The Eastern Conference champion Chicago Steel are tied 1-1 in a best-of-five Clark Cup Final championship series with the Sioux City Musketeers. As the series shifts back to Illinois for Game 3 at 7:05 p.m. on Friday night, Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to puck drop. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a Chicago Steel Clark Cup Final rally towel. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets start at just $10 when purchased in advance and parking is always free for Steel games.
"We can't think of a better way to energize our crowd and celebrate our first Clark Cup Final home game than to have Jim perform the Star-Spangled Banner," said Steel President Dan Lehv. "The buzz around this team's first run to a Clark Cup Final has been electric and this adds to the excitement and anticipation for this weekend's games."
Game 3 of the Clark Cup Final will mark the third time the award-winning Cornelison has performed the national anthem at a Steel hockey game in Geneva after appearing at the team's Chicago Blackhawks Night each of the past two seasons. The baritone-turned-tenor regularly performs the national anthem at the United Center, pumping up the crowd at the start of Blackhawks home games. He first sang for the Blackhawks in 1996, making part-time appearances before joining the team on a full-time basis in 2007. Cornelison will also perform later this month at the Indianapolis 500.
Following new team all-time records in wins (38) and points (81), the Steel earned their first visit to the Clark Cup Playoffs in nine seasons (2007-2008), entering the playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago defeated the Youngstown Phantoms, three games to two, in the conference semifinals, before knocking off the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Dubuque Fighting Saints, three games to one, to secure an opportunity to play for the first Clark Cup in team history.
This past weekend at Sioux City, the Steel fell Friday in Game 1, 5-4 in overtime, before soaring to a 5-1 win in Game 2 Saturday to even the series. The winner of Friday's Game 3 in Geneva will have a chance to lift the Clark Cup in Game 4, also at Fox Valley Ice Arena, on Saturday, May 20. If a Game 5 is needed, the series will shift back to Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on Tuesday, May 23 at 7:05 p.m.
For tickets or more information, call 855-51-STEEL, stop by the Box Office at Fox Valley Ice Arena or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
See how the Steel made it to the Clark Cup Final by checking out the USHL Playoff Hub.