NEW ULM — There have been a lot of great wins in the Steel’s now 13-game winning streak, the longest in the NA3HL this season.

But none may have been as impressive as the Steel’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Granite City this past Saturday night on the Lumberjacks’ home ice.

New Ulm was down 1-0 to Granite City in the third period before scoring two goals just over three minutes apart to come away with the win in a big game for both teams.

“Granite got an early goal in the game on a redirection, but after that, Igor (Samokhvalov, Steel goalie) shut the door and kept us in the game,” Steel head coach Zach Stepan said. “We found a way to score on late goals from Keegan Bauman and Joey Gimberlin on a great pass from Mason Enright.”

Stepan said that the team knew going into the game how big a win would be.

“We knew going into that game that it was going to have to be played like a playoff game,” Steel coach Zach Stepan said. “Realistically there is a good chance that we may play them in the first round of the playoffs, so we are going to have to find a way to win one game in their building and that was the message that was sent last Saturday. If we cannot find a way to beat them on their ice, we are not going to be able to beat them in the playoffs.”

The Steel now look to make it 14 straight wins Friday night when they host Willmar at the New Ulm Civic Center in an NA3HL contest.

“The team is very confident now.” Stepan said. “There is always that worry about a letdown, especially after that win Saturday. That is human nature, but I think for our guys now it is to a point now where we are on a roll and we are playing consistent hockey. Everyone knows their job and does it and they understand that. If we keep playing like we are, we are going to be a hard team to beat.

“We will talk about that in practice this week that we cannot let teams hang around. If we go down to Willmar or Alexandria, our credibility goes down a little bit. There is a lot left on the table for us, and realistically, depending on how Granite City does, there is still a chance for us to finish in second place.”

The Lumberjacks lead New Ulm by 7 points.

“It is a long shot, but we have to play for that,” Stepan added.

The Steel were without three players early this week in defensemen Teddy Lillico and Tommy Broten and forward Stanislav Danaev. All three were in Boston for the Top Prospects Tournament on the West Division team.

The West Division went 3-0, with Danaev scoring two goals in the three games and Broten finishing with four assists in three games.

All will be back in New Ulm for Friday night’s home game.

“We will manage their time on the ice Friday,” Stepan said.

Friday is also “Wheelborg Chevrolet of New Ulm Night” at the New Ulm Civic Center.