Phantoms Fall Victim to Special Teams in Preseason Finale
Published on September 17, 2014 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - The Youngstown Phantoms fell to Team USA's Under-18 squad, 6-3, on Wednesday afternoon at the Fall Classic East. It was the final scheduled preseason game for the Phantoms.
It was an evenly-matched affair throughout most of the opening period, with both teams exchanging quality scoring opportunities, however it was the Phantoms who drew first blood. Forward Taylor Best forced a turnover behind the Team USA net, and found forward Josh Melnick alone out front who fired it over the shoulder of Team USA netminder Luke Opilka to give Youngstown a 1-0 lead, 13:56 into the opening period.
The tide changed in the second, as Team USA got on the board 5:33 into the frame when Brendan Warren took a Caleb Jones pass while on a two-on-one shorthanded rush, and fired it past the glove of Phantoms netminder Chris Birdsall to tie the game, 1-1.
Thirty-five seconds later, and while still shorthanded, Matthew Tkachuk took a Casey Fitzgerald outlet pass and wristed it past Birdsall, giving Team USA its first lead of the night, 2-1.
Tkachuk was not finished, as at the 15:20 mark on the power play, he backhanded one in under the crossbar after Jeremy Bracco found him alone in front of the net to take a 3-1 lead. For the second time in the period, Team USA scored twice in under a minute as 33 seconds later, forward Tage Thompson slid one past Bridsall to take a 4-1 lead heading into the final frame.
The Phantoms cut the lead in half early in the third, when Best fired a shot from the near side circle off of Opilka, and Chase Pearson buried the rebound, cutting Team USA's lead to 4-2.
Team USA's power play would strike for the second time in the game at 8:29, when Fitzgerald tipped a Bracco centering pass past Birdsall to extend the lead back to three goals at 5-2.
Youngstown battled back and shortened the lead back to two goals at 10:59, when Best gathered a rebound and slipped it past Opilka, cutting it to a 5-3 Team USA lead, but that was be all the offense Youngstown could muster as a Bracco empty netter sealed a 6-3 win for Team USA. Birdsall stopped 29 of the 34 shots he faced in the loss, while Opilka made 20 saves on 23 Youngstown chances.
Up next for the Phantoms is the 2014-2015 USHL regular season opener against Team USA's Under-18 squad, next Saturday at 7:00 P.M. ET, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
United States Hockey League Stories from September 17, 2014
- A Second Too Late - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Capitols Come Back Three Times & Defeat Waterloo - Madison Capitols
- Phantoms Fall Victim to Special Teams in Preseason Finale - Youngstown Phantoms
- Fundraising Benefit Planned for Shanley Athletic Director Sunday at Scheels Arena - Fargo Force
- Lumberjacks Select Captains for 2014-15 Season - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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