Posts Tagged ‘Youngstown Phantoms’

Note to the Youngstown Phantoms scheduling and promo teams…  Always schedule a team with a cosmic name like “Stars” on Star Wars Night.  The force was with the Phantoms as Youngstown got the best of Lincoln in a hard-fought, shootout, 4-3  victory.  Ryan Belonger, the last shooter for the Phantoms made a dazzling move to give the Phantoms the extra point in a great hockey game.

Lincoln scored the lone goal of the first period to take a 1-0 lead into the intermission. John McCarron scored his 13th goal of the season, this one with a man advantage.  McCarron’s goal (below) came with just under three minutes remaining in the initial period, and Ryan Dzingel was credited with an assist his team-leading 22nd.  The Stars outshot the Phantoms 19-8 in the opening period.

Youngstown was able to tie the game at a goal apiece at the 2:58 mark of the second period when Ryan Belonger scored on  a Phantoms man-advantage.  For Belonger, it was goal 12 on the season and Mike Ambrosia picked up an assist.

Lincoln did not take long to regain the lead when Garrett Peterson tallied at the 6:27 mark.  Peterson took a pass from McCarron to beat Matt O’Connor from a tough angle.  Peterson’s 15th goal of the season was an even-strength score.

The Phantoms would score the next two goals of the game to forge ahead, 3-2.  Jiri Sekac got into the plus column with his 12th of the season.  Ben Paulides gained an assist on Sekac’s game-tying even strength goal which came at the 11:07 mark of the second.  The next Phantoms goal would be recorded by Cody Strang, his 13th of the year.  Strang gave the Phantoms their first lead of the game at the 14:17 mark of the second.

The fifth goal of the second period was scored by Lincoln’s Brent Tate and tied the game, 3-3 at the 16:36 mark.  Tate found the twine unassisted for his ninth goal of the season at even strength.  The hamster race that was the second period found Lincoln ahead 31-24 in the shots on goal department.

In the third period, Ambrosia stole a puck right by the Lincoln blue line and was hauled down and awarded a penalty shot.  Stars net minder, Lukas Hafner , stoned Ambrosia to keep the game tied at three goals each.  The rest of the third period was uneventful for the Phantoms offense, only able to generate four shots on goal.  The offensive lapse did not hurt as the Stars were also unableto find the net forcing a five minute overtime period.

In the overtime, no one was able to score, setting up a shootout to determine which team would get one point and which would receive two.  Lincoln outshot the Phantoms 47-29 in regulation and overtime.  Matt O’Connor had a good game.

This is how the shootout went.  Lincoln sent Zachary Aston-Reese out first and he scored.  Cody Strang tied it up on the Phantoms first attempt.  Peterson was next for the Stars, but before he could unload, O’Connor poke-checked the puck away.  The Phantoms then sent Adam Berkle who was stopped.  The Stars third shooter was Dominik Shine who went top shelf and scored, 2-1 Stars.  Youngstown then sent Jiri Sekac who was stopped.  With a 2-1 shootout lead, Lincoln sent Matt Prapavessis, who tried the five-hole and was stopped.  Youngstown’s fourth shooter was Ty Loney.  Loney tied the shootout at 2 each when he sent a wrister past Hafner.  O’Connor would stuff Lincoln’s final shooter, John McCarron.  Ryan Belonger then became a hero when he put the game-winner past Hafner giving the Phantoms the big two-point win.

With the win, Youngstown jumped to 15-22-4 and Lincoln fell to 19-16-4.  The Phantoms welcome Chicago and muskegon to the Covelli Centre next weekend.

 

The Youngstown Phantoms (14-21-4,32pts) skate back to Youngstown with a 4-3 win over the Chicago Steel (7-25-7,21pts). The Phantoms were carried by two goals performances by both Ryan Belonger and Ty Loney.

The Phantoms for the second game in a row scored the game’s first goal to go up 1-0. 6:01 into the first period, Phantoms forward Belonger scored on a rebound opportunity right in front of the Chicago crease after the shot from the point went on net. The goal was Belonger’s tenth of the season and the assists were credited to Stu Higgins and Quinn Smith. Belonger extended the Phantoms lead to two after he took advantage of a neutral zone turnover and a buried the puck over the glove hand on Steel netminder Connor Wilson on a breakaway. The goal came at 13:39 and it was Belonger’s second goal and Smtih’s second assist of the game. With 1:08 left to play in the first period, Loney picked off a pass at the top of the right circle in the offensive zone and put his the shot past Wilson to go up 3-0. It was the first time this season that the Phantoms went into the first intermission leading by three goals.

“We had a good first period,” said Phantoms Head Coach Curtis Carr. “We capitalized on our chances and we picked up the two points with the win.”

The Steel were able to close the gap to two after a shorthanded goal by Tucker Brockett. Tim Weber skated into the Phantoms zone and fed Brockett who finished off the 2-on-1 play with a goal at the 13:00 mark. The Steel continued to pressure the Phantoms but Jordan Tibbett did not allow another goal as the Phantoms went into the intermission up 3-1.

The third period started with the Steel bringing the game within one goal just four minutes into the frame on a goal by Sam Povorozniouk. The Phantoms would extend their lead back to two goals as Loney scored his second of the game off the assist by Cody Strang. A turnover in the Phantoms defensive zone led to a Joel Benson goal that brought Chicago back within one goal with under five minutes left to play. The Steel came within inches of tying the game with 2:30 remaining on the clock but a sprawling save by Tibbett denied the equalizer. Tibbett again denied a tying chance, this time on a shorthanded attempt by Alex Kubiak.   A late power play for the Phantoms put them up a skater and even with the empty net the Steel were only able to play 5-on-5 as the Phantoms picked up the one goal victory.

A rivalry is brewing.  The Youngstown Phantoms came into their game with the Muskegon Lumberjacks with aspirations of moving a little closer to the visiting team in the standings.  Heading into this game, Muskegon was fourth while the Phantoms were holding on to the sixth and final playoff spot.  On YSU night, the Phantoms came up big with 34 seconds left to force overtime on a Ty Loney goal.  Unfortunately, the Phantoms lost the shootout 3-2 giving Muskegon the extra point.

In front of one of the biggest crowds the Phantoms have welcomed in all year (2,200), both teams deserve credit for playing a very crowd-pleasing physical style of hockey.  These guys were hitting, like rivals.  Both teams jumped on their respective busses after a shower and headed North to Muskegon for the second leg of the home-and-home series.

Coach Carr talked about the effort that his Phantoms put forth.  “I feel we outplayed them. We had more opportunities and I am disappointed about not getting two points tonight, but I can live with getting one.  That’s like eight of our last nine games that we have recorded a point. I’m not upset and thought we did a lot of things well tonight.  It was the first time we pulled our goaltender and successfully converted for a goal.”

In the first period, the Phantoms managed to take a 1-0 lead to the game just seconds after an apparent goal was disallowed.  The referee claimed that the net had come off just before the puck crossed the plane.  No goal, no problem.  Just seconds later, Adam Berkle connected on a power play chance for his eleventh goal of the season.  Ty Loney and Cody Strang picked up assists on the first score in the contest.

The Lumberjacks tied the game when Matt Berry hit the twine for the 16th time this season.  Berry tied the game from close range and John Parker and Mark Yanis were credited with assists.  After two periods the Phantoms held a 25-18 edge in shots on goal.  The 18 shots that Greg Lewis stopped were not easy.  Lewis is looking good between the pipes these days.

In the third, Muskegon took a 2-1 advantage on a nice play.  Isaac Kohls was the recipient of a nice pass from Travis Belohrad allowing Kohls to shoot over Phantoms goaltender Lewis’ right shoulder.  Belohrad set Kohls up from behind the net floating a soft pass just right of the crease. Travis Walsh was also credited with an assist for the Lumberjacks.

The Phantoms sent the crowd into a tizzy when Andrew Sinelli connected shorthanded.  Mike Ambrosia picked up an assist on the goal and the rejuvenated Phantoms knotted the contest at two goals apiece with 10:40 left in the game.

With 7:02 left in the game, Muskegon went ahead again.  Mike Conderman tallied for the ninth time on the season.  Alexx Privitera, who always manages to get a point or two against Youngstown, gathered an assist on the even-strength chance.

With just 34 seconds left in the game, Loney picked up a rebound right in front of the net and beat Joel Vienneau on a put back.  Jiri Sekac picked up an assist on Loney’s team-leading 13th goal of the season that would force overtime.  No one was able to score a goal in the extra session setting up a shootout.

Muskegon got the first shot with Chris Lochner.  Lochner got stuffed by Lewis straight on.  The Phantoms responded with Stuart Higgins.  Higgins was stuffed.  Travis Belohrad was next for the Lumberjacks and he converted to beat Lewis.  Next up for Youngstown was Adam Berkle.  Berkle went top shelf to beat Vienneau and tie the shootout at one apiece.  The third shooter for Muskegon was Matt Berry.  Berry also went high to score.  Jiri Sekac, the third Phantom, was stoned.  The fourth Lumberjack was Mike Conerman who scored to put Muskegon up 3-1.  Loney, the hero who forced overtime, kept Youngstown alive  when he converted.  Muskegon’s final shooter was Isaac Kohls who mishandled the puck from the get-go and failed to ice the win.  The Phantoms last hope was Scott Mayfield who could not convert giving Muskegon the extra point.

Ty Loney talked about connecting to tie the game with under a minute left.  “Jiri [Sekac] just threw it toward the net and I was able to dig it out and put it between his legs.  The shootout was a little bit nerve racking.  Some of the shot is premeditated and some of it is what the goaltender is going to give you. My shot was a combination of both and went in.”

This game was only the third time the Phantoms were involved in a shootout all season.  Muskegon has vast experience in the tie department with twelve, giving them a definite advantage.

“This one wouldn’t have hurt as bad if we could have won a few games earlier in the season when we had leads and lost”, remarked Carr.

Embarrassment. It is a word that humbles, but has an upside in the way of motivation sometimes.  The Youngstown Phantoms, coming off of a 7-2 loss to Indiana were embarrassed.  Des Moines warded off an early flurry of goals and kept their composure to beat the Phantoms, 5-4.  It should be noted that Youngstown played much, much better against Des Moines than they did against Indiana one night earlier.  No embarrassment on this night, just a very hard-fought loss.

The opening face-off usually starts the “feeling out” period of a hockey game.  Teams will often try to detect the strengths and weaknesses of an opponent.  Just 33 seconds into this game, the Phantoms were done feeling out Des Moines.  Mike Ambrosia connected from close range for his fifth goal of the season to put the Phantoms up early.  Ryan Belonger fed Ambrosia for an assist and the puck had just enough on it to scoot past Buccaneer goaltender, Michael Shibrowski (next photo down).

Less than three minutes later, Cody Strang got himself in on the action for the Phantoms. Jiri Sekac, who missed last night’s contest due to inclement weather, picked up an assist when he set Strang up for his fifth of the season.  The goal, just 3:12 into the game, put the Phantoms ahead 2-0.

Youngstown stayed hot and got a third even-strength first period goal.  Ty Loney took the team lead with his ninth goal of the year to put the Phantoms ahead 3-0.  Loney’s unassisted goal came at the 15:32 mark of the first, and the Phantoms looked to have things under control.  Before the period ended, Des Moines found the scoreboard when Kevin Irwin scored unassisted to cut the score at intermission to 3-1.

In the second period, Des Moines continued to fight back when Irwin recorded his second goal of the game, this time on the powerplay, something the Phantoms have really struggled against, to cut the lead to 3-2 in favor of the host Phantoms.  later in the second, the Buccaneers tied the game when Mitch Cain scored at the 10:47 mark of the second period.  Cain’s sixth goal was assisted by Justin Selman and Peter Stoykewych.

The Phantoms finally cashed in on a powerplay with just 39.2 seconds left in the second period.  Sekac took a beautiful pass from Strang to score from close range just outside of the goal crease.  Jordan Young also picked up his seventh assist of the season on the goal that gave Youngstown a 4-3 lead heading into intermission.

In the third period, Des Moines scored a pair of quick goals to claim a 5-4 lead.  The first was a Doug Clifford powerplay goal.  Clifford got assists from Ethan Prow and Austin Coldwell.  The game-tying goal was scored 2:02 into the final period.  Cain picked up his second goal of the game, also a powerplay opportunity.  Chris Joyaux and Kevin Irwin claimed assists on the go-ahead goal for the Buccaneers.

The Phantoms got a two-man advantage in the last few minutes of the game and another one-man advantage to end the contest, but were unable to capitalize and tie the game.  With the 5-4 loss, Youngstown fell to 9-16-1 and lost their sixth in a row.  Des Moines improved to 11-8-2.  The Phantoms outshot the Buccaneers 32-28.  Give the home team credit for a better effort and really leaving it all on the ice.

The Youngstown Phantoms needed a break.  Heading into this contest with the Indiana Ice, the Phantoms had dropped four contests in a row, all on the road.  It seemed like an eternity since the Phantoms had a home game (December 4), which incidentally was the last time this team won.  A three-goal second period doomed the home team as Indiana collected an even-strength, a powerplay, and a shorthanded goal over the last seven minutes of the frame to post a 7-2 win Tuesday.

Indiana scored at the 13:36 mark when Blake Coleman fired a shot that hit the post and apparently went in.  Coleman’s goal was a powerplay score and he was assisted by Brian Ferlin and Danlil Tarasov. For Coleman, it was the 11th goal of the season.

The Phantoms wasted little time knotting the contest at the 14:39 mark of the opening period.  Dylan Margonari connected for his third goal of the year, an even-strength chance.  Mike Ambrosia picked up an assist on the Phantoms game-tying score.  The first period would come to a close in a 1-1 deadlock.  The Phantoms and Ice were playing very physical hockey and there was no shortage of hits or near fights throughout the game.

Youngstown would grab a 2-1 lead early in the second period when Ryan Belonger stayed hot and scored for the fourth time in the last ten games.  Ambrosia picked up his second assist of the night and sixth of the year.

The roof then caved in on the Phantoms.  Indiana scored three second period goals in the last seven minutes of the stanza to take a 4-2 lead into intermission.  Adam Erne connected for an even-strength goal with an assist from Peter Schneider to tie the game.  Sean Kuraly then broke loose for the Ice to net a shorthanded goal.  Kuraly gathered a loose puck near center ice and raced toward the net beating Matt O’Connor for the go ahead goal.  Tarasov put an exclamation point on the strong period connecting on another powerplay, this time Ferlin got the assist to put the Ice in front 4-2 after two periods.

At the 18:32 mark of the final period, Indiana tacked on another goal to increase the lead to 5-2. Jarrod Rabey picked up the third powerplay goal of the night for the Ice.  Just over a minute later, Coleman got his second of the game, an even-strength tally, and the rout was on.  Chris Martin (not from Coldplay) tacked on a late goal to wrap the scoring up at 7-2 in favor of the Ice.

With the loss, the Phantoms fell to 9-15-1.  Indiana improved to 12-10-2 with the victory.  The Ice outshot Youngstown, 30-25.   Youngstown welcomes Des Moines for a rare Wednesday night game at the Covelli Centre.

“We have to come ready to play 60 minutes.  It seems like something goes wrong that we do not recover well, and we need to”, said Curtis Carr after the game.  “We compete with the best teams in the league and what happened here tonight does not reflect what kind of team we have.”

Adam Berkle knows that bigger things are in his future.  A scholarship to hockey powerhouse Northeastern University is the big prize, and he has earned it.  Berkle is a carryover from last season, so it was fun to prod him with comparison questions between the two years he has been in a Phantoms uniform.  The biggest difference is that Berkle is the captain of the team this season and his role as a leader has grown.  He is not a loud person, some would even categorize him as quiet, but I got him to talk a little at the Ice Zone when I had the privelage of interviewing him.

Paneech:  This year’s team seems like it is streaky.  You guys started out on fire, went into a terrible slump and are now playing at a high level again.  Should we expect these major swings all season?

Berkle:  We went into a pretty bad slump and we weren’t sticking together.  We have that fixed and are working hard as a team and really playing together again.  We are sticking together no matter what and not turning games into emotional rollercoasters, just staying even keel.

Paneech:  One of the best games I saw you guys play this season was a 1-0 loss.  What is more satisfying, winning ugly or losing a heartbreaker?

Berkle:  The one goal loss was really frustrating because we gave it up on the power play.  We played well and it was part of the losing streak although we were now moving in the right direction.  It is really frustrating to lose when you play that good of a game.

Paneech:  Have you found a place in Youngstown that you can hang out and have fun, or are you happier with staying in and playing video games or watching television?

Berkle:  Basically, we have practice and then we will go out and grab something to eat.  Other than that we use the internet, play video games, or just hang out.  We play all of the EA Sports games on an Xbox.  Besides NHL 2011, we play Madden and Fifa and alot of us are into Call of Duty right now.  Everyone on the team is playing that game right now. 

Paneech:  Are the days of conventional stretching over and done?  When I get to the games early, I always see a circle of guys playing with a soccer ball or a hackey-sack.

Berkle:  I guess we do stuff like that to just pass the time.  It does get us warmed up instead of just standing around two hours before the game.  We are starting to play more wall ball and not as much with the circle.

Paneech:  If you could bring back a Phantom from last year who could really help this year, who would it be, and why?

Berkle:  Tom Serratore.  He was my roommate last year and is one of my best friends, and he brings a lot to the ice. 

Paneech:  What are the strengths of this year’s Phantoms team?  I have yet to see a fight, is that a Curt Carr no-no?

Berkle:  Our strength this year is that we come out hard every game.  Last year, if we went down a goal, we would hang our heads and not try as hard.  Now, if we are in that situation, we are staying in it instead of being down.  Last year, we were a different type of team.  We were a lot bigger and we had actual fighters on the team.  This year, we are playing hard and we still hit a lot.  When we need somebody to step up and fight, someone will.  I don’t think that fighting is that big of a part of the game,  it distracts players and takes away from the game.  We will keep hitting and if there is a cheap shot, someone will step up and fight.

Paneech:  Let’s talk about your future plans and how playing in this league may have helped you secure a dream.

Berkle:  I feel very fortunate, and Northeastern was always my number one choice.  Ever since they started to talk with me a couple of years ago, I have wanted to go there.  I’m really excited about going there next season and this league has helped me a lot.  The speed at this level will definitely make my transition to college hockey easier.

Paneech:  Speaking of transition, Coach Carr has been in transition over the past year.  He has gone from an assistant to the head coach.  He went from being a newlywed to a married father.  An act that says plenty about him is that after every game before he approaches the scouts or the media, he kisses his wife and his baby daughter, showing his true character.   How is Coach Carr to play for?

Berkle:  It’s been really good.  He will give us some slack to a point.  We can be loose and joke around in the locker room before a game, but he will remind us why we are there and never lets things get out of hand.  He has helped me out since I got here in many different situations, on and off of the ice.

One Word Answers

Favorite NHL Player:  Jeff Carter.  I model my style after him.

Favorite NHL Team:  Philadelphia Flyers.

Typical Fast Food Order:  Chik-Fil-A #1, no pickles, sweet tea and an extra sandwich.

Favorite Drink:  My go-to is water, but I love Mountain Dew.

What You Watch Other Than Hockey:  Baseball.

How Many Times Have You Watched The Mighty Ducks?  Too many times to count.

Favorite Movie:  Caddyshack.  ( I knew I liked Berkle for a reason).

Best Breakfast Cereal:  Lucky Charms.

As A Kid… Eat The Cereal or Dig For The Prize:  I ate the cereal.

Favorite Juice:  Orange Juice.

Toppings On A Pizza:  Just cheese, but sometimes sausage.

Favorite Music:  Everything – Rap, Country, and Rock.

Favorite Muppet:  Kermit The Frog.

Best Cartoon Character Ever:  Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin.

The Omaha Lancers only make one trip to Youngstown each season.  The Youngstown hockey fans were treated to a great game that featured a couple of Gold Medalists who recently represented the United States.  Scott Mayfield (left) of the Phantoms and Seth Ambroz (right) of the Lancers were honored before the game started as teammates on the US Championship Team.  Ambroz shined a bit brighter on this night chalking up a pair of assists as Omaha broke open a close game in the third period to win 5-2.

The Phantoms did have chances early and got on the scoreboard first when Ty Loney connected from close range to beat Lancers net minder John Keeney.  It was the fifth goal for Loney in only his ninth game this season.  Picking up assists on the goal were Cody Strang and Jiri Sekac.

Omaha wasted little time responding and tying the game.  Nick Oddo knocked in his fourth goal of the season.  The even-strength tally was assisted by Justin Crandall and Ambroz.  Keep the name Ambroz in your memory, he is NHL-bound and really has a nose for the puck.

Before the first period ended, the Phantoms scored a goal to claim a 2-1 lead.  Sekac took the puck top shelf (below, note the water bottle on the net going vertical from the puck) over Keeney’s right shoulder for his fifth.  The even-strength goal yielded assists to Loney and Strang.

The Lancers scored the lone goal of the second period to tie the contest at two goals apiece.  Colin Markison connected unassisted on a power-play goal.  The Phantoms had 22 shots after two periods compared to the Lancers 20.

With 3:36 gone in the third period, the Lancers again scored with a man advantage. The Phantoms  Jordan Young was whistled for hooking.  About ten seconds into the Lancers power-play, Oddo connected and Ambroz gained another assist.  The 3-2 advantage was the first of the night for Omaha.

Stefan Demopoulos picked the pocket of a Phantom inside the Phantom zone and beat Matt O’Connor on a shorthanded chance. The goal was the fourth of the year for Demopoulos, and even when the Phantoms seemed to have momentum, a Lancer deflated the hopes of a game-tying goal.  The Phantoms managed only one shot through the first 14 minutes and only one more the rest of the third period.

Crandall put an exclamation point on things for the Lancers as he floated one past O’Connor to give the team from Omaha an insurmountable three-goal lead at 5-2, which is where this one would end.

After the game, Coach Curt Carr voiced his displeasure with his team only getting two shots on goal in the final period.  “We didn’t come out in the third period, we just didn’t show up. I’m not sure why, I think our guys maybe took for granted that we could ease through.  We need to keep working hard and realize that we are a very young team.”

Scott Mayfield reflected on the loss.  “We are in a slump.  Our first line is rolling, but we need to get the puck on net more, being outshot 14-2 in the final period shows that we are not playing to the level that we should be.  They capitalized, they had a five on three and scored, that is what we need to start doing when we have those chances.”

The Phantoms fell to 5-9-1 with the loss.  Omaha improved to 7-4-2.  The Phantoms host the Dubuque Fighting Saints, a team rejoining the USHL after a nine-year absence Saturday night at the Covelli Centre.  Catch some live hockey, the guys could use a boost in the form of audience noise!

• The Youngstown Phantoms continued to struggle over the weekend going 0-3.  The road trip started with a 4-1 loss at Waterloo on Friday.  Jiri Sekac scored the lone goal in the loss.  Sioux Falls hammered the Phantoms, 8-4, on Saturday.  After jumping out to a 1-0 lead, Sioux Falls scored four unanswered goals to take control of the game.  The third game of the trip on Sunday was a 5-2 loss to Sioux City.  Andrew Sinelli scored his first Phantoms goal in defeat and Quinn Smith stayed hot tallying his fifth point in four games for Youngstown.
• Dylan Margonari (pictured) has made a commitment to play at Minnesota State at Mankato next season.  He plans on studying business management while attending college.  Margonari is the tenth Phantom on the active roster to commit to a college already this season.
• Scott Mayfield will skate for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge.  The Team USA roster is made up of 22 players, all coming from current USHL rosters.  The tournament goes from from November 8-14 and the Phantoms fine defenseman is playing in the challenge for a second consecutive year.
• The Youngstown Phantoms have acquired former Dubuque Fighting Saints forward Andrew Sinelli in a trade. The Phantoms exchanged their 2011 third round pick to acquire the Michigan State University commit. With Andrew Lamont on injured reserve, Sinelli will be placed in the Phantoms lineup almost immediately.

The Youngstown Phantoms rushed out of the gate to a 4-1 record this season.  Unfortunately, the injury bug has already sunk it’s piercing teeth into the depth chart of the Phantoms who have lost their last three games with a shortened bench.  The Phantoms looked to be getting reacquainted and played sloppy hockey for the first period, which was enough to cost them this game, bowing 2-0 to Green Bay.

Green Bay opened the scoring 8:18 into the first period.  Alex Broadhurst connected from just inside the right face off circle to beat Matthew O’Connor.  Broadhurst was assisted on his second goal of the season by Nolan LaPorte and Sam Herr.

Only 1:10 later, Green Bay made it 2-0 when Travis Lynch scored his second of the season.  Lynch took a pass from Grant Arnold and promptly flipped the puck over O’Connor’s right shoulder (below) to put the Phantoms into a big hole early.

Neither team would score in the second or third periods.  Both goaltenders played very solid games.  O’Connor finished with 42 saves for the Phantoms.  Ryan McKay faced less shots (28) but stopped all of them to earn his first shutout of the season.  McKay made some great saves, but also received a couple of lucky bounces.  The Phantoms hit the post four times, three  times within one minor penalty toward the end of the second period.

After the game, Phantoms Coach Curt Carr talked about the rough results.  “I thought we came out a little flat and I think that we are going through some growing pains right now.  I still like the way we battle and when we play our style of hockey, we are pretty good.”

The Phantoms (4-5) welcome in the Des Moines Buccaneers for a Saturday night game at The Covelli Centre. The puck drops at 7:30, catch some good hockey Youngstown!

After the unpredictability of the 2009-10 season filled with coaching changes, losing streaks, and the valid excuse of being a new team, Coach Curtis Carr is demanding stability.  Defending Champion Green Bay came into town to play the role of bad guy in front of a crowded Covelli Centre audience.

The Phantoms jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Ryan Belonger connected unassisted at the 3:57 mark of the first period.  For Belonger, it was the second goal on the very young season.

The Phantoms added to their lead when Ty Loney (pictured) connected for his third goal of the season jumping the Youngstown lead to 2-0.  Jiri Sekac picked up an assist on the goal that came just 1:01 into the second period.

Green Bay cut the lead in half  when Robert Francis snuck one past Phantoms Goaltender, Matt O’Connor (below).  Francis beat O’Connor at the 8:16 mark of the second period and received an assist from Jean-Paul LaFontaine.

The Phantoms hoisted their lead to 3-1  with 13:49 left in the game.  Quinn Smith tallied his first-ever USHL goal for the Phantoms.

Green Bay made a late push and cut the lead to 3-2 late in the final period.  William Kessel found twine after taking a feed from Austin Czarnik with 4:32 left in the game.

With the win, the Phantoms improved to 4-1 on the still new season, the Gamblers dropped to 2-2-1.  These two teams will hook it up again on Sunday with a rare 5 p.m. start.

After the game Curtis Carr talked about the advantage of having back guys with some experience to start a season.  “There is no doubt, it is very beneficial to not only have guys back with experience, but also guys who have good character and have played together.  The only thing I saw that we need to work on is to come out looser.  We came out sluggish and tight because of the jitters and pressure of playing Green Bay, last year’s champion.”