Archive for the ‘Phantoms’ Category

The Youngstown Phantoms had their home opener against the Des Moines Buccaneers on Friday night at the Covelli Centre.  The fans who attended were treated to an outstanding hockey game that saw 17-year old prospect Austin Cangelosi score a third period powerplay goal and later add an empty-net score to boost the home team to a 4-2 victory.  The victory marks the first time in their three-year history that the Phantoms won a home opener.

The Bucs got on the board 4:31 after the opening puck dropped.  Trent Samuels-Thomas found the back of the net beating Phantoms goaltender Matt O’Conner from short range. Drake Caggiula and Duggie Lagrone picked up assists for the Bucs on the goal.

The Phantoms (2-1-0) tied the game at 1-1 later in the first period.  Mike Ambrosia scored his second goal of the young season, beating Des Moines goalee Jason Karsdorf. The goal came at the 8:17 mark and Kevin Liss picked up an assist, his first of the season.

Before intermission, Des Moines (1-2-1) reclaimed the lead, 2-1, when Caggiula tallied his second point of the night on a powerplay goal. Samuels-Thomas picked up the assist for the Buccaneers who outshot the Phantoms 12-10 in the opening period.

A funny thing happened before the game started.  I was on the glass grabbing pictures of some of the new Phantoms and an older woman was smacking the glass and screaming.  I informed her in a polite way that the game had not started yet.  She said she was cheering for her grandson to have a good game.  The woman turned out to be the grandmother of Sam Anas (above).  She informed me that she was 80 years old and came all the way from Washington D.C. with Sam’s parents to see the game.  I promised her a picture and got a hug.

The only goal scored in the second period was, you guessed it, a game-tying goal from Sam Anas.  The goal marked the first USHL points in the young career of Anas.  Anas made a beautiful move on the Des Moines red line and burst past a defender before beating Kasdorf with a nice backhand just outside the front of the goal crease.  The goal came at the 11:10 mark of the second and evened the score to the delight of the Phantoms faithful in attendance.

“It meant so much for me to score my first USHL goal with my family here to see it.  It was great and I could not stop smiling”, said Anas, who has made a true jump in class as he was playing high school level hockey not long ago.  “There is not just a few strong guys or a few fast guys at this level, everyone is stronger and everyone is fast. Anything you get, you have earned in this league.”

With 7:54 left in the game, Austin Cangelosi, who was all over the place on every shift the entire game, connected on a powerplay chance that gave the Phantoms a 3-2 lead.  Ryan Belonger picked up the assist on Cangelosi’s fourth goal of the season.

“We definitely had more speed and energy at the end of the periods tonight”, remarked Cangelosi.  “Our chemistry here clicks.  We hang out off of the ice and work hard together when we are on it.  I don’t know if I can keep up this torrid pace with the scoring.  If I score great, if I don’t so be it, as long as we win.”

O’Connor really buckled down between the pipes after the first period to earn the victory in net for the Phantoms, making 30 saves on the 32 shots he faced.

With seven seconds left, Cangelosi tallied an empty-netter with the goalee pulled on a breakaway to ice the game.  Ambrosia snagged another point with an assist.

Coach Anthony Noreen talked about keeping his team composed facing a 2-1 deficit after the first period.  “The first period is over is what I told them.  Let’s look forward to the second period and stick to our game plan.  Let’s outhit them, out forecheck, out back check, and beat them to the puck.  Our plan is threefold.  Number one, we strive to be the most conditioned team in the league.  Number two, we talk about keeping the game uptempo and constantly moving the puck forward.  Finally, we refuse to lose. Refuse to lose the puck, refuse to lose battles, and our guys did a much better job tonight with that stuff later in the game.”

These same two teams will hook up again tomorrow night at the Covelli Centre.

The Chicago Steel guaranteed their fans a win Friday night at the Edge Ice Arena and those fans got one, just not from the hometown team. The Youngstown Phantoms got a pair of goals from center Austin Cangelosi and goaltender Matthew O’Connor turned away everything he faced en route to a 3-0 win.

The game also marked the first career regular season win for Head Coach Anthony Noreen.

“The guys who earned it were the guys in the locker room,” Noreen said. “The players bought in to what the coaches were selling and it’s really their victory.”

After digging themselves a hole early last week, the Phantoms struck first against Chicago. While short-handed, Cangelosi stole the puck off Steel defender Ryan Trentz’s stick and went streaking on goal for a breakaway. The Estero, Fla. native brought the puck from forehand to backhand before roofing it on goaltender Mathias Dahlstrom to give the Phantoms the lead with 2:07 remaining in the period.  It was Cangelosi’s second goal of the season, and second on the penalty kill.

“I’m unbelievably impressed with Austin as a player but I’m even more impressed with him as a person,” Noreen said. “The character he’s shown has earned him the success he’s had.”

The Phantoms would carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but not after a line brawl with 15.7 seconds remaining that saw both Ryan Belonger and Ryan Lowney sent off for fighting. Belonger was tacked with an instigator call for his part in the fight and was ejected for the game.

Despite starting the period short-handed and spending most of it with a short bench, the Phantoms continued to pressure the Steel in the second. They peppered the defense on the forecheck and with1:24 remaining, Cangelosi lit the lamp for the second time after a great feed from Mike Ambrosia and new line mate Stephen Collins, who replaced Belonger on the right wing.

O’Connor continued his sterling play in the third period as the Phantoms and Steel traded chances scoring chances. Chicago pulled it’s netminder with a minute remaining but O’Connor stood tall and Alexander Dahl unselfishly set up Richad Zehnal for an empty-netter to ice it.

“Matt was phenomenal tonight but it was really team defense that won the game,” Noreen said. “Our forwards blocked shots and the ones that got through, Matty was there to stop them.”

The Youngstown Phantoms fell behind early Friday night and could not maintain enough momentum to battle back against Team USA in their regular season opener. A slew of penalties kept many of the Phantoms’ offensive weapons off the ice for large portions of the game and Team USA was able to capitalize on their power-play opportunities to come away with the 10-3 win.

“We never really reached a level of cohesion between our lines tonight because we didn’t play very long five-on-five,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “It’s was a hard lesson that we had to learn.”

The first period started out slowly with neither team able to get an edge. That changed with less than five minutes left when Team USA broke the deadlock. The Phantoms found themselves down two men for 1:22 and were able to kill off the one penalty to make it a five-on-four, but could not finish off the other and Evan Allen beat goaltender Matthew O’Connor to put USA up 1-0. Then with 1:49 left in the period Team USA struck again when Trevor Hamilton was able to string a pass to Tyler Motte in the high slot and he put a wrist shot past O’Connor make it a 2-0 game.

Team USA opened up the second period on the power play and did not take long to capitalize. Luke Voltin put one past O’Connor just 19 seconds in. Tyler Kelleher added another power-play tally a little more than two minutes later and JT Compher tapped in a rebound to put Team USA up 5-0 with 13:00 still left in the second.

The Phantoms refused to back down and that was personified by Mike Ambrosia who put his team on the board when he simply outworked the Team USA defense and muscled it past goaltender Hunter Miska off an assist from Ryan Belonger. Ambrosia wasn’t done yet and he found linemate Austin Cangelosi open – short-handed no less – and the Boston College commit tickled the twine to make it a 5-2 game with 8:41 remaining in the period. But with Team USA back on the power play with 1:34left, Voltin added his second of the period to make it a 6-2 game heading into the second intermission.

The third period opened and once again Team USA caught the Phantoms off guard early when Compher beat Sean Romeo, who came on in relief of O’Connor in the second period. Anthony Louis added the fourth power-play goal of the night for Team USA a little more than four minutes later to stretch the lead out to 8-2. Belonger temporarily took the momentum back for the Phantoms with 7:59 remaining when he sniped a wrist shot from the top of the right circle, sending it through traffic to beat Miska high. But in the end, Team USA had built an insurmountable lead and Clint Lewis and Kelleher added late goals to secure a comfortable win.

“The biggest positive that comes out of all of this is it’s just one game,” Noreen said. “We’ve got 59 games to get better. We’re going to go back to work on Monday and be ready to play on Friday [against Chicago].”

The Youngstown Phantoms have scheduled five preseason games as they prepare for Youngstown’s third season in the United States Hockey League. The Phantoms will visit Team USA and Muskegon before heading out to Sioux City, Iowa for the 2011 USHL Fall Classic.

The Phantoms first two exhibition games will take place the weekend before the Fall Classic. The Phantoms first tune-up is against Team USA on Friday, September 16, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The rivalry between the Phantoms and the Muskegon Lumberjacks will be renewed in the pre-season on Saturday, September 17, when the Phantoms make their first trip of the year to L.C. Walker Arena. Both games will start at 7:05 p.m.

The USHL Fall Classic will run from Wednesday, September 21, through Saturday, September 24. The Phantoms will take on the Lincoln Stars and the Sioux Falls Stampede but their toughest challenge may be their Fall Classic opener against the defending Eastern Conference Champions, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

“The preseason will be the time when we set our identity,” said Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen. “We are going to develop this identity from day one. This will also be a time where we can identify which players will fit our program. Obviously some of the guys that start the preseason with us may not be there at the end of it. For me and the other coaches, all of the players, whether they are rookies or our veterans, will all be starting with the same footing. Our players need to do what is expected of them or they will not be here for opening night. We will not be concerned with the scores in the preseason, this will be our time to solidify our systems and the process that we take to win games. I know our process will work but it will take time to determine which players are willing to do what our organization wants both on and off the ice.”

Preseason Games

Friday, September 16, 2011 – Youngstown Phantoms at Team USA @ 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, September 17, 2011 – Youngstown Phantoms at Muskegon Lumberjacks @ 7:05 p.m.

USHL Fall Classic Schedule

Thursday, September 22, 2011 – Youngstown Phantoms vs Cedar Rapids RoughRiders @ 4:00 p.m.

Friday, September 23, 2011 – Youngstown Phantoms vs Sioux Falls Stampede @ 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 24, 2011 – Youngstown Phantoms vs Lincoln Stars @ 1:00 p.m.

The Phantoms kick off the 2011-12 regular season on Friday, September 30, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. against Team USA at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.  The Phantoms will open the Covelli Centre with two games against the Des Moines Buccaneers on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15, both games starting at 7:15 p.m.

The Youngstown Phantoms take great pride in announcing that Head Coach Curtis Carr has accepted an assistant coaching position with the Warriors of Merrimack College. Merrimack competes in Hockey East with the likes of Boston College, Boston University and the University of Maine.

The Phantoms and the BJ Alan Corporation continue to pride themselves on both the development of their players and their coaching professionals that have called Youngstown home. For the Phantoms, this summer has been one for the memories as Scott Mayfield was drafted into the National Hockey League, the organization’s first ever NHL selection, 34^th over by the New York Islanders, seven players attended NHL rookie developmental camps and now the organization will proudly watch as Curtis Carr becomes the first Phantoms coach to coach NCAA Division-I hockey.

“The promotion of our head coach continues to validate the program that we continue to build here in Youngstown,” said BJ Alan President and CEO Bruce J. Zoldan. “Curtis is a solid character coach and he exemplifies what we and the other members of our organization look for in both our players and coaches. We have been proud to have a person like Curtis acting as a role model for the players that we continue to develop in our system.”

Carr was named the head coach and general manager of the Phantoms on April 2, 2010 after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach within the organization. As a coach in the Phantoms system, Carr assembled a coaching record of 170-100-20 after 290 games behind the bench. Carr and the Phantoms also found post season success as they made three National Championship appearances in the North American Hockey League (2006, 2007 and 2008). Carr also found success on the college recruiting trail as 90 players under his guidance have gone on to play collegiate hockey.

“My time here in Youngstown has been outstanding,” said Carr. “I am very grateful to have worked for the Zoldan family and the entire Phantoms organization. I also want to thank Bob Mainhardt for giving me the opportunity to work as an assistant coach underneath him in both the North American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League. I was very fortunate to move into the USHL and receive the promotion to head coach in such a prominent league. For me and my family we felt like this was the right time to move on and pursue my goal of coaching Division-I hockey.”

The Phantoms now former head coach will be headed to a Merrimack program that saw great success during the 2010-11 season. Not only did the Warriors finish the season ranked tenth in the nation, they put together a 25 win season, a new Division-I school record, reached the final game of the Hockey East postseason tournament for the first time in school history and Merrimack clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998. Ranking second in Hockey East in goals, goals against and power play, Merrimack defeated every Hockey East team for the second straight season and second time ever and was ranked nationally for the final seventeen weeks of the season, reaching #4 nationally in February. The Warriors finished the season ranked tenth by both United States College Hockey Online and USA Today. Adding to the success the Warriors have seen on the ice, this past season, ten Merrimack players were named to the Hockey East All-Academic team, while the program as a whole was named a finalist for the top GPA among all Merrimack male programs.

“I am very thankful and I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to join the Merrimack program,” said Carr. ”Coach [Mark] Dennehy has done a great job over the past seven seasons and Glen Stewart has done a phenomenal job scouting the right players for their program. I am looking forward to learning from both of them as I further my coaching career.”

Scott Mayfield will be headed to Toronto at the end of May to participate in the National Hockey League’s draft combine.  Mayfield is the first Phantom and one of twelve current USHL players making the trip across the border.

The trip to the combine is not Mayfield’s first trip to an NHL event held in Toronto. Last season he took part in the NHL’s Research, Development and Orientation Camp (RDO) where he had the opportunity to skate in front of both NHL scouts and general managers.

“I am very excited to head back up to Toronto,” said Mayfield. “It will be a great opportunity to work out with the players I skated with at the RDO camp. It will also be an opportunity to see how I compare off the ice with these players.”

Mayfield dressed in 52 games and tallied seven goals and nine assists (16pts) in his second season with the Phantoms. Half of his point production came when the Phantoms were on a man advantage, three goals and five assists on the power play. Mayfield also finished the season ranked twenty-fourth out of all North American skaters by NHL’s Central Scouting.

“I set a lot of goals for myself this year,” said Mayfield. “Competing at the combine was one of them and I am honored that I was able to reach my goal with this invite. I have watched the combine before and now I am excited to be a part of it.”

The NHL combine is conducted by NHL Central Scouting and it is a series of tests that will provide the NHL teams with more information on the players. There will not be any on-ice sessions, but the players will take part in intense off-ice workouts, be interviewed by NHL teams and undergo medical examinations by independent doctors. Since the end of the season, Mayfield has been back at home in St. Louis preparing for the combine both physically and mentally.

“I have been working out with my trainer Dave Reddy,” said Mayfield, “and we have been working on all of the tests that I will take at the combine. I am trying to get stronger in those specific areas so I can make sure I perform well. I think everyone is going to be nervous with all the teams and media there, but you have to be able to look at it as just another workout. Scouts watched me during my games and I had to block them out so I am going to try and do the same in Toronto.”

Phantoms head coach Curtis Carr is proud of the accomplishment made by his second year defenseman.  He was also quick to credit the hard work Mayfield put in during his two seasons in Youngstown.

“We are extremely proud of Scott,” said Carr. “This invitation is a proud moment for both Scott and the organization. Scott is a great player and an even better person who has worked hard both on and off the ice to make himself better. He deserves this opportunity.”

The Youngstown Phantoms (23-30-7,53 pts) did their part by winning their last two games of the season, but unfortunately Waterloo also picked up a win which has eliminated the Phantoms from the playoff picture. On Fan Appreciation Night, the Phantoms defeated the Chicago Steel (9-43-8,26 pts) 8-2 and they were led by Ryan Belonger who recorded the second Phantoms hat trick in as many nights.

Danny Mattson and the Phantoms got on the board first with ten minutes left in the first period after Mattson put a rebound shot past Chicago netminder Connor Wilson to give the Phantoms the early lead. It did not take the Steel long to answer when Joel Benson put a wrist shot in the back of the net to tie the game up at one just two minutes later. After the Benson goal, the Phantoms took control of the game for good. Dylan Margonari scored once and Belonger scored twice for the Phantoms to close out the first period. Youngstown took a 4-1 lead into the first intermission.

“Our guys played well and it was nice to see them get rewarded for their hard work,” said Phantoms head coach Curtis Carr. “We said the whole way that we need to win these two games to give ourselves a chance and unfortunately it just did not work out for us.”

In the second period, only two goals would find the back of the net.  Ben Paulides, who has been pushing for a goal this whole season, found the back of the net with a slap shot from the point that beat Wilson low on his glove side.  The Steel would come back :44 later and cut the lead back down to three goals as Aiden Cavallini scored on a rebound in front of the Phantoms crease. The Phantoms went into the second intermission leading Chicago 5-2.

In the third period, the Phantoms would add three more goals to bring their total to eight.  Chris Bradley scored his first of the night with a slap shot from the point and Margonari would score the Phantoms third power play goal of the game but both would be out done by number 16. Belonger tipped a Justin Stevens slap shot past Colin Brennan to secure his first career hat trick and the Phantoms second trick in as many nights.

“I felt like I was one uped by Ambrosia last night,” said Belonger. “I felt like I had to get him back, he had his three, so I felt like I needed to get my three.”

Unfortunately for the Phantoms, their hard work and scoring prowess will still leave them just shy of the playoff after Waterloo defeated the Dubuque Fighting Saints 2-1. Even in defeat there are still positive lessons for both the returning and graduating Phantoms to take with them as they depart for the summer.

In baseball, there are prospects sometimes called five-tool players, simply meaning they have all of the weaponry to dominate their sport if they get hot.  Scott Mayfield would be the closest thing to that caliber of a prospect, but only on the ice instead of the diamond.  Few defensemen not already on NHL teams can skate as fast as Mayfield.  When you go to a Phantoms game, watch him control the puck and weave through what appears to be cardboard cutouts.  He has the size of an NHL defenseman standing at 6’4″, the speed of a good wing, and the puck controlling skills of a center.  There should be little doubt that Mayfield could well end up playing hockey in the NHL very soon.

Paneech: What got you interested in hockey at a young age?

Mayfield: My mom actually just wanted to have a family skating night, so she would take us out to the local rink in St. Louis and we would skate.  I started when I was around four and when I got better, they wanted me to try hockey.

Paneech: You are a big boy, being from St. Louis, are you a Cardinals fan or a Rams fan, and did you consider baseball and football?

Mayfield: I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.  We actually have season tickets about a section over from home plate and I always go to the games, I love them.  I’m not too worried about Albert Pujols not signing yet, but I hope he doesn’t wait too long.  [Adam] Wainwright going down was a tough break.

Paneech: Who is the NHL defenseman you strive to be like?

Mayfield: I would have to say Eric Johnson, he is my favorite player in the NHL.  He played in St. Louis and then got moved to Colorado, but he is definitely who I try to play my game like.  I like Chris Pronger as well.  I grew up a Blues fan with my family always watching.  Brett Hull, Adam Oates — all of the big names go through there.

Paneech: Let’s talk about your success at the World Junior Challenge and being named a USHL All-Star this season.

Mayfield: I have had a lot of personal success and it’s been great.  Being named the MVP at the World Junior Challenge was a big honor.  Winning a gold medal for my country was probably the most rewarding hockey experience that I have had so far.  I feel a lot of my personal success has come from playing in the USHL.  Being on this team has really helped me.

Paneech: How fired up are you about going to school and continuing your hockey career at Denver?

Mayfield: I’m really excited about that, it is always where I wanted to go.  It is the right fit for me and I have some family connections there and everything.  It’s a great hockey program.

Paneech: Who is your closest friend on this hockey team and why?

Mayfield: Probably Chris Bradley. We were paired together early in the year and we have been hanging out quite a bit lately.  We share a lot of the same interests.

Paneech: I have read and heard some stories of these long bus trips you guys take.  What is the craziest thing that has happened so far?

Mayfield: The craziest thing was definitely New Years Eve night.  We had a bus trip and somehow there were noisemakers planted in all of our bunks.  (laughs) Then we started going crazy with them, and Coach Patterson came back because he was trying to sleep and started taking all of the noisemakers from us.  We were blowing them in his face, it was a classic moment and a really good time.

Paneech: What USHL team do you look forward to playing against the most, and why?

Mayfield: I definitely like playing against Muskegon.  We had a big stretch with them where we had like six games against them, I think.  Each game was really intense, and that is the kind of game I like to play in.  Waterloo is also one of my favorite teams to go against.

Paneech: In 20 years, do you see yourself more like Charlie Sheen or Alex Zoldan?

Mayfield: (laughs) I don’t even know how to answer that one.  In 20 years, I just hope that I am successful and surrounded with a family.  I want to go as far as I can with hockey, and my dream is to play in the NHL.

One Word Answers:

Favorite iphone Ap: Angry Birds.

Toppings On A Pizza: Just pepperoni and sausage.

Greatest Cartoon Character Ever: Bart Simpson.

Favorite Music: Country and Rap.

Biggest Phobia: Getting Injured.

Worst Habit: Procrastination.

Favorite Holiday: Christmas.

Favorite TV Show: Sportscenter.

Favorite Drink: Purple Gatorade.

Song No One Would Believe Is On Your ipod: Allright by Darius Rucker.

Favorite Thing To Do: Hang out with my family, I don’t see them enough.

The red-hot Youngstown Phantoms built a three goal lead in the first period, but let it slip away over the next two periods.  The Phantoms even trailed 4-3 in the waning moments but were able to score and force overtime.  In the end, unfortunately, Alex Guptill would score the lone goal of a shootout and Waterloo would sneak out victorious.

The Phantoms got on the board first when Ryan Belonger beat CJ Motte (above) to score his 15th goal of the season and put Youngstown ahead 1-0 with nine minutes and thirty seconds gone in the opening period.  New guy on the block, Danny Mattson, continued to be a points machine for Curtis Carr as he gathered an assist.

Just over two minutes later, Cody Strang (below) connected from short range to notch his 14th goal on the year.  Strang’s even strength goal yielded an assist to Chris Bradley and came with a man advantage.

With 4:01 left in the opening period, Youngstown scored on another powerplay chance to go up 3-0 when Adam Berkle got in on the act and pegged his 17th goal of the season.  Jiri Sekac was given an assist in a period where the Phantoms outshot the Blackhawks 19-8.

In the second period, Waterloo found the scoreboard when Alex Guptill beat Jordan Tibbett 3:34 into the second period.  Gupptil’s goal was of the powerplay variety and Andrew Panzarella was credited with an assist.  Waterloo inched closer making it 3-2 with 5:54 left in the second period with another powerplay goal.  Tyson Fulton got a break when he beat Tibbett on the glove side while Tibbett was using his hands to scoot back into his crease after making a save.  The second period would end with the Phantoms ahead 3-2 and holding a 37-14 edge in shots on goal.

Waterloo tied the game, 3-3, with16:41 left in the game.  Jamie Hill took a feed from Vince Hinostroza and scored shorthanded to knot the contest.  For Hill, it marked the eighth time he found the back of a net this season.

Waterloo scored a fourth consecutive goal to take a 4-3 lead with 4:28 left in the game,  Tyler Zepeda hit a 20-foot wrist shot unassisted that got by Tibbett.

With 3:22 left in the game, Berkle connected unassisted on a big powerplay goal that would tie the game at 4-4.  Berkle’s second of the game drove the big Covelli Centre crowd into a frenzy.  Regulation would end as both teams had a four under their respective cities.  The Phantoms, however, outshot Waterloo 50-21.

In the extra session nobody could score setting up a shootout.  The first Blackhawk to attempt a shot was Alex Guptill who barely trickled one in.  The remaining nine shooters did not score and Waterloo snuck out of the building with the shootout win.  The Phantoms used Berkle, Mattson, Strang, Loney, and Sekac to take the shots.

Assistant Coach Brad Patterson talked about the loss.  “If we play like we did in the first period, we can play anyone in the league with success.  However, it hurts to lose a three goal lead and come out on the short end.  Credit Waterloo for capitalizing on our mistakes and scoring on their powerplays.  We feel good about fighting back to tie the game and get the point, but we also feel we should have never been in that position tonight.”

The Youngstown Phantoms (18-24-4, 40pts) scored two goals in the first and two in the third on their way to a 4-1 victory over Team USA.  Ty Loney extended his goal scoring streak to four games and Ben Paulides earned his second multi-point game of the season with two assists.

The Phantoms held Team USA to just four shots on goal in the first period and they were able to find the back of the net twice on 12 shots of their own.  At 7:53 of the first period, Dylan Margonari skated the puck into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot from the left circle that went over the glove hand of Jared Rutledge and into the back of the net.  Margonari’s goal was his fourth of the season and his first since December 10 against Green Bay.  Just three minutes later, Scott Mayfield intercepted a pass at center ice and like Margonari, he put the puck past Rutledge on the glove hand side.  Like last night, the Phantoms continued to press Team USA in the neutral zone as they generated turnover after turnover.

“We talked about it before the game,” said Carr. “We knew they would come out pressing on offensive, we knew if we played like we did last night that we could shut them down in the neutral zone. We smothered them at times, forcing the turnovers and generating chances off of them.”

The Phantoms came out in the second period looking to feed off of their momentum from the first but neither team was unable to generate those five-on-five chances because of the six different penalties in the frame. In the middle frame, neither team could capitalize on their power play chances and with a shot total of, 10-8 in favor of Youngstown, there was a clear sense of how the style of the game had changed.

“We told our guys between periods to stay within our systems,” said Carr. “With Team USA trailing by two we knew they would need to change their style in order to climb back into the game. It was very important for us to keep playing our game.”

Going into the third period the game had the same special teams style like the one seen in the second period. A total of seven penalties were issued, but one in particular swung the game further away from Team USA. Austin Wuthrich, was issued a five minute major and a game misconduct for his hit from behind on Margonari. On the ensuing five minute power play, Danny Mattson found the back of the net for his first goal as a Phantom. The power play goal put the Phantoms up 3-0 and five minutes later Loney scored on a feed fromAdam Berkle to put the Phantoms up by four. Team USA would deny Jordan Tibbett his second shutout of the season when Frankie Vatrano scored with just 1:49 left on the clock. The Phantoms 4-1 win was their third straight over Team USA. Paulides tallied his second multi-point game of the season with two assist during tonight’s game.

“Getting the points are great,” said Paulides. “What is even more important is that we picked up two more points in the standings. Tomorrow I will go back to playing my defensive style of hockey and we will hopefully pick up two more points.”