Team USA 5, Chicago 4
The Chicago Steel traveled to Plymouth, MI to take on Team USA U18, this past Friday, and lost a hard-fought contest 5–4. The loss snapped a seven-game win streak for Chicago. Newly acquired winger Josiah Slavin, a Chicago Blackhawks’ draft pick last season, scored twice to lead the Steel.
Team USA found the scoresheet first when forward Michael Gildon scored his seventh goal of the season. The Ohio State commit’s goals was assisted by defensemen Case McCarthy and Marshall Warren.
5⃣0⃣0⃣ goals later…@MichaelGildon does the honor: pic.twitter.com/iBmZsoulkX
— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) February 2, 2019
Just over a minute later, Chicago tied the game when Slavin tipped home a goal from a nice set up by Jimmy Dowd. Robert Mastrosimone set up the play with a nice cross-ice pass to Dowd. Slavin found himself in front of the net for the tip-in.
Josiah Slavin is on 🔥🔥🔥 with his new team!@ChicagoSteel #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/y6KnIdIX5a
— USHL (@USHL) February 2, 2019
At the 11:31 mark of the first period, Team USA took a 2–1 lead when forward Judd Caulfield scored his first goal of the season. Caulfield would not be done on the scoresheet, however. The North Dakota commit assisted on Danny Weight’s fifth goal of the season, midway through the second period, to give Team USA a 3 – 1 advantage.
Weight for it … 😉@dannyweight extends Team USA's lead to 3-1 after a slap pass from Judd Caulfield!#NTDP |#USAvsCHI pic.twitter.com/DYoF8UVgRy
— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) February 2, 2019
Chicago scored at the 8:06 mark of the second period to cut the lead to one, when Neil Shea buried home his tenth goal of the season, from a nice pass by Mastrosimone.
Robert Mastrosimone makes it happen, even when tightly defended 👀🦆
Neil Shea finishes it off!@ChicagoSteel #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/wXyq99ObyT
— USHL (@USHL) February 2, 2019
Weight would score his second of the night, sixth of the season, unassisted at the 12:13 mark of the period to extend the lead back to two for Team USA.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine responded with a pretty goal of his own, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Ville Rasanen and Jake Schmaltz. Fontaine has played excellent this season, so much so, the RPI commit should begin to receive more attention from NHL scouts.
https://twitter.com/ryanphardy/status/1091886643961884673
Chicago tied the game at the 1:07 mark in the third period when Slavin scored his second goal of the game, thirteenth of the season. The Steel would find some nice chances after the Slavin goal but could not put another goal on the board.
Team USA would strike last last, at the 8:46 mark, to take the 5–4 lead and hang on for the victory. The goal, scored by Boston University commit Alex Vlasic, was assisted by Alex Turcotte and Matthew Boldy.
Chicago goaltender Reilly Herbst made 26 saves on the night. Even though this is not a team looking for moral victories, as the Steel are a legit contender for the Clark Cup, Chicago was a bounce away from taking a game from the Team USA U18 on the road.
Chicago 4, Youngstown 0
The Steel returned home on Saturday for a spirited contest with the Youngstown Phantoms. Chicago kept their cool as the Phantoms tried to play a physical game, which helped lead the home team to an impressive 4–0 game.
Chicago goaltender Justin Robbins stopped all 23 Phantom shots. The Quinnipiac commit was not tested early, as he faced on shot through the first half of the first period, but came up big when needed.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored first for the Steel, at the 6:53 mark of the first period, when the East Greenwich, RI native roofed a shot over the glove of Phantom’s goaltender Chad Veltri. The power play goal, assisted by Adam Robbins and John Spetz, gave Fontaine the first of two goals tonight.
Hard work by @ChicagoSteel in the corners leads to this beauty by Gunnarwolfe Fontaine! 👏 #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/4bMIxRxD9N
— USHL (@USHL) February 3, 2019
Chicago scored less than a minute later when Owen Powers fired a shot past Veltri, scoring his fifth goal of the season. The hulking University of Michigan commit’s goal was assisted Cole Quisenberry and Luke Reid.
At the 3:06 mark of the second period, Chicago took a 3–0 lead on a pretty goal by Robert Mastrosimone. The goal gave Mastrosimone 17 goals on the season, and the #5 play on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays.
Here's #WeAreSteel forward Robert Mastrosimone (@rmastro9424) making @SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays at #5! pic.twitter.com/iFqlKY4vOE
— Chicago Steel (@ChicagoSteel) February 3, 2019
Chicago added the final goal of the game in the third period when Fontaine scored on the power play, set up by Dowd.
The shutout victory moved the Steel record to 25–13–1–0 (51 points) and strengthened their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference over the Phantoms by nine points.