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Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Notebook

November 19, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


After a scoreless, evenly matched opening period that saw both sides exchange quality scoring opportunities, the Stars drew first blood just 1:57 into the second, when Patrick Polino tapped in a backdoor pass past Phantoms goaltender Chris Birdsall, giving Lincoln a 1-0 lead.

The Phantoms were not deterred, as midway through the frame, forward Josh Melnick launched a wrist shot that beat Stars goaltender Peyton Jones, tying the game, 1-1, 10:11 into the period. Youngstown took the lead 2:07 later, as forward Matt Alvaro scored on a rebound, giving the Phantoms a 2-1 lead, 12:28 into period two.

The Phantoms' lead held up through the remainder of the second, but midway through the third, Lincoln tied the game, 2-2, after forward Dominick Sacco wristed one past Birdsall, 11:48 into the frame.

The Phantoms took the lead right back a few minutes later while shorthanded, after forward Ryan Lomberg picked off a pass and shot a backhander that beat Jones, putting the Phantoms back up, 3-2, 14:19 into the final frame.

The Stars offense came to life, getting a pair of goals in the span of 1:04, as Cam Lee went hard to the net and snuck one past Birdsall, and Chris Clack snuck behind the Phantoms' defense and scored on a breakaway, giving the Stars a 4-3 lead, 17:11 into the final frame.

The Phantoms continued to pepper Jones with shots, and with 1:01 left in regulation and the goalie pulled on the power play, Melnick sent a pass to forward Kiefer Sherwood who fired a one-timer past Jones, tying the game back up, 4-4, forcing overtime.

After a scoreless overtime period, the two sides headed to a shootout. In the skills competition, forward Max Letunov scored the lone goal, beating Jones on the low blocker side, while Birdsall stopped all three shots he faced, preserving the 5-4 shootout win for the Phantoms.

On Sunday, it only took 5:11 for the Phantoms to strike first as forward Kyle Connor scored off of a rebound to give the Phantoms a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the 55th of his USHL career, and now places him atop the Phantoms' all-time scoring list, overtaking Sam Anas, who was the previous record holder with 54.

The Stars tied the game at 16:45 of the opening frame when forward Miguel Fidler scored after a centering pass from Chris Dodero, evening the game at 1-1 after 20 minutes.

Youngstown took the lead back near the midway point of the second, when forward Taylor Best went hard to the net squeaked the puck across the goal line to give the Phantoms a 2-1 lead, 7:18 into the period.

That lead was short lived, as a few minutes later, Lincoln's Michael Gillespie beat Birdsall with a high wrist shot, tying the game, 2-2, after two periods.

The Stars took their first lead of the game after Grant Jozefek intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and skated in on a breakaway and scored, putting Lincoln up, 3-2, 4:31 into the final period.

A resilient Phantoms squad battled back, and for the second game in a row tied the game late in the third when Nenadal crashed the net and scored on a Kris Myllari rebound, tying the game, 3-3, at the end of regulation.

In the overtime period, the Phantoms had a number of quality scoring opportunities, however with just 28 seconds remaining, Lincoln's Biagio Lerario wristed a shot past Birdsall to give the Stars the 4-3 overtime victory.

UP NEXT: The Phantoms return to the road for the first time in 33 days, when they head to Bloomington to take on the Thunder. The Phantoms are 5-0-0 against the Thunder this season, outscoring them 25-10 in those contests. This weekend marks the sixth and seventh meetings of the year between the two clubs, with the final matchup coming on February 20th in Bloomington.

Next Five Games

Friday, November 21st at Bloomington - U.S. Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL - 8:00 pm - Broadcast: (TAPE DELAY) 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey

Saturday, November 22nd at Bloomington - U.S. Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL - 8:00 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey

Friday, November 28th at Muskegon - L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon, MI - 7:15 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey

Saturday, November 29th vs Muskegon - Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH - 7:05 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey

Wednesday, December 3rd vs Chicago Steel - Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH - 10:15 am- Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey

11/21

@ Bloomington

8:00 pm

11/22

@ Bloomington

8:00 pm

11/28

@ Muskegon

7:15 pm

11/29

vs Muskegon

7:05 pm

12/3

vs Chicago

10:15 am

QUOTABLES

"Perhaps the biggest credit probably goes to Kiefer. Anyone who has seen us practice knows that he takes that shot about a hundred times a day, and as much as he works on that, he really deserved it." - Head Coach Anthony Noreen on Kiefer Sherwood's game -tying goal on Friday

"It feels pretty unreal at the moment, given the number of talented players that come through this organization, and it's a real honor. Sam's a good friend of mine, and throughout my first couple of years here he's been like a mentor to me and I have really learned a lot from him." - Kyle Connor on setting the Phantoms' all-time goal scoring mark

"I'm not surprised at all because he is such a talented player. I could see the raw talent he had as a 16-year-old playing in the league, and it is great to see him doing well. He's worked hard and deserves everything he gets." - Sam Anas on Kyle Connor breaking the Phantoms' all-time goal scoring record

NOTABLES

Kyle Connor scored his 55th career goal in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to Lincoln. The goal moves him into first place on the Phantoms' all-time goal scoring list, surpassing Sam Anas' 54

Ryan Lomberg scored a shorthanded marker in Friday's 5-4 shootout win over Lincoln, marking the 30th goals of his USHL career

Goaltender Chris Birdsall stopped 26 shots in Friday's 5-4 shootout win, marking the 20th win of his USHL career

Youngstown Phantoms Alumni Update

Pro Alumni

Brandon Saad (2008-2009) - Played in 18 games with the Chicago Blackhawks this season, registering three goals and nine assists, along with a minus-one on-ice rating, while averaging 16:34 Time on Ice (TOI).

Jiri Sekac (2009-11) - Played in 12 games with the Montreal Canadiens so far this season, and has three goals and two assists.

Andrej Sustr (2009-10) - Suited up in 16 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, dishing out three assists, while averaging 12:14 TOI

Scott Mayfield (2009-10) - Skated in 14 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) this season, recording a pair of assists and an even rating.

Nathan Walker (2012-13) - Appeared in 15 games for the Hershey Bears (AHL), scoring his first goal of the season back on Sunday. He also has a pair of assists and a plus four on-ice rating

Tom Serratore (2009-10)- Traded to the Evansville Icemen (ECHL) last Saturday. Overall, he has played in seven games this season, recording two assists along with a plus-two rating

College Alumni Update (11/11-11/17)

Quinn Smith (Boston College)- Scored a goal against Michigan State on 11/14

Tyler Spezia (Bowling Green)- Dished out an assist against Ohio State on 11/14

Matt O'Connor (Boston University)- Win against Maine on 11/14 (1 GA, 27 SV). Overall on the season, he is 5-1-0, with a 1.51 GAA, and a .949 S%

Ty Loney (Denver)- Recorded an assist against Colorado College on 11/14

Ryan Lowney (Ferris State)- Had an assist in both games against Alaska-Anchorage on 11/13 & 11/14

Sean Romeo (Maine)- Took the loss against Boston University on 11/14 (2 GA, 25 SV). Overall on the season he is 1-4-0, with a 3.19 GAA, and a .896 S%

Ben Paulides (Miami OH)- Registered an assist against North Dakota on 11/15

Alex Gacek (Miami OH)- Had a goal & and assist against North Dakota on 11/14, and dished out another assist against the Fighting Sioux on 11/15

Andrew Sinelli (Michigan)- Had two assists against American International on 11/14

Taylor Holstrom (Penn State)- Dished out a pair of assists against UMass-Lowell on 11/14, and had three assists against the River Hawks on 11/15. Tied for the NCAA scoring lead with 16 points (3g, 13a)

Sam Anas (Quinnipiac)- Scored a goal and three assists against Union on 11/14. Currently tied for sixth in the nation in scoring with 15 points (7g, 8a)

Alex Dahl (St Lawrence)- Had an assist against Cornell on 11/15

Eric Sweetman (St Lawrence)- Scored a goal against Colgate on 11/14, and had an assist against Cornell on 11/15

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