Gacek's Overtime Winner Stretches Phantoms' Winning Streak to Four Games
Published on October 20, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
It took Alex Gacek 45 games to score his first career United States Hockey League goal. He had no intention of waiting that long to net his second.
With the score tied at three less than two minutes into the overtime, Gacek got a breakout pass from defenseman Eric Sweetman and came skating down the right side with speed. The Dracut, Mass., native chipped the puck off the boards, side-stepped the Cedar Rapids defender, retrieved it and fired it past goaltender Jake Hildebrand to give the Phantoms the 4-3 overtime victory.
"Potting that first goal [against Des Moines] gave me a lot of confidence," Gacek said. "I was thinking pass at first but then I saw the defenseman commit. I knew I had to shoot it."
The Phantoms had a 3-1 lead entering the third period but saw it evaporate as the RoughRiders scored a pair of goals in the final seven minutes to force overtime.
"It really speaks volumes about our team's mental toughness," Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. "... I think in years past we may have folded up shop [after the two goals], but I took a look up and down the bench before overtime and our guys were unphased. I had a pretty good feeling we were going to get it done."
It was the fourth win in a row for the Phantoms, who are now tied with Green Bay and Indiana for the best record in the USHL Eastern Conference, and it gave them three straight wins at the Covelli Centre to open the home slate.
First-year center Austin Cangelosi continued his blistering start to the season, scoring with a second-period tap-in off a pass from Mike Ambrosia to give the Phantoms the lead at the 11:05 mark. The RoughRiders answered a little more than four minutes later when Tanner Pond found Jared Linnell on the back door to knot things up again.
With 2:20 remaining in the second, newly-acquired right wing Brent Norris, who was selected by Cedar Rapids in this summer's USHL Entry Draft but released after the preseason, stuck it to his former team. Stephen Collins floated a puck into the slot and, after he rang one off the crossbar earlier in the period, Norris roofed a back-hand to retake the lead.
"After I scored, I didn't know what to do," Norris said. "It was so exciting. It was especially good to do it against the team I was with for two months."
Then with just 53 seconds remaining in the second, and his team short-handed, Cangelosi struck again. The Boston College commit won a race for the puck in the neutral zone and went blazing toward the goal, where he lifted a back-hand past Hildebrand as he was being tripped to make it a 3-1 game heading into the second intermission.
"[Cangelosi's] ability to create separation between defenders and himself is unbelievable," Noreen said. "It's as good as anyone I've coached.
"The same goes for his patience. He had the goalie down and out and it would have been easy to just stuff it into him, but he waited for him to go down, got his spot and put it upstairs."
The RoughRiders battled back in the third and Landon Smith got things started with 6:53 remaining when he intercepted a pass in the slot and put it past goaltender Matthew O'Connor, who made 22 saves on the night. Then less than three minutes later, with the Phantoms in the midst of a four-on-three power play, Cangelosi lost his edge and Cedar Rapids defenseman Greg Amlong skated in alone on a breakaway and put the puck five-hole to tie the game.
But the Phantoms refused to buckle after surrounding two unanswered goals in the third.
"In the locker room, Coach has a phrase: refuse to lose," Cangelosi said. "That's what we're all about. If a team comes back, it doesn't matter because we're going to keep fighting."
Phantoms by the Numbers:
34 - Shots
22 - Saves
100% -- Penalty Kill (6-for-6)
2G-0A-2PTS - Cangelosi
0G-2A-2PTS - Ambrosia
Staying Hot
With a pair of goals tonight, Cangelosi stretched his point streak to five games. He leads the USHL with seven goals, three short-handed goals and is tied for the league lead with nine points.
Next On The Slate
The Phantoms travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on Team USA on Saturday. The puck drops at 3:00 p.m. EST.
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
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 10th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2011-12. With over 280 players from last season that were committed to NCAA Division I schools and 18 NHL Entry Draft picks that were on League rosters, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at
www.USHL.com.
It's not just
hockey. It's the
USHL.
United States Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2011
- Gacek's Overtime Winner Stretches Phantoms' Winning Streak to Four Games - Youngstown Phantoms
- Meet the Refs in November - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Former Bucs Named to US Men's Team - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Lancers Acquire Future Player, 2013 Draft Pick in Trade with Muskegon - Omaha Lancers
- Bucs Weekend Notes - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Bucs, Sportclips Team for Help-A-Hero Nights - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Phantoms Defenseman Mike Gunn Commits to Northeastern - Youngstown Phantoms
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.
