Week 3 of the USHL schedule features a loaded slate of games as the Eastern Conference leaders and several Western Conference rivals will battle. It may be mid-October, but key points are on the line and intensity will be at the forefront.

Here’s a look at the week ahead.

Chicago (4-2-0) at USNTDP (3-1-0), Oct. 14  & Oct. 15, 7:05 p.m. ET

The Eastern Conference’s top two teams in the standings will meet in Plymouth, Mich., at USA Hockey Arena as the U.S. National Under-17 Team will play host to the Chicago Steel.

Last Friday, the Steel dropped a home game to Dubuque, 6-4, but bounced back with a 6-4 win at Madison. Chicago is the USHL’s most potent team with 26 goals in six games. Seven of those 26 have come from Nicholas Moldenhauer, who leads the USHL in scoring. The 2022 Toronto pick (third-round, 95th overall) netted a hat trick in the win over Madison.

MOLDENHAUER REGISTERS FIRST USHL HAT TRICK IN WILD 6-4 WIN OVER MADISON

Chicago and Madison combine for six third-period goals as Steel hold off defending Eastern Conference champs

Postgame Central: https://t.co/SLjinrm7so#FeelSteel pic.twitter.com/O4clEdNrp7

— Chicago Steel (@ChicagoSteel) October 9, 2022

Team USA was off last weekend and hasn’t played since Oct. 1, a 6-3 win at Cedar Rapids by the U17s. The younger of the NTDP's two teams has been led by James Hagens and Will Skahan in USHL play so far. Skahan was named USHL defenseman of the week last week with two goals and two assists in two games.

Manwhile, the NTDP's U18 squad has won four straight games at the college level over Michigan State, Notre Dame, Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech. The U-18s, which has not yet lost against any level of competition this season, will return to the USHL at the end of October.

Muskegon (3-2-0) at Green Bay (2-2-1), Oct. 14 & Oct. 15, 7:05 p.m. CT

Muskegon and Green Bay may be the most intriguing set of games this weekend. Muskegon comes in fresh off a home sweep of Cedar Rapids – 3-2 in overtime and 6-2.  Green Bay fell at Madison last Friday, 4-3, but the Gamblers are still fourth in the Eastern Conference. That's right behind Muskegon, putting four key points on the line in this series.

?Jacks Win?

How SWEEP was that ??

Have a SmoothRide home Muskegon ?

— Muskegon Lumberjacks (@MuskegonJacks) October 9, 2022

The Lumberjacks have relied on potent scoring through five games, averaging 4.2 goals per game, the second-most behind Chicago. Muskegon is led by Omaha commit Ethan Whitcomb (4-1-5), Buffalo Sabres pick Jake Richard (3-3-6) and North Dakota commit Sacha Boisvert (3-2-5).

Green Bay has done it the opposite way, winning a pair of low-scoring contests. The Gamblers beat Chicago 2-1 earlier this month and have scored just 10 goals in five games. They’ll need that same style to work this weekend.

Lincoln (3-1-0) at Tri-City (3-1-0), Oct. 15, 6:05 p.m. CT

Lincoln and Tri-City are tied with Sioux Falls atop the Western Conference. The Stars and Storm will meet Friday night in Lincoln, but they’ll close out the back-to-back two hours to the west.

Saturday’s game will be Tri-City’s home opener as the Storm had their initial one postponed. Tri-City won at Omaha last Friday, 4-3, but suffered a 4-1 loss at Waterloo on Saturday. The loss was Tri-City’s first of the season.

However, the Stars come into this weekend riding the momentum of a 6-1 win over Omaha.

The first rivalry matchup of the season goes to the Stars. Recap ⬇️https://t.co/lu9WM3idtr

— Lincoln Stars (@LincolnStars) October 9, 2022

Lincoln has been led by Mason Marcellus (2-5-7) and Keaton Peters (3-1-4), who scored twice in the win over the Lancers. Goaltender Lucas Massie was sharp as well, turning aside 21 of the 22 shots he saw in his USHL debut. A pair of wins could give either side sole possession of the Western Conference lead.

Fargo (2-1-1) at Sioux Falls (3-1-0), Oct. 15, 6:05 p.m. CT

It’s a rematch in the Dakotas as Sioux Falls left Fargo victorious last Saturday. Down 2-0 at the start of the third period, Eric Rud’s club rallied for a 4-3 shootout win. The Stampede have now won three straight and head into this weekend tied atop the Western Conference.

Sioux Falls has been one of the biggest surprises, but the Stampede are firing on all cylinders early on.

Fargo’s Anton Castro, the reigning USHL Goaltender of the Week, turned aside 23 of the 26 shots he saw in the shootout loss. Castro is 1-1-1 with a .929 save percentage on the season. He’ll be key once again.

News and notes

• All 16 USHL teams will be in action this weekend and 12 of the 16 will play twice. Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque and Sioux Falls are the outliers.
• Youngstown (1-1-0) will host Madison on Thursday and Friday. The Phantoms are the only USHL team yet to play since the Fall Classic.
• Sioux City dropped its home opener to Des Moines last Saturday. The Musketeers are the only team without a win through three games. Sioux City hosts Fargo this Friday and will play at Omaha on Saturday. The Lancers dropped both of their games last weekend.
• Cedar Rapids gave up nine goals to Muskegon last weekend. The RoughRiders have allowed a league-worst 30 goals in six games.
• Chicago has the USHL’s top three point leaders: Moldenhauer (9), Jack Harvey (8) and Mick Thompson (8).
• Dubuque’s Ryan St. Louis netted a pair of goals and added an assist in the win at Chicago last Friday. St. Louis is now tied for fourth in goals (4) on the season.
• Moldenhauer was named the USHL's forward of the week after scoring four goals last weekend. Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Aaron Pionk earned defenseman of the week honors with a two-goal performance last weekend. Lastly, Muskegon Lumberjacks netminder Conor Callaghan earned goalie of the week honors for backstopping a weekend sweep of Cedar Rapids.

Congratulations to the Week 3 USHL Players of the Week! #StarsRise https://t.co/zIApFqFDgh pic.twitter.com/onjY2hiCe0

— USHL (@USHL) October 12, 2022