USHL Youngstown Phantoms

'Opportunistic' Steel Down Phantoms in the Third, 3-1

Published on January 22, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


BENSENVILLE, Ill. - For the second time in three days, the Youngstown Phantoms entered the third period tied at 1-1, and though the final frame played out differently than it did Friday night, the end result Sunday afternoon was again disappointment. The Chicago Steel got a pair of third-period goals and the Phantoms (19-12-3, fourth East), who were playing for the third straight day on the road, could not make the late-game push, and fell 3-1.

Defenseman Chris Bradley scored the Phantoms' only goal and goaltender Sean Romeo turned away 17 of 20 shots, but had little to no chance on the trio of Chicago tallies. Youngstown finished 1-1-1 on the weekend's three-game road swing that began with a pair in Des Moines, Iowa, before wrapping up Sunday at the Edge Ice Arena.

"There are no moral victories for taking three out of six points," Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. "Was it a tough weekend travel-wise? Absolutely. It was very taxing on our guys when we were already short a couple bodies, but it's not an excuse."

The Steel (10-23-1, sixth East) grabbed their first lead at the 8:44 mark in the first period when Jeff Kubiak redirected a slap shot from Jacob Slavin that beat Romeo low. But Chicago promptly followed the goal with a pair of penalties in the following minutes, which gave the Phantoms a 5-on-3 advantage for 57 seconds.

Bradley knotted it up at 1-1 during the two-man power play with his fourth goal in two nights. Austin Cangelosi got the puck from Ambrosia below the goal line and he sent it up to Bradley between the circles, where he fired a one-timer top-shelf on the blocker-side of Steel netminder Alex Sakellaropoulos.

Romeo made a pair of big saves in the remainder of the first, including a spectacular snag on Michael Vilardo in the final two minutes, and the teams entered the first intermission tied.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second as both defenses stymied quality chances, and the goaltenders swallowed every puck that got through to keep the score at 1-1 heading into the final period.

The Steel re-took the lead at the 7:27 mark during the third when Vilardo fell into Romeo after a shot from the point, but he was then able to get his stick on the puck in the crease and put it in the net before the 17-year-old goalie could collect himself. Then just a minute later, Michael Fallon deflected a shot from Ryan Trentz to give the Steel the two-goal cushion.

"Sean was really good tonight. He made the saves he had to," Noreen said. "The two that were tipped, I don't think he could have had. They were just really opportunistic."

That proved to be enough, as the exhausted Phantoms could not muster any goals in the final minutes of the third and fell to the Steel for just the second time in franchise history.

"We thought after getting eight goals last night, we might be able to get out of our scoring lull a little bit," Noreen said. "We had a lot of grade-A chances - and give their goaltender and 'D' credit - but in a tight hockey game, and on the road, you've got to put them in the net."

Phantoms by the Numbers

20 - Shots

17 - Saves

1G-0A-1PT - Bradley

0G-1A-1PT - Ambrosia, Cangelosi

Staying Hot

With his first-period marker, defenseman Chris Bradley has scored goals in back-to-back games. He entered this weekend with one goal on the season and exited with five after netting a hat trick Saturday night against Des Moines.

Next on the Slate

The Phantoms return to the Covelli Centre for a pair of games this upcoming week. They will face the Waterloo Black Hawks for the first time all season on Thursday night and take on the Dubuque Fighting Saints the following night. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m. EST each evening.

Thursday night is a "Double Dollar Deal Day" where fans can get a 16-oz. beer, 16-oz. soda, popcorn or hotdog for just $2 each!

Friday Night is the Phantoms Youngstown State University Night and also their Thunder Stick giveaway. Members from YSU Greek Life will be honored, and YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson will drop the ceremonial first puck. The first 1,000 fans through the door will receive Thunder Sticks courtesy of the Ohio Lottery and college students with a valid student I.D. can get a 50 percent discount at the box office.

Single game tickets for the 2011-12 season are on sale now. Season ticket and flex plans start at the low price of just $90. Call the Phantoms office today at 330.747.7825 for more information or to make a reservation today! For a complete Phantoms schedule, visit www.youngstownphantoms.com .

Check out the Youngstown Phantoms Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central