USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantom Philes: When A Loss Isn'T A Loss

Published on March 8, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - These are the Phantom Philes, a weekly comprehensive look at Youngstown's stop on the road to the National Hockey League.

There is precious little room in team sports for moral victories, although hockey has always been an exception to that rule, at least during the regular season.

Looking back, hockey has been the rogue among the four major North American sports, allowing for a third column in the standings when others insisted on enumerating just wins and losses. While the identity of the third column has morphed from ties to overtime/shootout losses in recent years, the yield in the standings has remained the same: one point, compared to the two received for a win.

For the Phantoms (16-32-3, 35 points) Saturday night in Kearney, Neb., the single standings point earned in their 5-4 shootout loss to the Tri-City Storm was an appropriate reward for their best late-game comeback of the season, even if it didn't result in a victory.

Prior to Saturday's third-period drama, the Purple and Orange hadn't won a game in which they trailed after two periods since Nov. 14, a 7-6 overtime home win over Chicago. But neither that game nor their comeback triumph Oct. 11 against the Steel had the drama of the Tri-City resurgence, which featured two goals in the final 3:10 of regulation.

Andrew Lamont started the Saturday night revival with his first goal since Jan. 22, lifting a backhand shot over Storm goalie Carsen Chubak's glove hand to draw the Phantoms within one. After a couple close calls around the Tri-City goal, Youngstown goaltender Matt Mahalak was summoned to the bench in the final moments for an extra attacker.

With 15 seconds left, defenseman Scott Mayfield moved the puck into the offensive zone, dragged it around a Tri-City defender and wristed a hard shot on net that Chubak stopped. The resulting wild scramble for the biscuit was capped when Brett Gensler found just enough time and space to snap the game-tying goal under the crossbar, sending the contest to sudden-death OT.

Gensler's clutch tally marked the first time all season the Phantoms have scored during the desperation of a final-minute 6-on-5 attack. The second-year USHL forward has a team-best four game-winning goals to accompany Saturday's game-saver and now leads Youngstown with 15 red lights on the campaign.

But no matter who scored the equalizer, the Phantoms as a team can take solace in the fact that their late push did more than just stun the Tri-City Storm and a lively Viaero Event Center crowd; it provided one of the indelible memories of Youngstown's inaugural season in the USHL.

PHANTOMS GAMES THIS WEEK:

Friday, March 12 at 7:15 p.m. vs. SIOUX CITY / Bargain Beer Night - Enjoy $1 beers all night long! Take advantage of the Phantoms' Family Four Pack offer: four tickets for just $20. Also, team logo folders will be given out to the first 500 kids through the Covelli Centre gates.

Saturday, March 13 at 7:15 p.m. vs. SIOUX CITY / Go Green at the Rink - Phantoms fans who bring five aluminum beverage cans to Covelli Centre will receive a half-priced ticket! Bring in 12 cans and get five chances to win an aluminum track bicycle; recycling drive and contest presented by Novelis.

FOLLOW THE PHANTOMS ALL SEASON LONG!

Listen to Voice of the PhantomsMatt Gajtka describe exciting Phantoms hockey on Youngstown's ESPN 1240. Broadcasts begin approximately 15 minutes prior to opening faceoff. Phantoms fans outside the listening area can log onto www.wbbw.com and use ESPN 1240's streaming audio player, so there's no need to miss a second of the action.

"Phantoms Phever" is an hour-long weekly talk show that brings you an inside look at your Youngstown Phantoms. Gajtka sets up shop Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Jeremiah Bullfrog's Sports Bar & Grille on US Route 224 in Boardman, chatting with coaches, players and front office staff about northeast Ohio's most exciting team and the great sport of hockey. Catch "Phantoms Phever" on Youngstown's ESPN Radio 1240 AM and online at www.wbbw.com.

Also, make "Youngstown Phantoms" your friend on Facebook and follow "ytownphantoms" on Twitter to stay plugged into the Phantoms 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

RADIO REPLAYS, PRESS BOX OPINIONS AND MUCH MORE...

Relive heart-pounding Phantoms action on demand! Listen to all the best goal calls from recent games and get Gajtka's take on Youngstown's inaugural season in the USHL at the onlineVoice of the Phantoms blog at www.youngstownphantoms.com.

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Friday, March 5: TRI-CITY 2, YOUNGSTOWN 0

KEARNEY, Neb. - Goaltender Carsen Chubak stopped 29 shots, 12 of which in the first period, to earn the shutout in the Tri-City Storm's 2-0 home win over the Youngstown Phantoms Friday night at Viaero Event Center.

Chubak had to be strong throughout, as the Phantoms (16-32-2, 34 points) pressed the issue consistently, generating numerous high-quality scoring opportunities around the Tri-City goal. The pressure was highest in the opening period, when Youngstown outshot the Storm 12-4 and earned a pair of power-play chances.

Youngstown was shutout for the first time since Dec. 10, when Cab Morris and the defending league champion Indiana Ice turned the trick at Covelli Centre. Adam Berkle launched a team-high five shots, but his three-game goal-scoring streak came to an end.

Despite the Phantoms' offensive-zone domination in the opening stanza, the Storm (24-20-6, 54 points) would grab the only goal of the period from Mario Puskarich. The rookie, in his first month with Tri-City after being traded from Waterloo, threw in his own rebound from the left circle at 6:26 just before the Youngstown net was dislodged.

The Storm pressed back in the second after the Youngstown-controlled first, firing 13 shots at netminder Jordan Tibbett. After Tibbett robbed USHL leading scorer Jaden Schwartz from the doorstep during a delayed penalty against the Phantoms, Tri-City expanded its lead to two on the ensuing power play.

Defenseman Tyler Amburgey crept in from the left point to take a centering pass from Brett Mohler 20 seconds into the man advantage and ripped a high drive into the goal to make it 2-0 5:34 into the middle period.

Tibbett turned in another spectacular stop on Slovakian winger Radoslav Illo midway through the third, lunging out to block Illo's open drive from the right circle during another Tri-City power play.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1049101 for full box score.

Saturday, March 6: TRI-CITY 5, YOUNGSTOWN 4 (SO)

KEARNEY, Neb. - Trailing the Tri-City Storm 4-2 with four minutes to play, the Youngstown Phantoms doggedly rallied for a pair of late goals, the second of which by Brett Gensler with just nine seconds left, earning a point in a 5-4 shootout loss Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Entering the third period down a goal, the Phantoms had multiple chances to tie against Tri-City goaltender Carsen Chubak in the opening minutes of the frame, but couldn't pick up the equalizer. Chubak's saves loomed large when Radoslav Illo threw a shot from the left boards that struck a Phantom and slipped into the goal, raising the Storm lead to 4-2 at 5:19.

But Andrew Lamont roofed a backhand shot over Chubak with 3:10 left to send a nervous buzz through the 10-year-old building, setting up Gensler's team-leading 15th that capped a goalmouth scramble and sent the game to sudden-death overtime.

League-leading scorer Jaden Schwartz fired the shootout winner in the second round of the tiebreaker, as the Storm netted three to the Phantoms' one in the skills competition. Schwartz scored Tri-City's first three goals of the night, two of them shorthanded, for the first hat trick against Youngstown this season.

Mario Puskarich's goal ended the shootout in the fourth round, as only Jiri Sekac's backhand deke beat Chubak. Radoslav Illo led off the tiebreaker by beating Phantoms goalie Matt Mahalak with a forehand, as the Storm earned their fourth shootout win of the season.

The Storm won Friday night despite getting zero points from Schwartz, but they wouldn't have to worry about that on Saturday, as the Saskatchewan native flipped in his 28th goal of the season at 15:06 of the first. Schwartz' goal from the top of the crease followed a quick combination play by linemates Puskarich and Brett Mohler that slid the puck to the front.

Schwartz continued his resurgence 5:30 into the second, nailing a shorthanded breakaway, but Youngstown orchestrated a quick response 34 seconds later on the same power play chance. With Cody Strang circling the goal, defenseman Andrej Sustr set up in the high slot, taking the feed from Strang and wiring a drive over Chubak's glove.

Schwartz completed his hat trick at 12:05 as he broke down the left side and buried another breakaway with teammate Tyler Amburgey in the penalty box, restoring the two-goal Tri-City lead.

Once again, Youngstown had an answer, courtesy of Stuart Higgins on a shorthanded breakaway of his own. Higgins earned his sixth of the season by scooping up a loose puck at center ice and swinging a forehand that deflected off Chubak's body and a backchecking Mohler before trickling into the cage at 17:58 to make it 3-2 at the second intermission.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1049106 for full box score.

Check out the Youngstown Phantoms Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2010


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