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USHL Youngstown Phantoms

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January 15, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Youngstown continued their seven-game homestand with a Friday/Saturday doubleheader at the Covelli Centre, snapping their losing streak with a victory on Saturday night against Team USA.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Youngstown first took to the ice on Friday, January 10 to face the Muskegon Lumberjacks for the second time in two weeks. The Phantoms were bolstered by both the return of forward Josh Melnick and the debut of defenseman Bo Pellah, who was acquired from the Sioux Falls Stampede just prior to the contest. Pellah made his mark on the team immediately, assisting on Tyler Spezia's opening goal at 8:01. Muskegon, however, got the next two to take a 2-1 lead to the dressing rooms after one.

In the second, Luke Stork tied the game for the Phantoms on the power play, converting a Conor Lemirande rebound, but Matt Mendelson put the Lumberjacks ahead 3-2 after two. Connor Wood made it 4-2 in the third period, and although JJ Piccinich brought the Phantoms within one on a delayed penalty at 6:32 of the third, the Phantoms could not find an equalizer, as the Jacks held on to win.

On Saturday night, the Team USA U17 squad came to the Covelli Centre to face the Phantoms. Fueled by Kyle Connor's hat trick, the Phantoms earned their first victory since November 23, snapping a ten-game losing streak.

Connor's first goal came at the 11:39 mark of the first, tying the game after Colin White opened the scoring for Team USA. Luke Kunin made it 2-1 USA at 14:37, but both Piccinich and Tyler Spezia scored to close out the first with the Phantoms ahead 3-2, their first lead after one period of play in 13 contests. Spezia's goal came on a penalty shot, cleanly beating USA goaltender Michael Lackey with a wrist shot over his blocker.

In the second, Connor converted his hat trick with two similar goals-both fueled by beautiful assists from Trey Bradley, making his fifth appearance for the Phantoms as an affiliate player. Although Auston Matthews scored for USA in the second, the strength of Connor's hat trick would be enough for the Phantoms, and Spezia's empty net goal in the third helped seal a 6-3 victory.

LOOSE PUCKS

- Connor's hat trick was the first three-goal game of his USHL career. He added an assist in the contest for a career-best four points as well. Connor's previous high was three points in one game, which had been achieved four separate times, all in 2013-14.

- Connor's three-goal game snapped a seven-game goalless drought for the future Michigan Wolverine. That drought came on the heels of a seven-game goal-scoring streak for the Shelby Township, Michigan native.

- Connor was named the co-USHL CCM Forward of the Week for his efforts.

- Bradley's three-assist game marked his USHL career-high for points in one contest. He now has four assists in five appearances for the Phantoms.

- Piccinich notched one goal in each game over the weekend. He now has four goals in his last five contests, as well as 18 points in his last 12 games.

- Pellah's assist in his Phantoms debut was his 17th point of the season. He is tied for seventh in the USHL in point scoring by a defenseman. He was acquired (along with a sixth round Phase II draft pick) in exchange for forward Ryan Schwalbe and a 12th round Phase II pick.

- Piccinich and Maxim Letunov were each named to the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings ahead of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, which were released on Monday. Letunov was the 68th overall North American-based skater, and Piccinich came in at 164th on that same list.

- Defenseman Fredric Larsson was traded to the Tri-City Storm in exchange for a 2014 sixth round Phase II draft pick.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Phantoms will play games four and five of their seven-game homestand with another Friday/Saturday doubleheader this weekend. The Waterloo Black Hawks, currently in second place in the Western Conference, will make their only visit to the Covelli Centre this season on Friday. On Saturday, the Muskegon Lumberjacks will be in town for their second visit in eight days.

THEY SAID IT

"When it comes down to it, it's what we expect to do. I've said it to a million people: I didn't feel bad for me, or us, or anybody. You wanted better for the guys, because they kept giving it. They gave it every day in practice, they gave it every day in the weight room, and when you're not getting the results, you feel for them, because you feel like they deserve better. It's nice to see them get rewarded for what they deserve."

- Anthony Noreen following the streak-snapping victory against Team USA

PHANTOMS LEADERS

Points: Kyle Connor (16-23-39, T-4th in USHL)

Goals: JJ Piccinich (19, T-4th in USHL)

Assists: Connor (23, T-5th in USHL)

Power Play Goals: Piccinich (10, leads USHL)

Shorthanded Goals: Luke Stork, Tyler Spezia, Connor (1 each)

Plus/Minus: Bo Pellah (+2 as a Phantom, +11 overall)

Penalty Minutes: Conor Lemirande (82, T-6th in USHL)

Points by a Defenseman: Bo Pellah (1 as a Phantom, 17 overall)

Wins: Colin DeAugustine (5)

Goals Against Average: Sean Romeo (3.24)

Save Percentage: Romeo (.895)

Shutouts: Romeo, DeAugustine (1 each)

ALUMNI WATCH

- Bemidji State's Danny Mattson ranks fourth on the Beavers in scoring.

- Bentley's Brett Gensler is now tied for first on the Falcons in scoring, fueled by an eight-point weekend against RIT (four goals, four assists). He is carrying an active 10-game point streak, which began on November 29.

- Boston College's Austin Cangelosi ranks fifth on the Eagles in scoring.

- Bowling Green's Adam Berkle notched a goal vs. Alaska-Anchorage on January 10.

- Denver's Ty Loney registered two assists vs. St. Cloud State on January 11.

- Three Phantoms alumni on the Maine Black Bears found their names on the scoresheet against Boston University on January 11: Cam Brown totaled two assists, while Stu Higgins and Dan Renouf each had one.

- Miami's Ben Paulides recorded an assist against Western Michigan on January 10.

- Princeton's Jonathan Liau ranks third on the Tigers in scoring. He tallied an assist against RPI on January 10.

- Both Princeton's Mike Ambrosia and Penn State's Taylor Holstrom notched goals over the weekend.

- Quinnipiac's Sam Anas continues to lead all NCAA freshmen in scoring, and he ranks first on the Bobcats in that regard as well. He is tied for sixth overall in the nation. He had a goal and two assists against RPI on January 11.

- RPI's Chris Bradley continues to be the top scoring defensemen on the Engineers, aided by his assist vs. Quinnipiac on January 11.

- Wisconsin's Jefferson Dahl had a five-point weekend against Michigan (one goal, four assists), bringing his point streak to three games.

- In the professional ranks, Scott Mayfield of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) had an assist in a 6-3 win over Hartford on January 12.

EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS

The Phantoms are hosting Pittsburgh Penguins Night at the Covelli Centre on Saturday, January 18 vs. Muskegon. The Penguins' mascot, Iceburgh, will be in attendance, and fans will have the opportunity to win several high-profile Pens prizes, including a signed Sidney Crosby puck and four lower-bowl tickets to the Penguins contest against the Montreal Canadiens on February 27. For more information, visit YoungstownPhantoms.com.

Single game tickets are on sale now for all Phantoms' home games at the Covelli Centre. Phantoms 10-Game Flex Plans are also available starting at the low price of just $89. Call 330.747.PUCK (7825) for more information or to reserve seats today. For all the latest news, visit www.YoungstownPhantoms.com, follow the Phantoms on Twitter ( @YtownPhantoms ) and 'like' them on Facebook ( www.Facebook.com/YoungstownPhantoms ).

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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.

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