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 Youngstown Phantoms

Lomberg Nets Two as Phantoms Complete Sweep of Bloomington

October 25, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, OH- The Youngstown Phantoms upended the Bloomington Thunder, 5-3, on Saturday night. Special teams played a huge part in the win, as the Phantoms scored three goals on the power play, along with one shorthanded. The win marks the fourth of the year over the Bloomington Thunder.

The Phantoms got off to a good start, and took the lead just after the midway through the opening period when forward Bryan Lemos took a shot on goal that went off of Bloomington netminder Logan Halladay after he was ran into by his own defender, and right to forward Ryan Lomberg who jammed it in, giving the Phantoms a 1-0 lead, 10:28 into the first period.

After a five-minute "removing the opponent's helmet" penalty was assessed to the Thunder, the captain put the Phantoms up, 2-0, when forward Taylor Best fed him a pass below the goal line and he buried it from a sharp angle to extend the Phantoms' lead, 14:10 into the period.

"It felt good to get those goals," remarked Lomberg. "I was able to get one in after Lemos took a good shot, and on the second one, Best made a good pass to me down low and I buried it."

The Phantoms' power play was not finished, as a few shifts later, forward Chase Pearson tapped in a loose puck that was sitting on the edge of the crease, giving the Phantoms a 3-0 lead after the first period.

"I loved our start, and it was, by far, the best we've had all season," said Head Coach Anthony Noreen. "It would have been very easy to let them dictate the pace after last night, but I thought we were first on pucks, and had a great beginning that helped lead to the five-minute power play which was a big momentum changer."

Bloomington came to life in the second, as defenseman Jalen Smerek lit the lamp a minute and five seconds into the period, followed by a goal forward Shane Bednard at 10:19, cutting the Phantoms' lead to 3-2 midway through the frame.

Youngstown was not deterred, as a couple of minutes later while shorthanded, forward Josh Nenadal received a pass from Josh Melnick in the neutral zone and brought it over the Thunder blue line where he fired a shot through heavy traffic out front that went off the crossbar and in past Halladay, pushing the Phantoms' lead back to two goals, 4-2, with his second shorthanded goal on the weekend.

"It was a great pass from Melnick which really started the play, and I just closed my eyes and shot it, and luckily it went through Carson's [Vance] legs and found the back of the net, said Nenadal.

"The two key goals of the weekend were the shorthanded goals last night and tonight by Nenadal," stated Noreen. "Those were momentum-changing goals that could have went the other way, and it was great to see him put in the hard work and score."

That 4-2 lead held up through the remainder of the second, and 3:39 into the third with the Phantoms up on the man advantage, defenseman Connor Yau threaded a pass to Best who wristed a shot past Halladay, pushing the Phantoms' edge to 5-2.

Bloomington received a tally from Matt Mendelson, but Phantoms' goaltender Colin DeAugustine held firm, stopping 25 of the 28 shots he faced to preserve the 5-3 Phantoms win. The power play was stellar again for the Phantoms, converting on three of their five opportunities.

The Phantoms continue their season-long eight-game home stand next Saturday night against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Face off is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

Single game and season tickets are on sale now for all Phantoms home games at the Covelli Centre starting at the low price of $10.75 for single game, and $267.00 for season tickets. Call 330.747.PUCK (7825) for more information or to reserve seats today. For all the latest news, visit www.YoungstownPhantoms.com, follow the Phantoms on Twitter (@YtownPhantoms) and "˜Like' them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/YoungstownPhantoms).


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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.

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