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The Steel Deal: Chicago Splits at Tri-City, Beats Omaha

  
The Steel Deal: Chicago Beats USA, Drops Two On Road
The Chicago Steel prepare for Games 3 and 4 this weekend against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. (Photograph courtesy of Chicago Steel)

Tri-City 5, Chicago 3

The Chicago Steel fell to the Tri-City Storm on Friday night 5–3. The Steel jumped out to a 3–2 lead but could not answer the Storm’s three unanswered goals.

Defenseman Zac Jones put the Storm up 1–0 with his sixth goal of the season. Jones beat Steel goaltender Justin Robbins through a tough screen in front.

Robert Mastrosimone answered back with his 21st goal on the season, his eighth in eleven games, after finishing off a nice play by defenseman John Spetz. Forward Cole Quisenberry also assisted on the play.

Twenty-three seconds later, the Storm retook the lead after forward Joe Berg beat Robbins for his sixth goal of the season. Chicago was outshot in the first period 14–8 as the Storm led 2–1 at the first intermission.

Chicago came storming out of the intermission with two goals in the first 8:11 of the second period. First, forward Nick Abruzzese scored his 21st goals of the year, tying Mastrosimone for the team lead, on a goal assisted by defenseman Luke Reid and forward Neil Shea. The second goal came of the stick of Spetz, his sixth of the season, assisted by Mathieu De St. Phalle.

That would be all she wrote for the Steel on the scoresheet. The Storm answered back less than a minute after the Steel took the lead and led 4–3 after two periods of play. The final Storm goal was an empty net goal, sealing the Steel’s fate.

Chicago 4, Tri-Storm 3

A short memory is a good quality for a team on the road, playing a back-to-back at the USHL leading Tri-City Storm. Chicago took an early 2 – 0 lead in the second period of play, then let the lead slip away at 3 – 2, before finishing off the Storm in overtime 4 – 3.

Forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine opened the scoring, at the 6:33 mark of the second period, for his 17th goal, assisted by Reid. Just over three minutes later, Shea connecting with defenseman Matteo Pietroniro for this twelfth goal on the season. Chicago looked to be in control of the tight fought game, however, the Storm answered back with three goals of their own.

With the score 3–2 in favor of the Storm, John Spetz scored at the 17:35 mark of the third period to tie the game and force overtime.

In overtime, Spetz scored again, at the 1:08 mark, to give the Steel a split on the road. Both goals were assisted by Pietroniro, Mastrosimone and Justin Robbins, respectively.

Chicago 3, Omaha 2

Forced to move the game back a few hours because of inclement weather, the Steel beat the Omaha Lancers 2–1 behind 24 saves by goaltender Reilly Herbst, topping of a successful road trip out west.

Forward Jake Schmaltz started the scoring for the Steel when he buried a shot past Omaha goaltender Akira Schmid. The goal, Schamltz’s third on the season, was assisted by Fontaine and Shea.

The Lancers tied the score early in the second period, only to have the Steel score the game winner at the 4:56 mark of the second period. Josh Groll scored his seventh on the season. The goal was set up by a nice play from Quisenberry.

The Steel are back in action in Dubuque, Friday March 1, at 7:05 p.m. and play the following night at Fox Valley Arena against the same Fighting Saints, also a 7:05 p.m. puck drop. The Steel home game will be the 2nd Annual Weiner Dog Races, followed by a post-game skate with the Steel.

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