Assistant Captain, Charlie O'Connor to see what his thoughts were on the game. "I thought we played well; we just have to capitalize on our chances," said O'Connor. "They were able to capitalize on their chances. I thought we played well. We matched their intensity, and Sak did really well in net, and kept us in the game."

Below is Larissa with our Weekend Recap:

We also got to talk to Coach Scott McConnell to get his thoughts on the game. "I am extremely proud on how our team came out and competed Sunday," said Coach McConnell. "I thought we played well for 60 minutes of the game. When you don’t put the puck in their net, it doesn’t allow you a chance to have a break down. That’s what happened in the game. We didn’t score, and one break down turns out to be the end of the game. We took some positives out of it. It was a clean, fast, physical game. We worked hard, our penalty kill did a good job, and we get another crack at them on Saturday."

This weekend the Steel are away both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, February 1st, the Cedar Rapid RoughRiders will welcome the Chicago Steel to U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, IA. Game time is set for 7pm. On Saturday, February 2nd, the Muskegon Lumberjacks will welcome the Chicago Steel to the LC Walker Arena, in Muskegon, MI. Game time is set for 7:15pm (6:15pm Chicago time). 

Insight for the Upcoming Games from Coach McConnell

"We are going to have to go into Cedar Rapids and get on the board early. It’s a tough building to play in, against a divisional rival. We are going to have to look towards our forwards to score."

"We just saw them last weekend and it was a close game. We are going to have to take our opportunities and capitalize on them. Muskegon is a tough opponent, but we seem to play well against them. It’s a big four points that our organization needs this weekend."

Insight for the Upcoming Games from Assistant Captain, Charlie O'Connor

"We are playing both games away this weekend so we have to come out strong during both games. We also have to match the intensity. If we do that I think we will be fine. This week we have to work on burying on our chances, we have to capitalize."

Eat, Sleep, Hockey, and Reading

Happy Monday Steel Fans! Today we are coming at you with an exciting school program that your school or child's school can participate in. It's our "SCORE WITH READING" Program. The Chicago Steel reading program is FREE and geared towards promoting good reading habits among students in kindergarten through fifth grade by utilizing Steel player visits, opportunities to win prizes, and free tickets to Steel games.  Through this mentoring program, students are encouraged to attain specific reading goals during the season with various rewards provided for their reading achievements. 

Since today we are talking about reading, we figured that we would ask the players:

Growing up, what was your favorite book to read?

Tim Davison #16

"Babe Ruth and Me"

Chris Dodero #25

"To Kill A Mockingbird"

Thomas Ebbing #10

"Franklin the Turtle"

Bill Eiserman #24
"Harry Potter"


Daniel Fetzer #26

"Anything by Dr. Seuss"

Christian Heil #11

"Atlas Shrugged"

Michael Holland #44

"Green Eggs and Ham"

Woody Hudson #20

"Everybody Poops"

Jeff Kubiak #18

"Green Eggs and Ham"

Biagio Lerario #22

"Series of Unfortunate Events"

Mackenzie MacEachern #19

"Green Eggs and Ham"


Chris Nell #31

"Curious George"

Christian Neumann #4

"Tuesdays with Morrie"

Charlie O'Connor #21

"Where the Red Fern Grows"

Sam Piazza #6

"Harry Potter"

Ray Pigozzi #23

"Cat in the Hat"

Patrick Polino #17

"Hungry Hungry Caterpillar"

Alex Roos #28

"Where the Wild Things Are"

Alex Sakellaropoulous #1

"Dr. Seuss"

Jaccob Slavin #7

"The Giving Tree"


Landon Smith #12

"Harry Potter"

Johnny Wingels #5

"Thomas the Tank Engine"

Last season the Steel read to over 5,000 students in local schools. To learn more information please visit the School Programs page on our website or click here. If you have additional questions please call (630) 594-1159 or e-mail ksack@chicagosteelhockeyteam.com. 

Have a fantastic day Steel fans!! 

A Message From Ebbing and Fetzer...

Happy Friday Steel Fans! We hope that you have had a great week, as well as, have some fun plans for the weekend! Plus we were finally able to wake up to some snow on the ground, which I'm sure is exciting for some of you! Today we teamed up with forwards, Thomas Ebbing and Danny Fetzer, to tell you:

Don't forget that the Steel will home this Sunday, January 27th, 

so mark your calendars and come out to support your favorite team! 

Photo Taken and Edited by Grace Wiley

Following the game, fans can go on the ice to Shoot With The Steel!!

Photo Taken and Edited by Grace Wiley

Shoot with the Steel tickets are an additional $3, and can be purchased in advanced by calling (630) 594-1161 or at the Steel game on Sunday at the Customer Service Booth! 

We hope to see you at the rink Steel Fans!

Money, Money, Money

Happy Wednesday Steel Fans! We hope that you are trying to stay warm today, since the high is only suppose to be 24 degrees. Today we thought we would ask the players a fun question. Look below to see the questions and their answers! 

If you won the lottery what is the first thing you would buy?

Tim Davison #16

"I'd invest it in stocks or put it in the bank."

Chris Dodero #25

"Mercedes Car"

Thomas Ebbing #10

"A private jet"

Bill Eiserman #24
"A car"


Daniel Fetzer #26

"A nice car"

Christian Heil #11

"A house"

Michael Holland #44

"A house on Myrtle Beach"

Woody Hudson #20

"KFC"

Jeff Kubiak #18

"A fresh new whip"

Mackenzie MacEachern #19

"A nice car"

Chris Nell #31

"A cool car"

Christian Neumann #4

"Black Ops 2"

Charlie O'Connor #21

"Buy my family a house"

Sam Piazza #6

"A Lamborghini"

Ray Pigozzi #23

"McDonald's"

Patrick Polino #17

"A house"

Alex Roos #28

"I would buy a house on a lake."

Alex Sakellaropoulous #1

"I would buy a new car."

Jaccob Slavin #7

"A nice house"


Landon Smith #12

"A house in Hawaii"

Johnny Wingels #5

"A Lamborghini"

Have a fantastic day Steel fans!! 

Sell Out Crowd, But Tough Weekend for the Steel

This weekend, the Chicago Steel had three games in three days.

On Friday, Jan. 18, the Dubuque Fighting Saints welcomed the Chicago Steel to the Mystique Ice Center in Dubuque, Iowa. After coming off a 1-2-0 weekend, the Steel were ready to gain back some points. The game started out strong with Alex Sakellaropoulos in net for Chicago and Connor Girard in net for Dubuque.

At the 13 minute mark into the first, both teams were going strong. Then in a matter of six minutes, Dubuque was able to light up the net four times, making the score 4-0 by the end of the first. Dubuque’s goals were scored by Peter Quenneville, Brandon Carlson, Keegan Ford, and Mike Szmatula.

In the third, Chicago was fighting to break the shutout Dubuque had over them. Finally, with 1:20 left on the clock, Sam Piazza netted his first goal of the season, making the final score 4-1. Christian Neuman, registered his eighth assist of the season.

While Dubuque outshot the Steel 27-17, Alex Sakellaropoulos had 23 saves during regulation.

 On Saturday, Jan. 19, the Chicago Steel welcomed the Green Bay Gamblers to a sold out crowd, at the Edge Ice Arena, in Bensenville, Ill.

Trying to put Friday’s game behind them, the Steel came out ready to face their long time rivals. In the first, the Green Bay Gamblers dominated the period by scoring four goals in a matter of 10 minutes. Green Bay’s goals were scored by Alex Kile, Nicholas Schilkey, Ben Greiner, and Kevin Irwin.

In the second, Green Bay came out strong when forward Kyle Novak lit up the lamp only two minutes into the second. Down by five, the Steel knew it was time to get back into the game. Thomas Ebbing answered the call when he light up the back of the net, on a power play goal, six minutes into the second. However, only 50 seconds later Green Bay’s Ben Greiner scored his second goal of the game, making the score 6-1. Chicago didn’t give up. Thirteen minutes into the second, Charlie O’Connor scored a power play goal, lessoning the lead between Chicago and Green Bay. Then two minutes later, Alex Roos, lit up the lamp, by scoring his 14th goal of the season. Green Bay struck back though, only 45 seconds later when Barrett Kaib furthered the lead between the two teams. Chicago, once again fought back, with a second power play goal from O’Connor, making the ending score 7-4.

Knowing that it was still anyone’s game, and only trailing by three, the Steel came out ready to show Green Bay what they were made of. Unfortunately, Green Bay clinched the win, when Matthew Weis and Jordan Gross scored, making the final score 9-4.

Charlie O’Connor, Ray Pigozzi, Thomas Ebbing, and Jaccob Slavin all registered assists.

The Steel outshot the Gamblers 44-31. Alex Sakellaropoulos and Chris Nell had a total of 22 saves during regulation.

 Finally, on Sunday, Jan. 20, Team USA U-18 welcomed the Chicago Steel to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. After coming off two losses, the Steel were ready to record a win.

USA came out strong in the first scoring two unanswered goals against Chris Nell. Goals were scored by Kevin Labanc and Tyler Motte. However, Biagio Lerario came back 48 seconds later and netted a shot to make the score 2-1, at the end of the first.

In the second, USA’s Tyler Motte, scored his second goal of the game, only 11 minutes into the period. Less than four minutes later Nolan Valleau scored his first goal with the Steel, ending the period with the Steel only down by one.

The third was a back and forth game, with neither team scoring until the last second of the game. Chicago pulled Nell, to try and tie up the game, but J.T. Compher scored an empty netter, clinching the win for USA.

Christian Neumann and Jeff Kubiak both registered assists during the game, and Chris Nell had a total of 43 saves during the contest.

This weekend the Chicago Steel are home. On Sunday, January 27th, the Chicago Steel will welcome the Muskegon Lumberjacks to the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, IL. Game time is set for 3pm. Following the game, fans can go on the ice and take shots with the Steel players. Tickets for Shoot with the Steel are $3! 

Have a great day Steel fans, and we hope to see you Sunday!! 

A Little Bit of Everything

Happy Friday Steel Fans! We hope that you have had a great week. To end the week off we thought that we would do a Steel TV segment.

As you might recall, Thomas Ebbing and Christian Heil have been picked to play in the 2013 Top Prospect Game. So this week on Steel TV we have Thomas Ebbing and Christian Heil talking about the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, their reaction to being picked, and much more!

The game will be played this Wednesday, January 23rd, at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, MI. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for children. Game time is set for 7:15pm (6:15pm Chicago time). For tickets please call the L.C. Walker Box Office at (231) 724-5225.

The Steel play three games again this weekend. On Friday, January 18th, the Dubuque Fighting Saints will welcome the Chicago Steel to the Mystic Ice Arena in Dubuque, IA. Game time is set for 7:35pm. On Saturday, January 19th, the Chicago Steel will be at home, and will welcome the Green Bay Gamblers to the Edge Ice Arena, in Bensenville, IL. Puck Drop will be at 7:05pm. On Sunday, January 20th Team USA's U-18's will welcome the Chicago Steel to the Ann Arbor Ice Arena, in Ann Arbor, MI. Game time is set for 3:05pm (2:05pm Chicago time).  

DON'T FORGET...

Saturday is MASCOT NIGHT!! 

Order your tickets by call (630) 594-1161 or online at http://tickets.chicagosteelhockeyteam.com. 

Not Only Can They Play, They Can Teach!

Hi Steel Fans! This week and last week, our players have been on appearances at Emerson Elementary School and Schafer Elementary School, teaching hockey. Here is what the players' day was like:

First they introduced themselves by stating their name, where they were from, how many years they have been playing hockey, and explaining to the kids what a normal day is like at the Chicago Steel. Needless to say all the kids were shocked when they learned how long they practice and work out a day.

Tim Davison at Emerson Elementary

Christian Neumann, Sam Piazza, and
Michael Holland at Schafer

Mackenzie MacEachern at Emerson

They taught the kids how to stick handle...

Piazza showing the class how to stick hand down and around the cone

How to pass...

Neumann and Piazza explaining how to have a successful pass
as Schafer

How to shoot (the players were the goalies!)...

Davison as goalie 

MacEachern as goalie

Neumann, Piazza, and Holland as goalies

And finally, they played hockey game! The players were on one team and the kids were on the other. 

The Chicago Steel would like to extend a big thank you to Emerson Elementary and Schafter Elementary for having us come to your gym classes! The guys had a blast teaching hockey to the gym classes, and from the looks of it, the kids loved hanging out and being taught by hockey players!

If you are interested in having some Chicago Steel players come to your gym class and teach hockey, call (630) 594-1162.

Have a great night everyone, and we hope to see you this weekend at Mascot Night!! 

It's All About the Mascots!!

Happy Tuesday Steel Fans!! We have a special event coming up this weekend at the rink. On Saturday, January 19th, it's MASCOT NIGHT!! Come and visit Rusty and all of his friends! 

Since this Saturday Rusty will be here with all his friends, we decided to asked the players: 

Who is your favorite mascot?

Tim Davison #16

"Rusty, because he is our team mascot"

Chris Dodero #25

"The Squidman"

Thomas Ebbing #10

"Ronald McDonald"

Bill Eiserman #24
"The Boston Bruin Bear, because they are my favorite team."


Daniel Fetzer #26

"Tommy Hawk"

Christian Heil #11

"Rusty"

Michael Holland #44

"Rusty, because I love the Steel."

Woody Hudson #20

"Benny the Bull"

Jeff Kubiak #18

"Southpaw, because he is unreal."

Mackenzie MacEachern #19

"Ronald McDonald"

Dan McNamara #27

"Colonel Sanders"

Chris Nell #31

"Bucky Badger"

Christian Neumann #4

"Colonel Sanders"

Charlie O'Connor #21

"Skates (from the Chicago Wolves)"

Sam Piazza #6

"The Philadelphia Phillie's mascot, because it's a great dancer."

Ray Pigozzi #23

"Rusty"

Patrick Polino #17

"Sabre Tooth"

Alex Roos #28

"Rusty, because he is the coolest."

Alex Sakellaropoulous #1

"Rusty, because he always gets me going for games."

Jaccob Slavin #7

"Tommy Hawk"

Landon Smith #12

"Rusty"

Johnny Wingels #5

"Rusty"

Remember to pre-order your tickets, go to http://tickets.chicagosteelhockeyteam.com 
or call (630) 594-1161. 
Have a great day Steel Fans, and we hope to see you this weekend!! 

Davison Commits!

Happy Friday Steel Fans!! We hope you had a great week!

To end the week off Steel TV has a special segment for you. Defenseman, Tim Davison talks about his college commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Check it out...

Just a reminder Steel Fans, tonight we have a game against the Youngstown Phantoms at 7:30pm. Following the game Patrick Polino, Jeff Kubiak, and Mackenzie MacEachern will be signing autographs.

We hope to see you at the Edge tonight!! 

Aviation Universe's December Player of the Month Is...

CHARLIE O'CONNOR

The Chicago Steel are proud to announce that Charlie O’Connor has been selected as the Aviation Universe Player of the Month for December.

A 6-foot, 185-pound forward, O’Connor registered two goals and four assists last month, which included the game-winning goal in overtime to propel the Steel to a 3-2 victory over the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Dec. 29.

Throughout his time at the Steel, O'Connor has shown heart, dedication, and passion, both on and off the ice. This season, Coach McConnell named O'Connor one of the team's assistant captains. O’Connor will play collegiately at Bemidji State University beginning in the fall of 2013.

Aviation Universe is Chicago's Aviation Emporium, and your local shop for all things aviation, including kid’s toys, collectible models, unique gifts and pilot supplies. Aviation Universe is conveniently located across from the Metra station in downtown Bensenville. Stop by and try our free flight simulator!  For more information and hours of operation, please visit www.aviationuniverse.us/shop/ or call 630-350-7913.

Let's Recap

This weekend the Steel faced off against their long time rivals, the Green Bay Gamblers.

On Friday, Green Bay welcomed the Chicago Steel to the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. Both teams came out mentally prepared to play hard and win. Three minutes into the first period Nicholas Schilkey found the back of the net making the score 1-0. The Steel fought back, and with less than ten minutes left in the first, Thomas Ebbing scored a power play goal, which was his ninth goal of the season. However, Green Bay’s Sheldon Dries was able to put the Gamblers ahead with less than two minutes left ending the period 2-1.

The Steel came out strong in the second, with Dan McNamara lighting up the back of the net for his first goal of the season. The Steel were able to hold Green Bay for the rest of the second, ending the period 2-all.

In the third, both teams came out knowing it was anyone’s game. Green Bay was able to capitalize four minutes into the third with a goal from Brandon Kirk, putting Green Bay ahead 3-2. With less than three minutes left in the game Kevin Irwin scored, clinching the game for the Gamblers. The final score of the game was 4-2.

Chicago’s Jaccob Slavin, Dan Fetzer, and Chris Dodero all registered assists during the game. Chicago outshot Green Bay 32-23.

Chris Nell and Alex Sakellaropoulos had a combined total of 19 saves during the 60 minutes of play.

On Sunday, the Chicago Steel welcomed the Green Bay Gamblers to the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill. After putting Friday’s game behind them, the Steel were ready for a comeback. The Steel came out strong, however, only six minutes into the period, Ben Greiner and Ryan Siroky both scored goals, putting Green Bay ahead by two. Half way through the first Bill Eiserman scored, cutting Green Bay’s lead in half. Three minutes later though, Nicholas Schilkey scored, making the final score of the first 3-1.

In the second, Green Bay was able to increase their lead when forwards Sheldon Dries and Kyle Novak scored, making the score 5-1. The Steel were able to fight back and with one second remaining, Christian Heil netted a power play goal, ending the period 5-2.

In the third, the Steel came out ready to score. Bill Eiserman was able to capitalize one minute into the third, with his second goal of the game, lessoning the distance between Chicago and Green Bay by two. Five minutes later, Green Bay’s Nick Schmaltz scored, making the final score of the game 6-3.

Christian Heil, Christian Neumann, and Ray Pigozzi all registered assists during the game.

While the Steel were outshot 39-31, Chris Nell had a total of 28 saves during the contest.

Following Sunday’s game, fans were able to go on the ice and take three shots with the Steel. There were roughly 200 kids that went out on the ice, and were able to take shots with some of their favorite players.

 

The Chicago Steel are home this weekend. On Friday, January 11th the Chicago Steel will welcome the Youngstown Phantoms to the Edge Ice Arena, in Bensenville, IL. Game time is set for 7:30pm. Following Friday's game, there will be an autograph session with some of the Steel players. On Saturday January 12th, the Chicago Steel will welcome the Omaha Lancers to the Edge Ice Arena. Puck drop will be at 7:05pm. On Sunday, January 13th, the Chicago Steel will welcome the Muskegon Lumberjacks to the Edge Ice Area. Game time is set at 3pm.