By Jim Bastian

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM — The New Ulm Steel prepare to end their regular season play this weekend with a two-game series this Saturday night and again Sunday afternoon in Peoria, Illinois in NA3HL regular-season games.

The Steel (29-13-2-1) are penciled in as the No. 3 team in the West Division for postseason play, with Peoria (23-18-1-3) already penciled in as the No. 4 seed in the Central Division.

No matter how the Steel fare this weekend, they know that they will be meeting Granite City — the No. 2 team in the West Division — in the first round of the NA3HL playoffs.

New Ulm will be at Granite City on Friday, March 13 and then host the Lumberjacks for Game 2 on Saturday, March 14 for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.

The Minnesota State Bantam “B” and PeeWee “B” tournaments are also in New Ulm that weekend.

Game 3, if necessary, would be Sunday at Granite City.

“The players are gearing up and getting ready for the playoffs,” Steel coach Zach Stepan said. “And playoffs are a whole new different monster. When a team clinches a playoff spot, they know they have an extended season. But once you hit playoffs, you know it is do or die.”

The Steel have gone 2-4 against Granite City in the regular season but have won their last two meetings.

“Those games are never easy and that first game there is 100% the most important,” Stepan said. “If you come out with a win in that first game, it gets you rolling.”

But first the Steel have to deal with a 998-mile round trip to Peoria for two games after dropping two straight games to Alexandria that snapped a 15-game winning streak.

“I think that the losses probably brought us back to earth.” Stepan said. “What our guys accomplished as a team with that winning streak was a big feat. The losses allow us to reset and re-evaluate on what we need to do to consistently win hockey games.”

With the two games in Peoria meaningless for either team in regards to postseason play, Stepan said that the games will be more of a mental battle.

“The games do not mean much, but it will allow us to get on a roll going into the playoffs.”

Fans are reminded that their season tickets are not good for playoff games here.