USHL Chicago Steel

Phantoms Defeat Steel Friday

Published on April 6, 2018 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO - Despite two goals from defenseman Matteo Pietroniro and a second consecutive three-point outing from Jack Dugan (1-2-3), the Chicago Steel dropped the first game of a two-game weekend series against the Youngstown Phantoms, 7-4, Friday night at Covelli Centre.

The Steel (25-25-2-5, 57 pts.) now lead Cedar Rapids by a single point in the standings for the final playoff spot in the USHL's Eastern Conference with three games remaining in the regular season.

Matthew Barry and Max Ellis scored twice for the Phantoms (32-18-5-2, 71 pts.) while Ivan Prosvetov made 31 saves in his fourth victory of the season over the Steel.

Chicago played from behind most of the night and appeared to overcome a two-goal third goal deficit in the third period for the second consecutive game. But Samuel Bucek's game-tying goal midway through the period was waved off on a controversial goaltender interference call, and Youngtown proceeded to score the next three goals to put the game away.

Both teams struck for a goal in the back half of the opening period, with the Phantoms scoring first at the 13:43 mark. Youngstown forward Chase Gresock tallied with a wrist shot that found its way through traffic and over the blocker of Chicago goaltender Justin Robbins. The goal, assisted by Barry, came as a Phantoms power play opportunity came to an end.

Pietroniro tied the game with a slap shot from the point that beat Phantoms goalie Ivan Prosvetov on the power play. Pietroniro has captained Chicago the past two games while Derek Daschke has been out with a lower-body injury.

Barry scored 9:15 into the second period to put the Phantoms ahead as time expired on another power-play opportunity. The Naperville, Ill., native held the puck at the left wing for several seconds before firing a far-side wrist shot past the glove of Robbins.

Youngstown forward Eric Esposito gave Youngstown a two-goal lead with 45 seconds to play in the period. Esposito blocked a Graham Lillibridge shot before racing down the ice and flicking a wrist shot over the glove for the shorthanded goal.

After a modest four combined goals in the first 40 minutes, the teams put on a scoring clinic in the third, combining for seven goals in 20 minutes.

Dugan drew Chicago within one with 2:57 gone in the final period when he finished off a chance from the doorstep with the Steel on a five-on-three advantage. Dugan became the fifth player in Steel history to record 60 points in a season.

Youngstown's Barry added another goal, the Phantoms second shorthanded tally of the night, to stretch the lead back to two less than two minutes later.

But the Steel battled back. Pietroniro scored his second power play goal with 11:57 to play as his wrist shot from the top of the right-wing dot found its way past the glove of Prosvetov. Moments later, Todd Goehring drove the net and when his initial shot was blocked, Bucek backhanded the puck into the cage and the Steel celebrated what they believed to be a tie game. After a discussion between the officials, the goal was disallowed, and just 13 seconds later, Youngstown forward Max Ellis scored the first of two quick goals which ultimately extended the Phantoms lead to 6-3.

The two teams traded goals late in the game in a 10-second span as Youngstown center Curtis Hall scored an empty-net goal with 1:12 to play, then Goehring returned the favor when his wrist shot from the high slot beat Prosvetov on the blocker side with 1:02 to play to cap the scoring.

Each team registered 35 shots in the game. With the victory, Youngstown clinched second place in the Eastern Conference, guaranteeing a First Round bye in the 2018 Clark Cup Playoffs. Chicago's magic number to clinch a playoff berth remains at five.

The Steel and Phantoms close their season series Saturday with a 6:05 p.m. CT rematch at Covelli Centre. Steel games are carried live on Mixlr (free audio) and HockeyTV (iPPV). For more information, visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com/broadcast.

Chicago's lone remaining home game of the regular season is Fan Appreciation Night, April 13 against the Central Illinois Flying Aces. The 7:05 p.m. contest at Fox Valley Ice Arena will feature a team photo giveaway for the first 1,000 fans in attendance, as well as hundreds of prizes given away all night long from the Steel and corporate partners including gift cards, unique fan experiences and more. Plus, game-worn jerseys from this season will be auctioned off at the game. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 855-51-STEEL, stop by the Box Office at Fox Valley Ice Arena or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2018


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