Fargo Blanks Phantoms, 4-0
Published on October 3, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
Youngstown Phantoms' Malachi McKinnon battles Fargo Force's Samuel Hrenak and Zac Zimmerman
(Youngstown Phantoms, Credit: Scott Galvin/Scott Galvin Photography)
YOUNGSTOWN, OH - The Youngstown Phantoms (0-4-0-0, 0pts) threw everything they could at the Fargo net Saturday night, but Samuel Hrenak stopped all 30 shots he saw leading the Force to a 4-0 shutout at the Covelli Centre.
"I thought for the first two periods we were really good; did everything we asked them to do," said Phantoms Head Coach Nathan Paetsch. "We ran in to a hot goalie. To be honest we probably had 10 Grade A chances, we just couldn't find a way to put it into the net."
Forty-four minutes of hockey elapsed before the scoreboard was finally dented. Lauri Kouhia stole a puck in the right-wing corner of the Phantoms zone and two passes later AJ Garcia put it into the Phantoms' net. Kouhia scored the next two goals for Fargo, finishing off pretty plays in tight at 9:10 and 15:19 respectively. Caz Carlson finished off the scoring at 17:51.
Nikita Oleksiienko stopped 22-of-26 in taking the loss. Hrenak earned his second career shutout, denying the Phantoms on several high-quality opportunities throughout the game.
Youngstown visits Dubuque for a pair of games next weekend before returning to the Covelli Centre October 13 to take on Team USA.
BY THE NUMBERS
Shots - 30
Saves - 22
Power Play - 0/3
Penalty Kill - 5/5
Box Score - https://ushl.com/ht/#/game-summary/13509
Matt Lipcsak | Broadcaster
Images from this story
 Youngstown Phantoms' Malachi McKinnon battles Fargo Force's Samuel Hrenak and Zac Zimmerman (Scott Galvin/Scott Galvin Photography) |
United States Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2026
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