USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Notebook: Week 21

Published on February 21, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Fresh off a weekend split - falling to the Chicago Steel Friday night before capturing their first win over Team USA of the season on Sunday - the Youngstown Phantoms continue press toward their first Clark Cup playoff appearance this week. The Phantoms (25-14-4, fourth East) hit the road for a pair of games against a pair of second-place teams this weekend, when they take on the Lincoln Stars on Friday and the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday.

The Week In Review

Game 42: Steel, Sakellaropoulos Stymie Phantoms Once Again

For more than 43 minutes Friday night, it was a one-goal game, but the Steel (14-27-1, seventh East) potted three straight in the third and were able to waiver a late push from the Phantoms to come away with a 4-2 win in front a crowd of 2,375 in the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms got goals from Alex Gacek and Sam Anas, while Mike Ambrosia added a pair of assists to extend his point streak to 12 straight games. Matthew O'Connor turned away 19 of 23 shots for Youngstown while at the other end, Steel goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos saved 29 of 31 for his third straight win over the Phantoms.

Game 43: Jonzzon And Stenglein Lead Phantoms To First Win Over Team USA

Team USA (19-15-4, sixth East) was the only United States Hockey League Eastern Conference opponent that the Phantoms had yet to defeat heading into their fifth meeting of the season, but that changed with a 5-4 win Sunday afternoon at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The Phantoms got two-goal outbursts from both Soren Jonzzon and JT Stenglein, while Gacek found the back of the net for the second straight game to round out the scoring. In goal, O'Connor turned away 27 of 31 shots - coming up with the monumental save after monumental save against Team USA late in the third period - for his 22nd win of the season.

Loose Pucks

-- Phantoms left wing Mike Ambrosia had his point streak snapped at 12 games when he was held off the board on Sunday afternoon. He racked up three goals, 17 assists and 20 points over the 12-game span, the third longest streak in the USHL this season. He eclipsed Jiri Sekac's previous single-season points record (45) during the streak.

-- With Ambrosia's point streak coming to an end, Dylan Margonari now has the longest active point-scoring streak on the team. He has at least a point in six straight games, with three goals, seven assists and 10 points in the span.

-- Newly added forward Zach Evancho made his Phantoms and USHL debut on Sunday and registered an assist on Soren Jonzzon's first-period goal. He is the third Phantoms player to record a point in his USHL debut this season, to go along with Austin Cangelosi and Brent Norris. At 16 years old, Evancho is also the youngest player in franchise history to record a point.

-- Jonzzon's two-goal outburst against Team USA on Sunday came exactly a year and a day from his last multi-goal effort. He scored a pair of goals for Tri-City in a 5-4 overtime loss to Sioux City on February 18, 2011.

-- JT Stenglein's two-goal game on Sunday brought his total to 22 on the season, just one behind Ty Loney's single-season record of 23 set last season. The Phantoms are 4-0-0 when the he Greece, N.Y. native has scored multiple times in a game this season.

The Week Ahead

Game 44: Friday, Feb. 24 at 8:05 p.m. EST - Phantoms at Lincoln

The Phantoms take on the Stars (24-14-3, second West) for the first and only time of the season on Friday. Special teams will be sure to play a big role in the game as it will pit two of the league's most penalized teams against each other in Lincoln (964 penalty minutes, second in USHL) and Youngstown (869 penalty minutes, third in USHL). The game will also feature the USHL's leading goal-scorer, the Stars' Kevin Roy, who has 35 goals on the campaign, and the top playmaker, the Phantoms' Mike Ambrosia, whose 37 assists are the most league.

Game 45: Saturday, Feb. 25 at 8:05 p.m. EST - Phantoms at Dubuque

The Phantoms will have the opportunity to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference standings when they take on the Fighting Saint (26-11-5, T-second East) Saturday night at Mystique Ice Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The Phantoms have won three of their four previous meetings with the defending Clark Cup champions this season. Fighting Saints captain, and projected first-round pick in this June's NHL Entry Draft, Zemgus Girgensons enters the weekend on a six-game point-scoring streak, but the Phantoms have held the skilled Latvian center pointless in each of their games this season.

They Said It

"That was a situation where we could have very easily called a timeout. It might have even been the right call to make in that instance, but in the big picture, we thought it would be more important to sit back and let our guys figure it out. We want the leadership and energy to be coming from them... To their credit, they responded."

-- Head Coach Anthony Noreen on his decision not to call a timeout immediately after the Phantoms surrendered two short-handed goals in a 10-second span during Sunday's win over Team USA.

Phantoms Leaders

Points: Mike Ambrosia (12G-37A-49PTS, fifth in USHL)

Goals: JT Stenglein (22)

Assists: Ambrosia (37, first in USHL)

Power-Play Goals: Stenglein (7)

Short-Handed Goals: Austin Cangelosi (6, first in USHL)

Points by a Defenseman: Chris Bradley (5G-9A-14PTS)

Plus/Minus: Cangelosi (plus-19)

Wins: Matthew O'Connor (22, second in USHL)

Goals Against Average: O'Connor (2.76)

Save Percentage: O'Connor (.906)

Phantoms Alumni Watch

-- Bentley forward Brett Gensler recorded three goals and two assists in a pair of games this past weekend as the Falcons swept Connecticut. Last Friday he had an assist in a 2-1 win and Saturday he scored a hat trick and added a helper in a 6-1 win.

-- Nebraska-Omaha defenseman Andrej Sustr had four assists over the weekend as the Mavericks split a two-game series with Colorado College. He recorded an assist in a 4-3 loss last Friday and followed that with three assists the next night in a 5-3 win.

-- Bowling Green forward Adam Berkle scored the lone goal as the Falcons fell to No. 1 Ferris State 4-1 last Saturday.

-- Miami (Ohio) defenseman Ben Paulides had an assist as the RedHawks shutout Notre Dame 3-0 last Friday.

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 .

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United States Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2012


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