The Youngstown Phantoms (16-23-4, 36pts) beat the Chicago Steel 6-0 behind an 18 save performance by Jordan Tibbett on Friday night at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms had six players record a multiple point game and they were lead by a three point (1g,2a) performance by Stu Higgins.

The Phantoms got on the board four minutes into the game during their first power play of the night. Jiri Sekac was able to beat Chicago netminder Connor Wilson, on the glove hand side after a pass by Ty Loney found Sekac wide open on the near post. Sekac tallied his fourteenth goal of the season and Loney and Cody Strang were credited with the assists. The Phantoms would add their second goal of the opening frame, as Scott Mayfield found the back of the net over the right shoulder of Wilson to increase the Phantoms lead to two.Mayfield recorded his fifth goal of the season and Strang tallied his second assist of the game.

The Phantoms would increase their lead five minutes into the second period after Adam Berkle deked out Wilson and put a wrist shot in the net to give the Phantoms their third consecutive goal. Berkle recorded his sixth goal of the season and Stu Higgins and Nilan Nagy were credited with the assists. The Phantoms continued to dominate on the power play when Loney found the back of the net on a deflection that put the Phantoms up by four. Loney’s goal was his seventeenth of the season and Sekac tallied the assist, his second point of the game. A minute later, the Phantoms scored on their third consecutive power play as Ryan Belonger put a slap shot past Wilson right off the face off win by Higgins. Higgins was given the assist on the play giving him two points with six minutes left in the middle frame. With three power play goals, the Phantoms headed into the intermission up 5-0.

“It was uncertainty, a feeling we have not had much this season,” said Phantoms Head Coach Curtis Carr. “We have played so many close games this season and going into the last period up by five goals was something new. I was very happy the way we responded in that last period.”

The Phantoms scored their fourth power play goal of the contest at 10:48 of the third period when Higgins put a wrist shot past the blocker hand of Wilson to go up 6-0. Higgins’ goal gave him three points on the night and he was one of five other Phantoms with a multi-point game, Berkle (1g,1a), Sekac (1g,1a), Loney (1g,1a), Mayfield (1g,1a) and Strang (2a). The 18 save shutout by Tibbett was the Phantoms first of the season and their first since entering the USHL.

“We played a good, team game,” said Tibbett. “Getting the zero on the board was really the icing on the cake. I got a lot of help from my forwards and defenseman and all I had to do was make my routine saves.”

The Phantoms take on the visiting Muskegon Lumberjacks (17-18-8,42pts) tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms and Lumberjacks will once again face off in what has become an intense rivalry this season. The Phantoms will meet the Lumberjacks for the seventh and final time this season tomorrow night. Youngstown and Muskegon have split the previous six meetings 3-3 with one of the Phantoms wins coming in overtime. Loney (4g,2a) and Jordan Young (6a) are each tied with a team leading six points against the Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks come into tomorrow winless in their last four games.

“Tonight we learned that we can be very successful when we stick to our game plan for a full sixty minutes,” said Carr. “Even when we got up by two or three goals we stayed within the system and played our team game. Tonight can be a turning point to reinforce how important it is to play within our system.”