Phantoms Notebook
Published on March 12, 2015 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
OVERVIEW: The Youngstown Phantoms (31-13-5) continued their red hot play last weekend, taking a pair of games from the Sioux Falls Stampede. Youngstown sill sits one point back of the Eastern Conference-leading Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, and are only four points back of the Sioux City Musketeers for the top spot in the USHL.
LAST WEEKEND RECAP
FRIDAY: The Youngstown Phantoms (30-17-5) picked up a 7-3 win over the Sioux Falls Stampede on Friday night. Forwards Kyle Connor and Kiefer Sherwood each potted a pair of goals, while forwards Chase Pearson, Ryan Lomberg and Josh Melnick each tallied lone goals for the Phantoms, who pick up their first-ever win over the Stampede.
The Phantoms found themselves down early, as just 1:19 in Sioux Falls forward Dakota Joshua scored on a power play to give the Stampede a 1-0 lead.
The Phantoms drew even a few minutes later on the power play, when Melnick sent a feed to Sherwood who blasted a one-timer past Stampede netminder Stefanos Lekkas to tie the game, 1-1, 16:33 into the first.
The power play struck again roughly three minutes later, when Sherwood sent a backdoor pass to Connor who tapped it in to give the Phantoms a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.
After the Stampede tied the game 50 seconds into the second on a goal from Cooper Marody, the Phantoms regained the lead 2:01 into the middle frame when forward Max Letunov sent a pass to Sherwood who tucked it under the crossbar to put the Phantoms up, 3-2, on Sherwood's second of the game.
A few minutes later the Phantoms pushed the lead to 4-2, when Connor received a feed from new Phantom Tyler Sheehy, and he wristed a shot past Lekkas 6:24 into the frame, for his second of the night.
That lead held up throughout the remainder of the period, but 6:02 into the third, the Stampede brought the game to within a goal at 4-3, when forward Collin Peters lit the lamp.
The Phantoms' power play found the back of the net again when Letunov found a wide open Pearson on the backdoor who stuffed it in to push the Phantoms' lead back to two goals, 5-3, 10:55 into the third.
Youngstown elevated their lead to 6-3 about seven minutes later, when Lomberg received a pass from Sheehy and split the defense and threw a backhander into the net while diving through midair.
A Melnick shorthanded empty-netter with 2:26 remaining in the period sealed the game for the Phantoms, who earn 30 wins in a season for the third time in team history.
SATURDAY: As was the case on Friday, the Phantoms' power play got off to a fast start, as Letunov took a feed from forward Kiefer Sherwood and stuffed it into the net, giving the Phantoms a 1-0 lead 13:48 into the opening period. The goal marked the 100th career USHL point for Letunov, and extended his point streak to 10 games.
The Stampede managed to tie the game in the last second of the period, when forward Parker Tuomie found the back of the net, evening the game up, 1-1, after 20 minutes.
The Phantoms regained the lead 8:20 into the second, when Connor picked off a Sioux Falls pass and skated in on Sioux Falls goaltender Stefanos Lekkas and scored, extending the Phantoms' lead to 2-1.
That lead became 3-1 a few minutes later, when Lomberg won a race to the puck over the Stampede blueline and dragged the puck around Lekkas, who came out to charge the puck, and flipped it into the open net, 11:47 into the frame.
That lead held up throughout the remainder of the second, and 3:31 into the third, Winkler launched a laser over the shoulder of Lekkas, pushing the Phantoms' lead to 4-1.
After Sioux Falls cut the Youngstown lead to 4-2 on a goal from Clint Lewis, Winkler netted his second of the period, when he sniped one past new Stampede goaltender Art Brey, extending the lead to 5-2, 13:49 into the third.
The Phantoms wrapped up their 12th win in a row roughly four minutes later, when forward Lukas Craggs fed Nenadal on a 2-on-0 rush, and Nenadal slipped it past Brey, capping off the 6-2 win over Sioux Falls.
UP NEXT: The Phantoms wrap up their six-game home stand when they welcome in the Sioux City Musketeers for a pair of games this weekend, beginning Friday at 7:05pm. The Musketeers currently boast the League's best record at 32-15-5, and sit four points ahead of the Phantoms for the top spot in the USHL.
Next Five Games
Friday, March 13th vs Sioux City - Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH - 7:05 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey
Saturday, March 14th vs Sioux City - Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH - 7:05 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey
Friday, March 20th @ Waterloo - Young Arena, Waterloo, IA - 8:05 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey
Saturday, March 21st @ Waterloo - Young Arena, Waterloo, IA - 8:05 pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey
Sunday, March 22nd @ Chicago - The Edge Ice Arena, Bensenville, IL - 4:30pm - Broadcast: 1240 WBBW AM, FASTHockey
3/13
vs. Sioux City
7:05 pm
3/14
vs. Sioux City
7:05 pm
3/20
@ Waterloo
8:05 pm
3/21
@ Waterloo
8:05 pm
3/22
@ Chicago
4:30 pm
NOTABLES
- The Phantoms are currently riding a team-record, and League season-high 13 game winning streak
- Forward Kyle Connor was named USHL CCM Forward of the Week, accounting for seven points (3g, 4a) and a plus-one on-ice rating in two wins over Sioux Falls. He is currently the USHL scoring leader, totaling 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points
- Forward Max Letunov extended his career-high point streak to 10 games, with a goal and three assists in two games over the weekend. His power play goal on Saturday was the 100th point of his USHL career, and he joins current teammate Kyle Connor, and alums Austin Cangelosi, and JT Stenglein, as the only Phantoms to score 100 or more points in their USHL careers
- Forward Josh Melnick extended his point streak to a career-high 10 games, after he had a goal and a pair of assists over the weekend
- The Phantoms now lead the League with 14 shorthanded goals after Melnick's shorthanded empty netter on Friday
- Youngstown now has 30 or more wins for the third time in team history
QUOTABLES
- "We get down 1-0 early and we very easily could have sat back and given up another one, but I like how we weathered the storm. We get a pair of power plays and score on both, and I think those were game-changing moments for us. - Head Coach Anthony Noreen following the Phantoms' come-from-behind effort on Friday
- It feels amazing, and it's a big honor to hit 100 points in the USHL. You can see by tonight's game that it's a physical, playoff-type game every night in this league, and it really prepares you for the next level." - Forward Max Letunov after scoring his 100th USHL point in Saturday's 6-2 win over Sioux Falls
- "It was a very well-put together six periods of hockey for us this weekend, and I thought we came and did what we needed to do. Outside of the first half of the opening period last night, I thought we were lights out on the weekend." - Team Captain Josh Nenadal following Saturday's win over Sioux Falls.
Youngstown Phantoms Alumni Update
Pro Alumni Update
Brandon Saad (2008-2009) - Played in 66 games with the Chicago Blackhawks this season, registering 20 goals and 23 assists, along with a plus-seven on-ice rating. Jiri Sekac (2009-11) - Traded to the Anaheim Ducks on 2/24. Through 56 games Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim this season, he has accounted for seven goals and 12 assists Andrej Sustr (2009-10) - Suited up in 63 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, dishing out 10 assists and registering a plus-seven rating while averaging 17:37 TOI. Scott Mayfield (2009-10) - Skated in 51 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) this season, recording nine assists and a minus-eight rating, and 96 penalty minutes. Nathan Walker (2012-13) - Played in 28 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL), he has a goal along with three assists and a plus two on-ice rating. Tom Serratore (2009-10)- Signed by the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL ON 2/3. Has played in 26 games this season, recording six assists along with a plus-six rating. Jefferson Dahl (2009-10)- Skated in 28 games with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) this season, recording eight goals and 12 assists
College Alumni Update (3/2-3/7 and Playoff Matchups)
Regular Season Results
- Adam Berkle (Bowling Green)- Had an assist against Alabama-Huntsville on 3/6
- Tyler Spezia (Bowling Green)- Had an assist against Alabama-Huntsville on 3/6
- Ty Loney (Denver)- Scored a goal against St. Cloud State on 3/6
- Luke Stork (Ohio State)- Had an assist against Minnesota on 3/6 and 3/7
American Hockey Association
- Air Force (Kyle Mackey) Beat American International in 1st round of AHA tournament 2 games to 0, plays RIT in quarterfinals
- Niagara (Pat Conte) upset Holy Cross (Nilan Nagy), winning two of three games. They move on to play Robert Morris in quarterfinals. Nagy dished out an assist in Game 3. Over his career, Nagy had a goal and 21 assists in 125 career games
Big Ten (Seeds not yet determined)
ECAC
- RPI (Chris Bradley) upset Clarkson, winning two of three games. They Move on to play St Lawrence (Alex Dahl and Eric Sweetman) in the quarterfinals
- Dartmouth swept Princeton (Mike Ambrosia, Jon Liau, Tommy Davis, and Kevin Liss) in two games. Liss had an assists in Game One, while Liau led the Tigers in scoring (4 G, 10 A)
- Quinnipiac (Sam Anas and Soren Jonzzon) faces Union in the quarterfinals
Hockey East
- Merrimack (Alfred Larsson) upset Northeastern (Mike Gunn), sweeping the Huskies in two games. They move on to play Boston University (JJ Piccinich and Matt O'Connor) in the quarterfinals
- Vermont defeated Maine (Dan Renouf, Cam Brown, Stu Higgins, and Sean Romeo) two games to one. Brown had an in both Games One and Two, while Renouf had an assist in Game Three. Romeo won Game Two (2 GA, 21 SV), however lost Game Three in overtime (3 GA, 27 SV). He finishes the season with a 7-13-1 record, along with a 3.04 GAA, .902 S%. Higgins Career: 122 games, 11 goals, 16 assists.
- Boston College (Austin Cangelosi and Quinn Smith) hosts Vermont in the quarterfinals.
NCHC
- Miami (Ben Paulides, Alex Gacek and Conor Lemirande) hosts Western Michigan in the quarterfinals
- Denver (Ty Loney) hosts Minnesota-Duluth
WCHA
- Minnesota State (Dylan Margonari) hosts Lake Superior State in the quarterfinals.
- Ferris State (Ryan Lowney) plays Bemidji State in the quarterfinals.
- Bowling Green (Adam Berkle and Tyler Spezia) host Northern Michigan (Luke Eibler) in the quarterfinals.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2015
- Montréal Draft Pick Makes Most of First USHL Season - Bloomington Thunder
- Former Forward Tanner Kero Named WCHA Player of the Year - Fargo Force
- Storm Partner with CHS in Harvest for Hunger - Tri-City Storm
- Phantoms Notebook - Youngstown Phantoms
- Saints Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish Night Saturday - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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