The Youngstown Phantoms, in front of one of the biggest crowds of the year, fell prey to the Indiana Ice, 5-2.  The start of the game was pushed back almost an hour because the bus carrying the Indiana team broke down somewhere en route to the Covelli Centre.  The way this game went, the Phantoms would have hoped that the spare would have been flat too.

In the first period, no one could get the puck into the net.  Solid goaltending by Matt O’Connor for the Phantoms and Jon Gillies for the Ice saw a couple of zeroes at the end of the first twenty minutes.  The two netminders combined to stop 26 shots.

Indiana broke the “Ice” on the scoreless game when Danill Tarasov recorded his 38th goal of the season beating O’Connor glove side.  Tarasov’s goal was unassisted and came with 17:39 to go in the second period.

The Phantoms were able to tie the game at a goal apiece briefly.  Austin Cangelosi (above) recorded his 26th goal of the season with 15:59 remaining in the second.  Cangelosi gathered a Mike Ambrosia shot that bounced off of Gillies and stuffed it back into the net.  Ambrosia was given an assist on Cangelosi’s even-strength goal.

The Ice (32-14-7) would then explode for a couple of quick goals to take a 3-1 lead.  Ryan Obuchowski scored the first with 14:58 to play in the second period.  A few minutes later, Tarasov connected again, sneaking the puck past O’Connor with both teams playing a man down.  The Ice took a commanding three goal lead with 2:30 remaining in the second period when Emil Romig connected in a high-traffic situation in front of a crowded goal crease.

In the third period, the Ice tacked on another goal to make it 5-1 when Robert Polesello took a pass from behind the net and drilled it past O’Connor.  Obuchowski and Nieves were credited assists on the goal.

The Phantoms (30-17-7) had a few chances to tighten the game in the third period, but failed to make it happen until Eric Sweetman connected with 4:29 left to play to make it 5-2.  Sweetman went high on the glove side for his fourth goal of the season.

The Ice took 55 shots compared to the Phantoms 37.

With Youngstown State starting Spring football, a good question heading into 2012 would be, ‘Is the “process” that the program has undertaken since Eric Wolford got hired ready?’  Time will tell, but at Saturday’s full-pads practice, Coach Wolford seemed very encouraged by what he saw.

“We told the offense that it was a first-and-ten situation and they had to get four yards, and they didn’t do it.”, said Wolford.  “I saw some improvement and some good things and as the Spring goes on I expect to see more.”

YSU, the only team to beat reigning FCS Champion, North Dakota State, last season, will feel pressure for this program to win.  For two years, Wolford has explained in depth that in a technologically driven society of ‘now’, where everything seems needed at the very moment it is desired, that this is a process.  Now that Wolford has pieces in place, the process needs to transition into the standard, which Wolford defines as winning championships.

One of the reasons YSU can win championships is the lethal team of Kurt Hess and Shane Montgomery.  Montgomery is an offensive genius, last year’s stats would back that statement.  Hess is just a good person.  We talked for 15 minutes after practice Saturday about the start of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, his schoolwork, this website, and many other things.  It is hard not to root for someone like Hess.

“We definitely feel the pressure to win now”, remarked Hess.  “Jelani [Berassa] and I walked out here on the field this Winter.  We came in at the same time under Coach Heacock, but it never felt like this.  There is electricity on this field of magic and we know we want to bottle it this season.”

The Saturday practice was more of an acclamation to full gear than all-out hitting filled session.  By next Saturday, the team’s first scrimmage, the noise will be easily heard between the whistles.

Marcus Heath (above) tied the game with an RBI single in the ninth inning, and Jeremy Banks hit a walk-off RBI single in the 11th to lift the Youngstown State baseball team to a 4-3 win over Milwaukee on Sunday at Eastwood Field.

Heath drove in all three runs for YSU in the first nine innings, and Banks and Drew Dosch both had two-out hits in their final three at bats. Dosch finished 5-for-6 as he, Banks and Heath combined for 10 of YSU’s 12 hits in the second through fourth spots in the line-up. Both Heath and Banks were down 0-2 in the count with two outs in their tying and winning hits.

YSU got a solid start from Pat Shedlock, and the Penguins bullpen did not allow a run in five innings. Ryan Krokos threw a scoreless 11th inning to earn his first collegiate win, and Nic Manuppelli and Kevin McCulloh were also strong in relief.

Milwaukee’s bullpen, which did not allow a run in 4.2 innings in the first two games of the series, surrendered two runs to the Penguins in four innings.

Will Fadness put Milwaukee up 1-0 in the first when he brought in Michael Porcaro with a two-out single. Paul Hoenecke and Jonathan Capasso then had RBI doubles in the third for Milwaukee that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead. After Capasso doubled with two outs, he went to third on a passed ball with two outs. He was then thrown out at the plate trying to score on a pitch that bounced away from YSU catcher Craig Goubeaux. Milwaukee only had one runner reach third base the rest of the game.

The Penguins scored two unearned runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Jack Graham drew a one-out walk and went to second when Capasso dropped a tailing line drive in left field from Jason Shirley. First baseman Phil Striggow then couldn’t come up with a grounder from Drew Dosch, and the Penguins had the bases loaded with one out. Milwaukee starter Mike Schneider got Banks to line out to third on a check swing for the second out, but Heath hit a ground-rule double into the left-field bullpen to plate two runs on the first pitch of his at bat.

YSU left the bases loaded in the seventh, but the Guins got some two-out lightning from the heart of their order in the ninth. Milwaukee closer Jordan Guth got Jack Graham to pop out on the first pitch of his at bat and struck out Shirley on four pitches for two quick outs. Dosch and Banks extended the game with back-to-back singles, and Heath singled in Dosch on the eighth pitch of his at bat to tie the score at 3-3.

Manuppelli worked around a leadoff single and a two-out error in the 10th, and Krokos allowed a single and walk in the 11th before escaping. Just as in the ninth, Dosch got things going in the bottom of the 11th with a two-out single to left. He moved to second on a key wild pitch that forced the outfield to move in for a potential play at the plate, and Banks’s winner landed just past a diving Luke Meeter in deep right center.

Shedlock posted his third straight quality start, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five in six innings. Schneider did not allow an earned run on five hits in 6.2 innings, and Jake Long took the loss in allowing the run in the 11th.

Youngstown State will play its only scheduled game of the year at Cene Park on Tuesday against Notre Dame College. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

Trailing 5-4 with under three minutes left in regulation, Ryan Belonger gave the Phantoms a chance to win with a game-tying goal. Ian McCoshen snuck a long one past Matt O’Connor in overtime to erase the heroics of Belonger and send the Youngstown Phantoms to their second straight overtime loss, 6-5, in a wild one.

Waterloo scored first as Vince Hinostroza scored just 2:54 into the contest.   By the end of the first period, however, it wa the Phantoms who took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.  Goals by Dylan Margonari, who was assisted by J. T. Stenglein, and Chris Bradley‘s unassisted gem temporarily vaulted the Phantoms into the lead.

A wild second period saw five total goals scored, unfortunately for the purple Youngstown skaters, three of them were by Waterloo.  Austin Cangelosi pulled out a shorthanded goal, unassisted, 6:12 into the second to increase Youngstown’s lead to 3-1.  After Tony Cameranesi cut the lead to 3-2 with a Waterloo goal, Mike Ambrosia scored to give the Phantoms back the two-goal lead with three-and-a-half minutes to play in the period.

Goals for Waterloo from Scott MacDonald and a Taylor Cammarata powerplay goal with just three seconds remaining in the period tied the game at four goals apiece.

In the final period, Waterloo jumped out to a 5-4 lead when Mark Naclerio scored with 6:57 elapsed in the final stanza.  Neither team would muster much offense until the final horn was ready to sound.  Belonger then took an unassisted chance and put the puck into the net, beating Stephon Williams with 2:35 left in the game.

In the overtime, McCoshen scored with 3:36 gone in the extra session to lift Waterloo to the victory.

Matt O’Connor faced 41 shots and stopped 35 of them in a gallant effort between the pipes.

With the loss, the Phantoms fell to 51-29-15 and trail Indiana by one point for second place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Dubuque is only one point behind the Phantoms and this race for second, third, and fourth places looks to be heading down to the wire.

The Phantoms will now travel to Chicago to face an Ice team that has been pretty well removed from the playoffs and has nothing to lose.  On the other hand, Youngstown needs the points and will have to put their best skate forward.

The Youngstown State baseball team stranded 11 runners and got hurt by errors and hit batsmen in a 5-4 loss to Milwaukee on Friday evning at Eastwood Field in YSU’s home and Horizon League opener.

Penguins pitchers beaned five Panther hitters, and three runs scored as a result. Milwaukee’s run in the seventh that broke a 4-4 tie scored after two errors, and the Panthers scored their five runs on just five hits.  Ten of YSU’s 13 hits came int the first four innings.

YSU catcher Craig Goubeaux nearly matched Milwaukee in the hits column himself. He was 4-for-4, and Drew Dosch added three hits.

Penguins starter Blake Aquadro hit three batters in the second inning, and Milwaukee scored twice to go ahead 2-0. Mark Strey came up with the only hit of the frame, but his two-out single to left plated both runs.

YSU matched Milwaukee with two runs in the bottom of the second on four hits. David Leon singled to start the inning and advanced to second on an error. Kevin Hix sacrificed him to third, and he scored on Goubeaux’s single. A Phil Lipari single and a bunt single by Dosch loaded the bases, and Goubeaux scored the tying run on Jason Shirley‘s fielder’s choice.

Jim Lundstrom hit a cue-shot double just inside the first base bag to start the third, and he scored on a Paul Hoenecke ground out to put Milwaukee up 3-2. The Penguins took the lead in the third with three hits, the final of which was a two-run single by Goubeaux.

The Penguins had runners at the corners with one out in the fourth and couldn’t score, and the Panthers tied the score in the top of the fifth. Jonathan Capasso was hit on a 1-2 pitch, and he scored on a Hoenecke double.

YSU was its own worst enemy in the seventh when Milwaukee scored the go-ahead run without recording a hit. Hoenecke reached on two-base error by Leon at second, and he went to third on a sacrifice bunt. With the infield in, Lipari moved to his left to stop a grounder and held Hoenecke at third, but the shortstop’s throw to first was wild, and Hoenecke came in to score the eventual winning run.

Goubeaux had a two-out single in the seventh, and that was YSU’s last hit. The Penguins went in order in each of the final two innings.

Kevin McCulloh suffered the loss fot the Penguins as he allowed the unearned run in the seventh. Aquadro allowed four runs on four hits in five innings in a no-decision. Eric Semmelhack earned the win for Milwaukee despite allowing four runs on 12 hits in six innings. Three Panther relievers combined to allow one hit in three shutout innings.

The Penguins and Panthers will play game two of their three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Youngstown State sophomore Kendrick Perry (Ocoee, Fla.) was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 12 Second-Team, the association announced on Wednesday.

Perry was named a First-Team All-Horizon League selection in 2011-12 and led the league in overall (16.8 ppg) and league-only (16.8 ppg) scoring. He also became just the fifth player in league history to lead the circuit in scoring and steals (2.4 spg) in conference play.

Perry also became the first Youngstown State player to earn first-team all-conference laurels since Quin Humphrey in 2006-07 and 2005-06.

The first sophomore in school history to earn first-team all-conference honors, Perry scored a team-best 521 points and became the first player to score 500 points in a season since Humphrey in 2006-07. He is also the first sophomore to score at least 500 points since Reggie Kemp in 1989-90.

Perry, who set the YSU single-season steals record with 24, led the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.0, ranked second in steals (2.4) in all games, ranked tied for third in assists per game (3.9) and ranked tied for 10th with 1.8 3-pointers made per game.

The Youngstown State football program will hold its third annual Women’s Football Coaching Clinic on Friday, March 30, at Stambaugh Stadium. The cost to attend the clinic is $25 and all proceeds will be donated to the ALS Association Fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The clinic will run from 6-9 p.m. on the YSU campus.

Registration will be from 5-6 p.m. and Hors D’oeuvres will be provided before the Coaching Clinic begins in the DeBartolo Stadium Club. The YSU Football Staff will present on the fundamentals of coaching and part of the clinic will be an up-close look at the WATTS.

The three-hour clinic is a great opportunity for female football fans to learn the concepts of every position on the field. The members of the YSU coaching staff will provide insight into what fans will see on gameday and learn about pregame preparation and game planning. The coaches will involve the participants into all drills for even more hands-on training.

All participants will receive a gift bag and raffle prizes from local merchants will be awarded throughout the event.

Contact Director of Football Operations Dan Kopp at dmkopp@ysu.edu or call the football office at (330) 941-3478 for more information.

Parking for the event will be in the F-7 Lot north of the stadium.

Norfolk State outscored the Youngstown State baseball team 7-1 in the final six innings to defeat the Penguins 10-4 on Tuesday at Marty L. Miller Field.  YSU led 3-1 after the top of the second despite having just two hits, and the Penguins’ bats managed six hits for the game.

The Penguins missed opportunities to take a sizable lead early. They had runners on second and third with nobody out in the first and managed just one run, and an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the second limited them to two runs.

David Leon and Craig Goubeaux both had two hits for YSU, whose top five batters in the line-up did not have a hit.

Jason Shirley and Drew Dosch walked to start the game and advanced on a wild pitch. Jeremy Banks brought in Shirley on a sacrifice fly, but two more flyouts kept YSU to just one run.

The Spartans also used two walks and a sacrifice fly to score in the bottom of the first, and both teams scored twice in the second. Singles from YSU’s Kevin Hix and Goubeaux and a walk to Phil Lipari loaded the bases with one out, and Norfolk State pitcher Horace Smith walked Shirley and Dosch to force in two runs. He then got Banks to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning, and YSU got just one more run the rest of the contest.

Norfolk State’s two runs in the second also came without a hit. A sacrifice bunt followed two walks, and Justin Lee brought in a run with a ground out. Another walk ended starter Joey Gajda‘s afternoon, and the Spartans tied the score on a wild pitch from reliever Josh North.

Neither team scored in the third, but the Spartans scored three two-out runs in the fourth to take a lead they would not relinquish. Shane Hoggard hit a leadoff single and went to third on a wild pitch and sacrifice bunt. After North got a ground out to keep Hoggard on third, James Taylor put the Spartans up with an RBI single. Taylor then scored on a wild pitch, and Chris Warren scored on Ryan Montgomery‘s RBI single that put Norfolk State ahead 6-3.

Goubeaux doubled in Leon with two outs in the sixth to cut YSU’s deficit to 6-4, but that was the Penguins’ last hit until there were two outs in the ninth.

YSU will start a three-game series with Milwaukee on Friday at Eastwood Field. Friday’s game will be the Penguins’ 2012 home and Horizon League opener.

Youngstown State senior first baseman Jeremy Banks has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week for the second consecutive week, this time for the period of March 5-11, the conference office announced on March 12.

Banks becomes the first Penguin to repeat as the league’s player week since YSU joined the conference in 2002. He is also the first conference player to win batter-of-the-week accolades since Wright State’s Ross Oeder four years ago.

Banks batted .545 with three home runs, two doubles and eight RBIs over the weekend in YSU’s three games at VMI. He reached base in 10 of his 15 plate appearances for an on-base percentage of .667, and he posted a slugging percentage of 1.545. In the Penguins’ 10-2 win on Sunday, he hit a solo homer in the first inning and a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth.

Banks leads the Horizon League in in batting average (.481), on-base percentage (.578), slugging percentage (.923), RBIs (23), home runs (5) and doubles (8).

UIC’s Brian Evak was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week.

YSU will play at Norfolk State on Tuesday before welcoming Milwaukee to Eastwood Field on Friday for the start of a three-game series.

Jake Giuriceo won a unanimous six-round decision in California on Saturday night.  The Bull (15-0-1) got by Jaime Orrantia(26-25-5) by winning all six rounds of the contest.  The fight in Orange County is the first step to national recognition for Giuriceo who is poised to make a jump in class.

“He was pretty unorthodox”, said Giuruceo via telephone.  “Really hard style to fight, but I did win every round of the fight and I feel great.  It was a good win for me and I was satisfied with my performance.”

Giuriceo will be waiting to hear from a couple of promoters who were in attendance Saturday.  Joe Corvino stated a couple of weeks ago that this was a fight to allow Giuriceo to showcase his growing library of skills.  Gary Shaw and Kenny Thompson were a couple of the promoters checking out “The Bull”.

“I hope they like what they saw”, remarked Giuriceo.  “We will be waiting to her something soon from them.”