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Youngstown Phantoms

Game Notes vs Lincoln

November 14, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms look to halt a two-game losing streak when they welcome in the Lincoln Stars this weekend, in the first matchup between the Phantoms and a Western Conference opponent this season. The Phantoms were 1-0-1 against Lincoln last season, and 5-8-3 against the Western Conference overall.

LAST MONDAY RECAP:

On Monday, the Phantoms got off to a hot start, scoring just 1:13 into the contest, when forward Kyle Connor gave the Phantoms a 1-0 lead, with his 54th career USHL goal, ty- ing him with Sam Anas for the Phantoms' all-time goal scoring lead. Youngstown then extended their lead to 2-0, when forward Ryan Lomberg launched a wrist shot that beat Morris, 9:33 into the opening period.

Chicago cut the Phantoms' lead in half with 14 seconds remaining in the first, when forward John Ern- sting snuck one past Phantoms goaltender Colin DeAugustine, cutting the deficit to 2-1 after 20 minutes.

The Phantoms pushed the lead back to two goals 1:02 into the second period, after a Connor shot de- flected off of Morris right to Lomberg who batted the puck out of midair and past the Steel backstop, giving the Phantoms a 3-1 lead.

The lead for the Phantoms did not last long, as the Steel's offense came to life, receiving three in a row from Connor Murphy and Blankemeier, and a shorthanded marker from Schilling, giving the Steel a 4-3 lead after two periods.

Chicago continued their forward motion in the third, as Schilling pushed Chicago's lead to 5-3 with his second of the night. Chicago then received a pair of goals from Mason Bergh, one on the power play and one shorthanded, extending the Steel lead to 7-3, 9:32 into the final frame.

The Phantoms started mounting a comeback. Lomberg pulled the Phantoms to within three, with his third goal of the night, 16:37 into the third period, giving him his first career USHL hat trick, and a few minutes later, forward Bryan Lemos went hard to the net and scored, pulling the Phantoms to within two goals, 7-5, with 1:53 left. Youngstown managed to get a few more quality scoring opportunities, but the rally came up short as Morris stopped 27-of-32 on the night and preserved the win for Chicago.

PREVIEWING LINCOLN: The Stars currently sit at the bottom of the USHL's Western Confer- ence, with a record of 4-6-1 and nine points. Currently skating under first-year head coach Chris Harts- burg, Lincoln is led by a trio of 10-point scores in Michael Gillespie (8g, 2a), Dominick Sacco (4g, 6a), and Blake Christensen (3g, 7a). The Stars have lost three out of their last four games played, but are coming off of a 5-2 win over the Des Moines Buccaneers on Tuesday.

INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY: Kyle Connor has been named to Team USA's Junior Se- lect Team that will participate in the upcoming World Junior A Challenge. This will be the second time in 2014 that the University of Michigan commit will be competing internationally for Team USA, as he helped lead them to a Gold Medal in the IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championships back in April. The Shelby TWP, MI native was also invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp back in August, and was a participant in September's CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, which brought together the top 42 American-born NHL Draft-eligible prospects.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Affiliate List defenseman Ryan Shea has been practicing with the Phantoms this week, and could potentially see game action this weekend against Lincoln. Committed to Northeastern University, the Milton, MA, native was selected by the Phantoms in the third round of Phase II of the 2014 USHL Draft.

HATS OFF TO THE CAPTAIN!: Phantoms captain Ryan Lomberg netted his first-career USHL hat trick in Monday's 7-5 loss to the Steel. He also added an assist, which set a new career single game point mark for the Richmond Hill, ONT native. Through 13 games this season, Lomberg has accumu- lated seven goals and four assists, for 11 total points.

FIRST OF MANY: Forward James Winkler and defenseman Kris Myllari each scored their first career USHL goals in the 9-3 win over Bloomington on November 5th, making them the eighth and ninth Phantoms to tally their first USHL goal this season. Forwards Kevin Conley and Chase Pearson are tied for the goal lead amongst the Phantoms' USHL newcomers, with four goals each.

Game 14: Youngstown vs. Lincoln Stars

Friday, November 14, 2014

Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH-7:05 pm

YNG: 7-5-1

LIN: 4-6-1

GOAL RUSH: The Phantoms lit the lamp nine times in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Bloomington Thunder, tying a team record, and marking the first time this season, the first time since October 5th, 2012 (9-6 win over Waterloo), and just the third time in team history that the Phantoms have scored nine goals in a game. The only other time was a 9-3 win over the Steel on March 31, 2010, the Phantoms' first season in the USHL. Youngstown got points from 14 different players, including forward James Winkler (2g), and defenseman Kris Myllari (1g), who each scored their first career USHL goals. WELL AREN'T YOU SPECIAL: The Phantoms special teams units have been amongst the best in the USHL all season long. The Phantoms currently boast the second-best power play in the League, converting on 26.5% of their chances (18/68).

The penalty kill has been just as solid, killing off 54-of-64 opposition power plays, while scoring three goals. Last Wednesday, the Youngstown power play units converted in four of five opportunities, and in the Phantoms' sweep of the Thunder on October 24th & 25th, nine of the team's 11 goals on the weekend were of the special teams variety; six on the power play and three shorthanded. Overall, 17 different players have recorded at least one special teams point this season.

LEAGUE LEADERS: The Phantoms are amongst the top teams in the League in many offensive categories, including goals (54) assists (86), points (140), power play goals (18), and shorthanded goals (4). Currently, the Phantoms are second in the League, averaging 4.08 goals per game.

O CAPTAINS! MY CAPTAINS!: Team captains Ryan Lomberg and Josh Nenadal were major contributors to the Phan- toms' offense during the two game sweep of Bloomington on October 24th and 25th, accounting for five goals. Nenadal scored a pair of shorthanded goals, marking just the second time in his USHL career that he has scored in back-to-back games (Dec. 9 & Dec. 14, 2012). The Brecksville, OH native has three goals on the season, matching his entire goal total from last year. He also leads the team with two shorthanded tallies on the season. Lomberg scored a power play marker on Friday, before netting a pair of goals, including one on the power play, on Saturday. The Richmond Hill, ONT native spent the 2011-12 season with the Mus- kegon Lumberjacks, leading the team in scoring with 22 goals and 18 assists, for 40 points.

HOME SWEET HOME: After playing six of the first seven games on the road, the Phantoms are in the midst of an eight - game home stand at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms are 4-3-0 at home this season after posting a 10-17-3 record on home ice, averaging 2.83 goals per game, a season ago.

DON'T BLINK...YOU'LL MISS IT: Kyle Connor scored two goals in 18 seconds in a 6-0 win over Dubuque on October 18th. It was the fastest two goals scored in the USHL this season, and marked the fifth time he has had at least two goals in a game in his career. Connor now has 53 career USHL goals, just one shy of the Phantoms' all-time career goals Leader, Sam Anas, who netted 54 goals during his USHL Career. Connor recently became the Phantoms' all-time points leader, surpassing Austin Cangelosi (123 career points), and Rob Rassey (NAHL-125 career points). In 127 career games, Connor has totaled 53 goals and 77 assists, for 130 total points.

NIFTY FIFTY: In the 3-2 shootout win over Bloomington on October 11th, forward Kyle Connor scored his 50th career USHL goal, making him the 18th player in USHL history to reach the mark. He is also just the third player in League history to score 50 before his 18th birthday, joining former Waterloo Black Hawk Taylor Cammarata, and former Omaha Lancer Seth Ambroz. Addi- tionally, Connor becomes just the third Phantom to score 50 in a career, joining Sam Anas (54), and Austin Cangelosi (50).

JIRI LIGHTS THE LAMP: Alum Jiri Sekac scored his second-career NHL goal for the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, in a 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins. His first NHL goal came back on October 16th, in a 6-4 win over the Bruins. He joins Andrej Sustr of the Tampa Bay Lightning as the only two Phantoms alumni from the USHL era to score an NHL goal.

THE NHL COMES CALLING: Three players with Youngstown ties were chosen in June's NHL Draft- Max Letunov, JJ Piccinich and Nathan Walker. Letunov was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round with the 52nd overall se- lection, making him the second-highest NHL Draft selection in Youngstown Phantoms history (Scott Mayfield, 2nd RD, #34 Overall to NYI in 2011). Next up was Walker, who was selected in the third round (89th overall) by the Washington Capitals. He suited up for the Phantoms during the 2012-2013 season, and last September signed a professional contract with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), making him the first Phantoms player to make the jump from the USHL to the AHL. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Walker is the first Australian-born player to be selected in the NHL Draft. The Final Phan- tom taken off the board was Piccinich who was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round with the 103rd overall pick. Currently a freshman at Boston University, Piccinich just wrapped up a two-year USHL career in which he totaled 30 goals and 43 assists in 123 games played.

THE NHL IS WATCHING: Seven players with Youngstown Phantoms ties were named to NHL Central Scouting's prelim- inary draft rankings. Forward Kyle Connor was the lone "A" rated prospect, while goaltender Chris Birdsall cracked the list as the team's lone "B" rated prospect. Also making the list were forwards Chase Pearson and Kevin Conley, and affiliate-list players Ryan Bednard and Ryan Shea, who were all " C" rated prospects. Alum Steven Ruggiero (currently playing for Team USA's Under-18 squad) also made the list as a "B" rated prospect.

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