2012-2013 Games

Steel End Season With Weekend Sweep

Bensenville, IL (April 14th) — The Chicago Steel ended the 2012-13 season on a high note after defeating Youngstown 3-2 on Friday evening and shutting out the Phantoms 3-0 on Saturday.

Tim Davison notched the game winner in Friday’s victory, while Tyler Heinonen tallied a goal and two assists.  All three of Chicago’s goals were scored in the second period, with Alex Roos putting the Steel up 1-0 at the 6:05 mark in the middle frame.  Heinonen then scored exactly 54 seconds after Roos and Davison  added the game deciding goal at 15:18.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 46 saves in the win, as Youngstown outshot Chicago, 48-30 on the evening.

In Saturday’s shutout victory, Sakellaropoulos stopped all 22 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.  With the win, Sakellaropoulos’ 22 victories in 2012-13 place him at the top of the Steel’s single season win’s list.  The Union College recruit has also moved into second place among Steel netminders for career victories.

Chicago’ Tyler Hill scored two quick goals in the first stanza on Saturday and Patrick Polino added the third for the Steel to cap off an undefeated weekend.

The Steel outshot Youngstown 27-22 in the game as Chicago held the Phantoms to 11 total shots through the first two periods of play.

The Steel organization would like to thank all the fans who came out to The Edge Ice Arena this season.  We look forward to seeing everyone back next year as the Steel look to win the USHL’s Eastern Conference and compete for a Clark Cup Championship.

Thank You Steel Fans!

Bensenville, IL (April 10th, 2013) — The Chicago Steel welcomed the NWSRA, the NEDSRA, and the Mom’s Group of Chicago to the Edge Ice Arena for a 10am game. There were also over 400 students from Johnson School, Blackhawk Middle School, and Tioga School. From the moment the groups walked in their energy was electric and filled the entire arena.

Hearing the fans made both teams wound up to play a hard fought 60 minutes of hockey. Youngstown was the first to capitalize, when Sam Anas netted a power play shot only three minutes into the first. The Steel fought back hard, and got them back into the game when Chris Dodero found an opening and scored tying it at one. Six minutes later, Dodero followed up with his second goal of the game, putting the Steel ahead by one.

In the second, Chicago came out strong, hearing the fans chanting their name as they stepped on the ice. Youngstown was once again the first to capitalize when Luke Stork netted a shot only 6:43 into the second. Seven minutes later Mac MacSorley helped Youngstown take lead when was able to put the puck past Nell.  The Steel continued to work hard for the rest of the period but were unable to capitalize. The second period ended with a score of 3-2.

The third began with the Steel only down by one. However, Youngstown continued their streak by scoring only three minutes into the third. Youngstown was able to clinch the win when Anas scored his second goal of the game, ending with a score of 5-2.

Nolan Valleau, Alex Roos, Christian Dvorak, and Woody Hudson all recorded assists during the game. Chicago also outshot Youngstown 29-20, and Chris Nell had 15 saves during regulation.

The Steel players, coaches, and staff would like to extend a big thank all of our fans for supporting us this year. This year would not have been as successful or enjoyable without you. We hope that you had fun this season and were able to create some lasting memories. From us to you, we hope you a great summer and we look forward to seeing you next season!!

O'Connor's Goal Not Enough Tonight

Bensenville, IL (April 6th, 2013) – Charlie O’Connor scored the lone goal for Chicago Saturday evening as the Youngstown Phantoms beat the Steel 4-1 at The Edge Ice Arena.

O’Connor’s goal came 20 seconds into the third period to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.   However, four goals by the Phantoms, including an empty netter, earned them the win.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 35 saves in the loss as Youngstown outshot Chicago, 39-33 in the contest.

Dvorak Buries Overtime Winner

Bensenville, IL (April 5th, 2013) –  Chicago’s Christian Dvorak scored the game winning goal in overtime Friday evening as the Steel beat the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 2-1 at The Edge Ice Arena.

It was Dvorak’s second goal of his USHL career when he put the puck past Cedar Rapids goalie, Michael Rotolo, with one minute, nine seconds left in overtime. Alex Roos and Jaccob Slavin assisted on the game winner.  It was Roos’ second helper of the contest.

The Steel jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 13:06 mark in the second period on Tim Davison’s goal. Cedar Rapids knotted the score 1-all at 8:19 in the third to force overtime.

Chris Nell made 32 saves in net for Chicago, while Rotolo tallies 36 in the loss. The Steel outshot the RoughRiders 38-32 in the game.

Two Shorthanded Goals Help Seal Deal For Steel

Bensenville, IL(March 30th, 2013) —  The Chicago Steel showed the true definition of heart and passion tonight as they took on Team USA’s U-17 at the Edge Ice Arena.

The Steel came out ready to keep their weekend streak alive after beating Muskegon last night.  Four minutes into the second, Tyler Heinonen scored a power play goal, when he received a pass from Drew Smolcynski. Charlie O’Connor kept the rally alive when he netted a shot seven minutes later to put the Steel ahead by two. However, USA fought back when Jared Fiegl scored at 17:21. A minute later, USA’s Sonny Milano tied up the game, and ended the period at 2.

In the third USA was the first to capitalize when, Scott Savage, scored a power play goal less than two minutes into the period. Neither team was successful in scoring until the eleven minute mark. Drew Smolcynski scored a shorthanded goal at 10:51. Heinonen followed up with his second goal of the night, netting a shorthanded goal less than a minute later making the score 4-3. Chicago’s lead was short lived when Savage scored his second goal of the night two minutes later. Then at 14:07, Chicago’s Landon Smith scored the game winning goal to propel the Steel to a 5-4 win.

Drew Smolcynski, Tyler Heinonen, Tim Davison, and Charlie O’Connor all recorded assists during regulation.

While, Chicago was outshot 28-23, Alex Sakellaropoulos had 24 saves in the win.

Heinonen's  Two Goals Help Beat Old Team

Bensenville, IL (March 29th, 2013) – Charlie O’Connor tallied the game-winning goal and Tyler Heinonen notched two goals for Chicago Friday evening, as the Steel fought off the Muskegon Lumberjacks to earn a 4-3 victory at L.C. Walker Arena.

O’Connor scored the winner just 26 seconds into the third period as Chicago went in front 4-2.  Muskegon’s Chad McDonald made the game 4-3 at the 3:55 mark, but the Steel buckled down on defense to skate away the win.

It was quite a return to Muskegon for Heinonen, who spent the majority of this season playing in Muskegon before coming over to Chicago in a trade back on Feb. 6.  The Delano, Minn. native scored a short-handed goal in the first and followed up with a power play goal in the second.

Chicago jumped out in front early against Muskegon, taking a 1-0 lead 23 seconds into the game on Patrick Polino’s eighth goal of the 2012-13 campaign.  The Steel never trailed in the contest and each time Muskegon would tie the score, Chicago answered back.

Chris Nell got the start in the net for Chicago and made 31 saves in the victory.

Steel Freeze Ice In Tracks

Bensenville, IL (March 27th, 2013) – Alex Sakellaropoulos recorded his fourth win of the season on Wednesday evening as the Steel downed the Indiana Ice 5-3 at the Edge Ice Arena.

The Steel came out strong and determined to gain a win against Indiana after losing to them on Sunday. Danny Fetzer was the first one to light up the lamp when he scored two minutes into the first from a pass by Woody Hudson. Landon Smith followed up six minutes later when he scored putting the Steel ahead by two. Indiana fired back 20 seconds later when Tyler Pham scored, lessening the distance between the two teams. Indiana’s Jason Salvaggio kept Indiana’s momentum strong when he netted a shot three minutes later, ending the period 2 all.

Chicago, once again, was the first to capitalize in the second when Patrick Polino netted a shot 2:15 into the period. Chicago’s lead was short lived however, when Pham scored his second goal of the night only 30 seconds later. By the end of the second the score was 3-3.

Going into the third, Chicago kept their streak alive when Thomas Ebbing capitalized on a power play, scoring his tenth power play goal of the season. Indiana tried to capitalize on any chance they got, however they ended up pulling Anderson Snair with 38 seconds in the game. Polino clinched the win for the Steel when he scored an empty netter, ending the game 5-3.

Woody Hudson, Tyler Hill, Biagio Lerario, Jaccob Slavin, Patrick Polino, and Tyler Heinonen all recorded assists during regulation.

While both teams were even on shots, Alex Sakellaropoulos received his 19th win of the season.

Steel Fall To Ice

Bensenville, IL (March 24th, 2013) – Charlie O’Connor had a goal and an assist Sunday afternoon, but Indiana’s Mikhail Plotnikov tallied the hat trick to lead the Ice to a convincing 6-3 victory over the Chicago Steel at the Edge Ice Arena.

Indiana built a 2-0 advantage by the 16:59 mark in the first stanza before Chicago’s Michael Holland scored to cut the lead in half 2-1.  Indiana increased its lead to 3-1 by the first intermission.

In the second, O’Connor brought the Indiana lead down to 3-2 at 1:42, but Plotnikov scored two of his three goals in the middle period to put the Ice in front 5-2 at the second intermission.

Plotnikov notched his final goal at 8:01 in the third.  Jaccob Slavin added a goal for the Steel just over eight minutes later to make the final score 6-3.

Chris Nell got the start for Chicago and made 13 saves before being relieved by Alex Sakellaropoulos in the third.  Sakellaropoulos made five saves in 20 minutes of action.

Slavin Seals Deal For Steel

Bensenville, IL (March 23rd, 2013) — The Chicago Steel clinched the win tonight against Team USA in a hard fought battle between the two teams.

The Steel came out strong, knowing they had to win tonight to keep their dreams of the playoffs alive. Chicago was the first to capitalize when Drew Smolcynski netted a shot 3:50 into the game. Chicago kept their momentum alive when Alex Roos scored a power play goal 40 seconds later. By the end of the first the Steel were leading 2-0.

In the second, both teams came out strong. For the first 16 minutes of the period, neither team was able to capitalize. Then at 16:41, USA’s Blake Christensen scored lessoning the distance between the two team. At the end of the second the score was 2-1.

Chicago came out strong in the third, not giving USA any chances to capitalize. Chicago was the first to score when Jaccob Slavin scored his fourth goal of the season, furthering the distance by two. Chicago held on strong, but USA was able to get their second goal of the night with less than six minutes left in the third, when Dylan Larkin netted a shot against Nell.

Chicago was able to hold USA for the rest of the game, clinching a 3-2 win. Michael Holland, Patrick Polino, Jaccob Slavin, Charlie O’Connor, and Ray Pigozzi all registered assists during the contest.

While Chicago was outshot 31-14, Chris Nell had 29 saves during regulation.

Steel Win In Shoot Out

Bensenville, IL (March 16th, 2013) — Drew Smolcynski and Alex Roos both scored and Alex Sakellaropoulos stopped both shots he faced in the Shootout to give the Chicago Steel the road win tonight against the Indiana Ice.

The Steel came went into the second period down 1-0 but Ray Pigozzi scored shorthanded at the 18:47 mark and it would seem to give the Steel a renewed spirit.  (Patrick Polino and Christian Neumann with the assists.)

In the third period, it would only take 16 seconds for the Steel to take their first lead of the night as Tyler Hill found the back of the net.  (Neumann and Drew Smolcynski earned the assists.) The Ice were able to beat Sakellaropoulos one more time half way through the period but both goalies would stop the rest of the shots that they saw.

Overtime would not be enough and the Steel and the Ice would head to  the shootout.  Drew Smolcynski would shoot first for the Steel went backhand against his former teammate Izyk Dalton and was able to put Chicago up 1-0 in the shootout.  After Sakellaropoulos stopped the Ice’s first shooter, Alex Roos put the Steel up 2-0 in the shootout and that was enough to secure the victory for Chicago.

Sakellaropoulos stopped 41 of the 43 shots that he faced and he earned his 18th win of the year

Two From Roos Not Enough

Alex Roos scored two goals Friday evening, but it was not enough as Youngstown held off a late Steel surge to earn a 4-3 victory at The Edge Ice Arena.

Bensenville, IL (March 15th, 2013) — Roos scored both of his goals on the night in the third period at 11:09 and 12:28, respectively.  Chicago had a 6-on-4 man advantage with 44 seconds remaining in the game, but could not capitalize.

The Steel went up 1-0 at the 8:22 mark in the first stanza on Tyler Heinonen’s goal.  But Youngstown scored four straight goals and provide enough of a cushion to earn the victory.

Chris Nell made 24 saves in the game.

Waterloo's Three Goal Third Period Beat Steel

Bensenville, IL (March 12th, 2013) – The Waterloo Black Hawks scored three goals in the final period Tuesday evening as they beat the Chicago Steel 4-1 at The Edge Ice Arena.

Alex Roos scored Chicago’s lone goal of the game on the power play at the 7:32 mark in the second period to tie the game 1-all.  Waterloo then hit the gas in the third, scoring three unanswered goals to earn the victory.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 20 saves for the Steel in the loss, while the Steel shut down the Black Hawks on all three of their power play chances.

Strong Weekend For Steel

Bensenville, IL (March 4th, 2013) –The Chicago Steel picked up five-of-six points over the weekend after downing Team USA U-17 on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, and taking Youngstown to overtime where the Phantoms pulled it out in the shootout.

On Friday at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Alex Roos gave Chicago an early 1-0 lead at the 7:15 mark in the first period.  The Phantoms took the lead 2-1 in the second stanza following Eric Sweetman’s short handed goal and Sam Anas’ score midway through the period.

Charlie O’Connor tied the score 2-all with his third period goal with six minutes, 27 seconds left in regulation.  However, Youngstown converted two of its three penalty shots on Steel goalie Chris Nell to earn the victory.  Nell made 37 saves in the loss.

Chicago then headed west to Ann Arbor, Mich. to face Team USA on Saturday evening, where they blanked the U-17s, 3-0.  Jaccob Slavin, Thomas Ebbing and Tim Davison notched the goals for Chicago in the win, while Alex Sakellaropoulos made 22 saves for his second shutout of the season.

In Sunday’s rematch with Team USA, Alex Roos scored two goals and Chicago held on for a 4-3 victory.  The Steel had a 2-0 advantage going into the first intermission and held USA scoreless for the second period as well, before the 17’s lit the lamp 40 seconds into the final period.

Chicago increased its lead to the 3-1 in the third and eventually 4-2 as it left the Ann Arbor Ice Cube with the one-goal victory.   Tyler Hill, Mackenzie MacEachern and Roos scored the goals in Sunday’s victory.  Nell had 22 saves for his fourth win on the season.

Sakellaropoulos Shuts Out USA

Bensenville, IL (March 2nd, 2013) —  It has been a long week for the Chicago Steel, playing their third game in four days but Alex Sakellaropoulos and the Chicago Steel shut out Team USA U-17 tonight in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Sakellaropoulos stopped all 22 shots that he faced in the 3-0 victory.  It is Sakellaropoulos’ second shutout in the season.

Starting the scoring for the Steel tonight was Defenseman Jaccob Slavin.  Slavin’s goal came unassisted on the powerplay at the 18:49 mark of the first period.

In the second period, Thomas Ebbing and Tim Davison would add insurance for the Steel.  It was Ebbing’s 14th goal of the season and Mackenzie MacEachern and Charlie O’Connor would earn the assists.  For Davison it was his third of the year, and Drew Smolcynski and Tyler Hill would get the assists on the goal.

Youngstown Blank Steel

Bensenville, IL (February 27th, 2013) – Youngstown’s Austin Cangelosi scored three goals Wednesday morning as the Phantoms defeated the Chicago Steel, 4-0 at the Covelli Center.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 29 saves in the contest, while Chicago was outshot 33-24 in the game.  The Steel had seven powerplay opportunities against Youngstown, but the Phantoms stopped Chicago on all of its chances.

Four Goal 3rd Period For Steel Bring Home Victory

Bensenville, IL (February 23rd, 2013) – Chicago’s Drew Smolcynski notched the game-winning goal with one minute, 21 seconds left in regulation as the Steel overcame a late deficit to defeat the Des Moines Buccaneers 6-4 at Buccaneer Arena.

Smolcynski also had the game-tying goal at the 14:40 mark in the third stanza. Along with his two goals, Smolcynski added an assist to for a three-point evening.

Chicago fell behind 1-0 in the second period at the 6:58 mark, but Danny Fetzer answered with a goal of his own less than a minute later to tie the game.  The Buccaneers jumped back in front later in the second; however Ray Pigozzi tied it up for the Steel going into the second intermission.

In the third period, Chicago jumped out in front 3-2 after Thomas Ebbing scored 44 seconds into the period. Des Moines notched two unanswered goals to regain the lead 4-3.  The Steel bent, but did not break and Smolcynski tallied his two to guide Chicago to victory.  Mackenzie MacEachern added an empty net goal with 15 seconds left on the clock.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 30 saves in the game for the Steel in the win.  Chicago went 1-for-1 on the powerplay in the contest.

U-18's Overwhelm Steel

Bensenville, IL (February 20th, 2013) –  Alex Sakellaropoulos made 47 saves, but Team USA scored three goals in the second period and cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Steel at The Edge Ice Arena on Wednesday.

Kevin Labanc, Hudson Fasching and Tyler Kelleher tallied the goals for USA in the second stanza, while John Hayden added the fourth for USA in third.

Team USA outshot the Chicago Steel 51-19 in the game and USA went 1-for-3 on the powerplay..

Steel Sweep Weekend In Pink

Bensenville, IL (February 16th, 2013) – Patrick Polino’s two goals Saturday evening propelled the Chicago Steel past the Dubuque Fighting Saints 7-3 at The Edge Ice Arena.

It was the Steel’s second victory over the United States Hockey League Eastern Division leaders this season.  Dubuque now moves to 34-8-3 on the season and Chicago stands at 18-22-3.

In the first period, Chicago enjoyed a 4-0 lead by the first intermission.  Woody Hudson started off the Steel scoring barrage at the 9:11 mark and Polino followed up 34 seconds later with his first goal of the evening to make the game 2-0.  Tyler Heinonen and Mackenzie also tallied goals in the period.

In the second stanza, the Fighting Saints got on the board at 10:52 to make the score 4-1.  However, Charlie O’Connor answered back with a power play goal at 18:12.

Polino and Danny Fetzer scored in the third period to help Chicago to its second straight victory.  Alex Sakellaropoulos made 32 saves in goal for the Steel in the win.

Nell Backstops Big Win For Steel

Bensenville, IL (February 15th, 2013) — Chris Nell made 28 saves for Chicago Friday evening as the Steel beat the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 4-1 at The Edge Ice Arena.

Chicago fell behind 1-0 at the 2:17 mark in the first period, but it bounced back with goals from Drew Smolcynski, Tyler Hill and Biagio Lerario to go into the second intermission with a 3-1 lead.  A third period empty net goal by Alex Roos gave the Steel a three-goal victory.

Jaccob Slavin, Mackenzie MacEachern, Christian Neumann, Michael Holland and Hill tallied assists for Chicago.  The Steel outshot Cedar Rapids 30-29 in the game.

Steel Fall Just Short Against RoughRiders

Bensenville, IL (February 9th, 2013) — Dylan Gareau scored the game winning goal for Cedar Rapids as the RoughRiders were victorious over the Chicago Steel, 3-2, at The Edge Ice Arena on Saturday evening.

Cedar Rapids built a 2-0 lead by the 11:33 mark in the first period, forcing the Steel to claw its way out of another early deficit this season.  The Steel received goals from Alex Roos and Mackenzie MacEachern.  MacEachern’s goal made the game 3-2 with 12 minutes, 50 seconds left in the contest, but the RoughRiders’ defense stayed strong to earn the win.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 31 saves in the game for Chicago, while Cedar Rapids outshot the Steel 34-30.

Muskegon Pays Back Steel in Rematch

Bensenville, IL (February 8th, 2013) —  Danny Fetzer scored the only goal of the game for the Chicago Friday evening as the Muskegon Lumberjacks beat the Steel 3-1 at The Edge Ice Arena.

Fetzer’s goal came at the 8:25 mark in the third period, which cut the Muskegon lead in half, 2-1. But Adam Gilmour padded the Jacks’ lead with two minutes, 34 seconds left in the game.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 25 saves in the loss and Chicago was outshot 28-26 in the contest.

Steel Sweep Weekend

Bensenville, IL (February 2nd, 2013) — The Chicago Steel went 2-0 on the weekend, capped off with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Saturday night at L.C. Walker Arena.

Nolan Valleau tallied the game-winner with six minutes, 56 seconds left in the game to improve Chicago’s record to 16-20-3 on the season.   Muskegon outshot the Steel, 38-26, in the game and scored quickly to grab a  1-0 lead at the 4:43 mark in the opening period, but Chicago bounced back and jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second stanza, thanks to goals by Thomas Ebbing, Woody Hudson and Patrick Polino.

Chris Nell made 35 saves in goal for Chicago against the Lumberjacks for his second win of the 2012-13 campaign.

On Friday, the Steel traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to face the RoughRiders. Chicago took control of the game quickly and skated away with a 5-0 win at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

Biagio Lerario netted two goals for the Steel, while Michael Holland, Nolan Valleau and Landon Smith each added one.  Alex Sakellaropoulos stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn the shutout victory and his 14th victory this season.

Tight Game Decided By Muskegon's Gilmour

Bensenville, IL (January 27th, 2013) — Alex Sakellaropoulos made 33 saves in net for Chicago on Sunday, but the Steel could not find the back of the net as the Muskegon Lumberjacks skated out of the Edge Ice Arena with a 1-0 victory.

The game remained scoreless until Muskegon’s Adam Gilmour netted the winner with two minutes, 44 seconds left in the third period.  Chicago had its opportunities at the end of the game after they pulled Sakellaropoulos to put the extra attacker on the Ice.  However, the Muskegon defense and goalie Kevin Lindskoug held tight to seal the win.

Steel Battle Back, But Fall Short

Bensenville, IL (January 20th, 2013) –  Biagio Larario and Nolan Valleau scored for Chicago, but Team USA put up four goals of its own to defeat the Steel 4-2 at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube on Sunday afternoon.

Team USA outshot Chicago, 47-26, on the day as the 18’s jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 14:58 mark in the first stanza.  Lerario tallied his goal at the 15:46 in the opening period, while Valleau scored on the powerplay with four minutes, 29 seconds left in the second.

Chris Nell started in goal for the Steel making 43 saves in the loss..

Sell Out Crowd Sees Steel Fall

Bensenville, IL (January 19th, 2013) — The Green Bay Gamblers rained on the Chicago Steel’s parade Saturday evening as the largest crowd in Chicago history saw the Gamblers come in and knock out the Steel early in their 9-4 victory at The Edge Ice Arena.

The record gathering was silenced in the first period on Green Bay’s four first period goals.  The Steel, who outshot their eastern conference rival in the contest, 44-31, could not find the back of the net until Thomas Ebbing scored at the 6:04 mark in the second.

Charlie O’Connor scored two goals, while Alex Roos added another to account for the Steel’s four tallies in the game.

Steel Finish Weekend Strong

Bensenville, IL (January 13th, 2013) —  Alex Roos’ shootout goal and Alex Sakellaropoulos’ flawless performance in net earned the Chicago Steel a 2-1 shootout victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Sunday afternoon at The Edge Ice Arena.

Muskegon grabbed a 1- 0 lead at the 1:38 mark in the first period on Tyler Heinonen’s goal.

The Steel didn’t equalize until the 19:00 minute mark in the second, when Christian Heil continued his scoring ways and tallied his 16th goal of the season.  Woody Hudson and Tim Davison provided the assists on Heil’s score.

In overtime, the Steel killed off a five minute major penalty to force the shootout where Sakellaropoulos and Roos guided the Steel to the much needed victory.

Sakellaropoulos made 26 saves in net for Chicago in the victory and the Steel out shot Muskegon, 30-27, in the contest.

Lancers Blank Steel

Bensenville, IL (January 12th, 2013) — Connor Chatham and Matthew Gaudreau scored both goals for Omaha, as the Lancers defeated the Chicago Steel 2-0 at The Edge Ice Arena Saturday evening.

Chatham and Gaudreau scored their goals in the third period at the 1:01 and 16:07 marks, respectively. Alex

Sakellaropoulos made 32 saves in net for Chicago in the loss.

The Steel outshot Omaha 43-34 in the contest. The Steel are back at home Sunday afternoon to take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks at 3 p.m.

Phantoms Take Win From Steel

Bensenville, IL (January 11th, 2013) — Zach Evancho’s goal early in the third period held on to be the game-winning goal on Friday evening as the Youngstown Phantoms beat the Chicago Steel 3-2 at The Edge Ice Arena.

Down 1-0 by the 2:45 mark in the first stanza, Chicago tied the game 1-all just under three minutes later on Ray Pigozzi’s sixth of the season.  The game wasn’t knotted for long, Youngstown’s Alexander Dahl made the score 2-1 at the 6:01 mark.

In the second period, Daniel McNamara scored his second goal of the 2012-13 campaign to make the game 2-2.

Evancho’s game-winner was scored at 4:07 in the final period as the Phantoms skated away with the victory.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 28 saves in net for Chicago.  Chicago outshot Youngstown, 34-31, in the game.

Gamblers Had Chicago's Number

Bensenville, IL (January 6th, 2012) – Chicago’s Bill Eiserman scored two goals, but the Green Bay Gamblers held strong Sunday afternoon in their 6-3 victory over the Steel at The Edge Ice Arena.

Green Bay took an early 2-0 lead in the first period, when Eiserman netted his first goal of the game to cut the Gamblers’ lead in half, 2-1.

Three more goals by Green Bay made the game 5-1 just before the end of the second intermission.  Christian Heil did tally a goal of his own just before the second period buzzer to make the score 5-2 at the break.

Eiserman added his second goal of the game at the 1:07 mark of the final stanza. Nick Schmaltz gave Green Bay its sixth goal in the victory.

Chris Nell made 33 saves in the loss as the Gamblers outshot the Steel 39-31 in the contest.

Steel Fall in the Third

Bensenville, IL ( January 4th, 2012) – The Chicago Steel lost 4-2 to the Green Bay Gamblers Friday evening at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

The game was tied 2-all at the second intermission, but the Gamblers received goals from Brandon Kirk and Kevin Irwin to pull away in the final period.

Thomas Ebbing and Daniel McNamara scored the goals for the Steel, while Jaccob Slavin, Danny Fetzer and Christopher Dodero provided assists.  Chicago outshot Green Bay 32-23 in the contest.

O'Connor Nets Game Winner Against Fighting Saints

Bensenville, IL (December 29th, 2012) — Charlie O’Connor’s breakaway goal in overtime gave the Chicago Steel a 3-2 victory over the Dubuque Fighting Saints at The Edge Ice Arena on Saturday evening.  The win snaps the Steel’s seven-game winless streak as they improve their record to 12-12-3 on the season.

It didn’t look good for the Steel early in the first period as Dubuque built a 2-0 lead by the 9:19 mark.  But, in typical Steel fashion, they clawed their way back on a first period goal by Alex Roos and a third period score by Landon Smith to even the game 2-all with eight minutes, 29 seconds left in regulation.

In overtime, the Fighting Saints came out strong, but O’Connor was able to break free for the game-winning goal.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 37 saves in the win, as the Steel fired off 33 shots on Dubuque goalie, Arthur Brey.

Steel Unable to Climb Back From Deficit

Bensenville, IL (December 28th, 2012) —  The Green Bay Gamblers beat the Chicago Steel, 6-3, Friday evening at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

The Steel fell behind early as they watched the Gamblers take a 4-0 lead by the 7:37 mark in the second period.  Chicago closed the gap to 4-3 in the third period after goals from Charlie O’Connor, Christian Heil  and Mackenzie MacEachern.  But Green Bay’s Nicholas Schilkey scored two goals in the final 13 minutes of the contest to give his squad a commanding victory.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 34 saves in the loss.  Green Bay fired off 40 shots in the game, while Chicago registered 29 shots.

Steel Fall Short in OT

Bensenville, IL (December 21st, 2012) – Chicago’s Alex Sakellaropoulos made 35 saves Friday evening, but Brian Morgan’s overtime goal sealed the win for Indiana in its 4-3 victory over the Steel at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Steel held a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission after Christian Heil and Joseph Widmar were able put the puck past Ice goalie Dalton Izyk at the 14:15 and 15:08 marks, respectively.

In the second stanza, Indiana regained the lead at the 9:44 mark and was able to hold the advantage for two minutes, 27 seconds before the Steel’s Alex Roos tied the contest, sending it to overtime.

Morgan scored at the 1:50 mark in overtime to give the Ice their fifth home victory of the 2012-13 season.  Following the win, Indiana moves it overall record to 11-17-2, while Chicago remains in fourth place in the United States Hockey League’s Eastern Conference at 11-10-3.

Saints and Steel Battle in Penalty Filled Air

Bensenville, IL (December 15, 2012) - Joseph Widmar scored Chicago’s lone goal Saturday evening in a  7-1 loss to the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Mystique Ice Center.

Dubuque fired off 38 shots in the contest and built a comfortable 5-0 lead for itself by the end of the second period.  Guided by John Stevens’ two goals in the contest, the Fighting Saints added two more in the final period to skate away with the win.

The Steel registered 22 shots on the night and Steel goalies Alex Sakellaropoulos and Chris Nell combined for 31 saves.

Youngstown Takes Down Steel at Home

Bensenville, IL (December 9th, 2012) - Christian Heil and Ray Pigozzi scored the goals for Chicago, but the Youngstown Phantoms came into the Edge Ice Arena to defeat the Steel, 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.

Down 3-0 late in the second period, Heil scored at the 14:34 mark to make the score 3-1 going into the second intermission.  Pigozzi made the game interesting as he scored at 4:37 in the final period cut the Phantom lead to 3-2.

However, Chicago could not get any closer and the Phantoms added an empty netter with 25 seconds left on the clock to seal the victory.

Charlie O’Connor, Thomas Ebbing, Landon Smith and Alex Roos all added assists for the Steel.  Alex Sakellaropoulos made 28 saves in the loss

Steel Can't Find the Back of Net

Bensenville, IL (December 8th, 2012) – The Chicago Steel were unable to find the back of the net on Saturday night as they took on the Buccaneers at the Edge Ice Arena in front of 1974 people.

Chris Nell faced 14 shots in the first 25 minutes and was only able to stop 11 as the Buccaneers scored twice on the powerplay.  Alex Sakellaropolous relieved Nell and saved all 13 shots that he saw in the remainder of the game.

Chicago outshot the Buccaneers 30-27 but they were not able to get any by Billy Christopoulos.

Chicago Takes Home 2 More on the Road

Bensenville, IL (December 1st, 2012) – The Chicago Steel defeated the Western Conference leaders, the Waterloo Blackhawks, Saturday night 3-1 in Waterloo Iowa.

Landon Smith started the scoring for the Steel in the first period with his eighth goal of the year, coming at the 16:45 mark; Patrick Polino and Charlie O’Connor with the assists.

In the second period Charlie O’Connor got his second assist when Landon Smith scored his second of the night, his fourth since coming over from Cedar Rapids.  Thomas Ebbing also found the back of the net when he made it a 3-0 game 9:02 into the second period.

The rest of the game was all Alex Sakellaropoulos as he faced 46 shots, but Waterloo was able to sneak one by him with 1:30 remaining in the third.  Sakellaropolous earned his tenth win of the season Saturday night.

Steel Win in OT on the Road

Bensenville, IL (Novmber 30th, 2012) – Chicago’s Jeff Kubiak scored the game-winning goal in overtime Thursday evening to rescue the Steel from a late third period collapse and defeat the RoughRiders, 6-5, at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

Chicago led 2-1 at the first intermission following goals from Thomas Ebbing and Landon Smith.  The Steel increased that lead in the second stanza as Ray Pigozzi scored his fourth and fifth goal of the season to put Chicago in front 5-2 at the end of the second.

The third period saw Chicago add to their lead with Joseph Widmar’s goal at the 6:45 mark.  The Steel’s three-goal advantage did not hold however, and Cedar Rapids tallied three in last five minutes of the game to force overtime.

The Steel bent, but did not break after surrending three quick goals in regulation.  Kubiak’s overtime goal came at the 2:01 mark and Chicago escaped with the victory.

Alex Sakellaropoulos earned his ninth win of the season after a 22-save performance.

Steel Fall in Shootout

Bensenville, IL (November 24th, 2012) — The Indiana Ice earned a 5-4 shootout victory on Saturday evening at The Edge Ice Arena.  The Steel were unable to score on any of their shootout attempts, while Indiana’s Drew Smolcynski tallied the winner for the Ice.

In the first period, Landon Smith scored his first goal in a Chicago uniform to give the Steel a 1-0 lead at the 6:41 mark.  However, Indiana’s Woody Hudson scored two goals of his own, one coming on a shorthanded opportunity, as the Ice led 2-1 at the first intermission.

In the second stanza, Indy jumped in front 3-1 on Robbie Baillargeon’s goal, 21 seconds into the frame.  Chicago fought back and eventually regained the lead, 4-3, after goals by Jaccob Slavin, Christopher Dodero and Tyler Hill, respectively.

In the third, the Ice knotted the score 4-all at the 14:50 mark on Austin Ortega’s goal. No scoring in overtime lead to the shootout where the Ice capitalized and skated away with the win.

Chris Nell made 37 saves in net for Chicago in the loss.

Roos Scores Two in Steel Victory

Bensenville, IL (November 23rd, 2012) – Alex Roos scored two goals on Friday evening as the Chicago Steel earned a 4-2 victory over the Lincoln Stars at the Edge Ice Arena.

Roos scored his goals at the 16:51 mark in the first period and at 2:33 in the second as Chicago jumped to a 2-0 lead.  Lincoln cut the lead in half on a goal by Brad Hawkinson, but the Steel answered when Ray Pigozzi tallied the Steel’s third goal of the contest at the 11:03 mark in the middle period.  The Stars’ Daniel Willet made the contest 3-2 going into the second intermission.

Both teams battled back and forth in the third and Chicago fought off Lincoln’s 5-on-3 power play midway through the period.  Charlie O’Connor put the game away with an empty-net goal with 44 seconds remaining.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 31 saves in net for Chicago as he earned his eighth win of the season. 

Chicago went 2-for-4 on the powerplay, while Lincoln capitalized on one of its three opportunities with the man advantage.

Steel Fall Late in Green Bay

Bensenville, IL (November 21st, 2012) – Chicago was unable hold on to its second period lead Wednesday evening as Green Bay scored three goals in the final two periods to beat the Steel 4-3 at the Resch Center.

Thomas Ebbing, Ray Pigozzi and Charlie O’Connor scored for Chicago in the loss, and Alex Sakellaropoulos made 28 saves in the loss.  O’Connor’s goal came in the third period on a shorthanded opportunity after Biagio Lerario was sent to the box for slashing.

Steel special teams were strong against Green Bay, shutting out the Gamblers on all three of their power play chances, while Chicago went 1-for-5 with the extra attacker.

Steel Fall in Penalty Filled Air

Bensenville, IL (November 17th, 2012) – Team USA U-18 came into the Edge Ice Arena Saturday evening and delivered the Chicago Steel a 7-3 loss in front of a crowd of over 2,000 fans.

Alex Roos, Christian Heil and Christian Neumann scored the goals for the Steel, while Thomas Ebbing and Daniel McNamara provided the assists.

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 30 saves for Chicago in the loss.

Steel Searching For Offense

Bensenville, IL (November 16th, 2012) – The Green Bay Gamblers scored the game-winning goal at the 4:40 minute mark in the third period as they shutout the Chicago Steel 2-0 at The Edge Ice Arena Friday evening.

Matthew Weis notched the game-winner for the Gamblers, while teammate Trevor Olson added the empty netter with just less than three seconds on the clock.

Steel goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos made 27 saves in net, as Chicago outshot the Gamblers, 33-29, in the game.

Steel Fall Short in Indiana

Bensenville, IL (November 11th, 2012) -  Christian Heil scored two goals and goaltender Chris Nell made 36 saves, but it was not enough for Chicago as the Indiana Ice earned a 5-2 victory over the Steel on Sunday afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

Heil’s goals came midway through the third period after Indiana had already built a 3-0 lead with two goals in the first stanza and one in the second.

The Ice added to their lead later in the third period with two goals by Drew Smolcynski to put the contest away.  Indiana outshot the Steel 41-28 on the afternoon and denied Chicago on all five of its powerplay opportunities.

Steel Run Home With a Victory Against the Stampede

Bensenville, IL (November 3rd, 2012) – Chicago’s Phillip Marinaccio netted a hat trick Saturday evening as the Steel made the trek out to Sioux Falls, S.D. to defeat the Stampede, 7-4, in front of 3,500 fans at Sioux Falls Arena.

 Marinaccio scored his first goal of the contest with just over two minutes left in the opening period; and then followed up with a goal in the second period at the 17:27 mark and in the third with an empty netter with 40 seconds left in the game.

Chicago, which was playing without defenseman Jaccob Slavin and forward Thomas Ebbing who are at the World Junior A Challenge, put up seven goals despite being outshot 44-24 on the evening.  Steel goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos made 40 saves in net to move his record to 7-1-1 in 2012-13.

The Steel’s Patrick Polino got his team on the board at 2:09 in the first stanza and then Christopher Dodero made the score 2-0 Chicago a little under seven minutes later.

Sioux Falls tied it up 2-2 at the 15:54 mark in the first, but Joel Benson and Marinaccio put the Steel ahead 4-2 going into the first intermission.

The Stampede were unable to crawl back from the first period deficit and Chicago continued  to pad its lead in the final two periods with goals from Alex Roos and two more from Marinaccio.

Steel Sweep Weekend

Bensenville, IL (October 28th, 2012) – The Steel went 2-0 on their weekend trip out west to Fargo, N.D. and Sioux City, Iowa after defeating the Force 4-3 on Friday and the Musketeers 2-1 on Saturday. 

Chicago is now 7-2-1 on the season and currently sitting in third place in the United States Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.

Christian Heil scored two goals in the first period on Friday, while Thomas Ebbing and Alex Roos tallied one of their own for the Steel in the third.  Roos’ goal at the 18:09 mark proved to be the game winner for the Steel.  Alex Sakellaropoulos made 40 saves against the Force as the Steel were outshot 43-27 in the contest.

On Saturday, Heil continued his goal-scoring streak by notching the first goal of the game at the 7:11 mark in the third stanza to put the Steel up 1-0.  Chicago, which allowed 46 shots to the Musketeers on Saturday, received the game-winning goal from Phillip Marinaccio with 3:08 left.  Chris Nell earned the win for Chicago after turning away 45 Sioux City shots.

Heil’s eight goals on the season put him in second place in the USHL; he trails only Fargo’s Gabe Guertler who has registered nine goals so far in the 2012-13 campaign.

The Steel are back on the road this weekend when they head to Sioux Falls to take on the Stampede on Saturday.  Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. 

Muskegon Takes Down Steel At The Edge

Bensenville, IL (October 20th, 2012) —It didn’t take long for the Muskegon Lumberjacks to prove why they are one of the top teams in the United States Hockey League Eastern Division. The Jacks flexed their muscle Saturday evening and skated past the Chicago Steel 4-0 at The Edge Ice Arena.

Muskegon scored with 59 seconds left in the first period on a goal by Chad McDonald. McDonalds’ goal sparked the Jacks as his squad put three more up early in the second to go up 4-0 at the 6:56 mark.

The Steel were unable to fight back after Muskegon’s second period scoring barrage. Alex Sakellaropoulos made 14 saves in the loss and was replaced by backup goalie Chris Nell with 33:44 left on the clock.

Chicago moves to 5-2-1 on the season, while Muskegon improves its record to 7-0-1.

Steel Take Tough Loss in OT

Bensenville, IL (October 19th, 2012) — Three goals by the Chicago Steel in the first period were not enough Friday night as Muskegon recovered from its early woes to battle back for a 4-3 overtime victory at L.C. Walker Arena.

Thomas Ebbing, Phil Marinaccio and Christian Heil scored at 1:01, 4:41 and 15:01, respectively for Chicago as it had a comfortable 3-0 lead going into the first intermission.

Muskegon’s Adam Gilmour, a fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, finally got his side on the board at the 5:30 mark in the second.

Goals by Carter Foguth and Ben Foster in the third stanza sent the game into overtime, where Max Shuart won it for Muskegon with one minute, 15 seconds left in overtime .

Alex Sakellaropoulos made 41 saves for Chicago in the loss, while the Jacks outshot the Steel, 45-37, in the contest.

Steel Put Up 9 Against USA

Bensenville, IL (October 13, 2012) -Alex Roos tallied two goals and an assist Saturday evening as the Chicago Steel earned a 9-5 win against Team USA U-17 at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

Twelve Steel players saw their names highlighted in the scoring column, with Mackenzie MacEachern (1g, 2a), Thomas Ebbing (1g, 2a), Ray Pigozzi (1g, 2a), Biagio Lerario (3a) and Roos all contributing multiple points in the victory.  Steel goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos earned his fifth victory of the United States Hockey League season as his squad moved to 5-1-0 in 2012-13.

Chicago held a 5-4 lead going into the second intermission, but opened the game up in the third with four unanswered goals in the first ten minutes of the period.  The Steel outshot USA, 20-8, in the final stanza and had a 45-31 advantage for the game.

Saturday’s contest was quite a different story from the previous night, when both squads were even in the shots department, 37-37, and Chicago needed a late goal by MacEachern to beat USA 4-3.  Heil, who opened up the scoring both evenings for the Steel, didn’t have to wait long on Saturday as he put his team up 1-0 at the 5:12 mark in the first period.

MacEachern Scores Game Winner In OT

Bensenville, IL (October 12th, 2012) – It was quite the homecoming for the Chicago Steel’s Mackenzie MacEachern, who returned to compete in his native state of Michigan for the first time this season on Friday evening.  MacEachern scored the game-winning goal with one minute, 17 seconds left in overtime to give the Steel a 4-3 victory over Team USA U-17 at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

MacEachern also tallied two assists against USA as Chicago recovered from an early 2-0 deficit.  The 6-foot-3, 180-pound forward and a 2012 third-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, leads his squad in points (2g, 5a) through the first five games of the season following his goal and two assist performance on Friday.

After falling behind by two goals at the 1:48 mark of the second stanza, Chicago’s Christian Heil cut the USA lead in half at 6:58 and just over a minute later, Jeff Kubiak knotted the game 2-all.  Daniel McNamara and Danny Fetzer assisted on Heil’s goal, while Alex Roos and MacEachern helped on Kubiak’s game-tying goal.

In the third, the Steel grabbed a 3-2 lead when Thomas Ebbing added his second goal of the season at the 4:45 mark.  Roos and MacEachern provided the assists.  Chicago was unable to hold the lead as USA answered back with one from Dakota Joshua at 8:37.

Then in overtime, MacEachern guided the Steel to their first road win of the United States Hockey League season.

Alex Sakellaropoulos improved his record to 4-0-0 after a 34 save performance against USA.  Chicago and USA both fired of 37 shots in the contest.

Roos Nets Overtime Winner

Bensenville, IL (October 7th, 2012) – Alex Roos’ overtime goal with 17 seconds remaining, powered the Steel past the Green Bay Gamblers, 4-3, at The Edge Ice Arena on Saturday Evening.

A scoreless contest came to an end in the second period when Tim Davison scored at the 4:51 mark to put the Steel ahead, 1-0.  Green Bay came back to take the lead 2-1 later in the second stanza on goals by Kyle Novak and Barrett Kaib at 9:33 and 11:30, respectively.

Chicago fired back in the third on Mackenzie MacEachern’s powerplay goal six minutes, 57 seconds into the period.  Charlie O’Connor, who had just returned to the game after spending several minutes in the locker room following a check from behind that left him shaken up, scored 35 seconds after MacEachern’s goal to give the Steel a 3-2 lead.

However, Green Bay’s Nicholas Schilkey notched the game-tying goal to send the game into overtime with 2:53 left in the third period.

In overtime, Roos put the game away with his breakaway goal with 17 seconds left on the clock to seal the win for Chicago.  Phillip Marinaccio tallied two assists in the win for the Steel, while Ali Thomas, Jaccob Slavin, Sam Piazza and Jeff Kubiak registered an assist of their own.

Alex Sakellaropoulos had 41 saves in the game for the Steel and Green Bay’s Cam Hackett stopped 29 Steel shots.   The Gamblers outshot the Steel 44-33 in the game.

Steel Drop First Game Of 2012-2013 Season

Bensenville, IL (October 5th, 2012) – The Muskegon Lumberjacks handed the Chicago Steel their first loss of the season Friday evening, as the Jacks used two third period goals to propel themselves past the Steel, 3-1, at The Edge Ice Arena.

In the first period, Muskegon’s Brandon Flood scored at the 14:16 mark to give his squad a 1-0 lead.

The Steel evened the contest, 1-1, early in the second stanza on Christian Heil’s second goal of the season. Heil scored 43 seconds into the period on the powerplay.  His goal was unassisted.

In the third, the Lumberjacks took a 3-1 lead after Chris Leibinger’s power play goal at 7:47 and Tyler Heinonen’s score at the 12:00 mark.  Chicago did have it chances in the final period, but could not capitalize as Muskegon skated out of Bensenville with the victory.

Chris Nell made 29 saves in goal for Chicago, while Muskegon’s Kevin Lindskoug stopped 36 Chicago shots.

Steel Stay Hot At Home

Bensenville, IL (September 29th, 2012) – Christian Heil scored two goals and Alex Sakellaropoulos turned away 44 shots for Chicago on Saturday as the Steel beat the Tri-City Storm, 4-2, at The Edge Ice Arena.

Chicago starts the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 season, when it won its first three games out of the gate.

The Steel fell behind in the first period after Tri-City’s Trevor Moore scored at the 1:15 mark into the game. Thomas Ebbing tied the game at 18:35 in the period and the game was tied 1-all going into the intermission.

In the second period, the Storm jumped ahead when Garrett Gamez put one past Sakellaropoulos at the 7:10 mark.  The Steel responded just over four minutes later on a power play goal by Phillip Marinaccio.  Marinaccio’s goal energized the Steel and Heil scored his first of the game, 53 seconds later.

In the third, Heil notched his second goal at the 18:28 mark.  The 4-2 deficit proved too much for Tri-City to overcome and the Steel won their second straight game to start the 2012-13 campaign.

Steel special teams shut down all five of Tri-City’s power play opportunities.  The Storm outshot Chicago, 46-42, in the game.

Mackenzie MacEachern provided two assists in the contest for Chicago, while teammates Christian Neumann, Heil, Alex Roos, Jaccob Slavin, Charlie O’Connor and Johnny Wingels all had one assist.

Steel Start Season With Big Win At Home

Bensenville, IL (September 28th, 2012) – Alex Sakellaropoulos made 33 saves for Chicago as the Steel received goals from Danny Fetzer, Tim Davison and Alex Roos in their 3-2 win against the Indiana Ice Friday evening at the Edge Ice Arena.

Chicago trailed in the first period, 1-0, when Bo Pieper scored at 10:06 for Indiana.

In the second period, Chicago answered with Fetzer’s goal at the 2:52 mark and then went ahead when Davison put one away at 7:37.

Chicago grabbed a two-goal lead, 3-1, after Roos scored, three minutes, 51 seconds into the third stanza.  Indiana bounced back with their second goal of the game on Tyler Pham’s goal at 9:03.  Pham’s score was the last one Sakellaropoulos surrendered on the evening and Chicago skated away with the one-goal victory.