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USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Snap Skid with 4-3 Shootout Win over Fargo

November 8, 2013 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Phantoms survived a third-period scare to pick up their fifth win of the season Friday night at the Covelli Centre. After coughing up a 3-0 lead to the Fargo Force in the final period to force overtime, JJ Piccinich was able to pick up the all-important second point with a goal in the fourth round of the shootout.

The 4-3 victory snapped a four-game losing streak. The Phantoms (5-9-1, 11 points) got goals from Zach Evancho, Blake Christensen and Kyle Mackey, while Colin DeAugustine turned away 33 of 36 shots to pick up his third win of the season.

"It's huge," Piccinich said. "I think it might open up the flood gates here. We don't like giving up a point, but we got the two points and that's all that matters."

The Phantoms took a 3-0 lead into the third period but were victimized by bad bounce off a routine play. The Force (3-9-1, 7 points) dumped a puck into the Youngstown zone and DeAugustine went to clear it up the boards, but it took an odd bounce right onto the stick of Andrew McDonald who fired it into the open net just eight seconds into the frame.

Mike Babcock brought Fargo within one less than seven minutes and Tanner Jago scored on the power play to knot it up at 3-3 before the midway point of the period. John Baiocco had a golden opportunity to put the Force in front when he rushed into the Youngstown zone and was poised for a breakaway, but Mackey chased him down, sprawled out and knocked the puck off his stick just before he could take the shot.

"He made a good break through the middle and had a step on me," Mackey said. "He had a step on me and had the puck on his backhand. It looked like a good spot so I dove to poke the puck away and it ended up working out."

Assistant coach Brad Patterson said the play was every bit as important as Mackey's goal, and indicative of a player taking the next step in his second season in the USHL.

"That was arguably bigger than his goal tonight. That's a puck that probably would've ended up in the back of the net," he said. "That's what we expect from him and we look forward to more of it."

The Phantoms, who earned just one power play as opposed to Fargo's six, were down 4-on-3 for the first 1:43 of overtime, but were able to kill it off. Unfortunately, they were unable to score at the other end, but got goal from both Maxim Letunov and Luke Stork in the bottom of the shootout to stave off elimination before Piccinich clinched it.

"We talked before the game about snowball effects," Patterson said. "Tonight we talked about an avalanche. When good thing happen it can start with something small and end in something large. Today we did a great job of playing in 40 minutes . But they did a good job of picking up the momentum in the third and we didn't do a good job of shutting them down.

"Credit to our guys for staying up on the bench the whole time and we get a couple of clutch goals and clutch saves in the shootout."

Evancho put the Phantoms in from less than a minute into the action when Josh Melnick found him in the slot and he fired a one-timer past Fargo netminder Cam Johnson. Conor Lemirande picked up the secondary assist for his first career USHL point on Evancho's first goal of the season.

Youngstown stretched the lead to 2-0 less than six minutes later when Christensen scored off a penalty shot. The Phantoms' first-round pick in the Phase II Draft had a 1-on-0 look on Johnson when he was hauled down from behind by Christopher Buchanan. Christensen skated in casually on the penalty shot, made a few quick moves between the circles and fired a wrist shot over Johnson's stick-side shoulder.

Mackey put the Phantoms up 3-0 at the 15:33 mark of the second. The second-year defenseman tracked down a long rebound off a shot from affiliate center Trey Bradley from the left circle and hammered it home for his first career USHL goal.

"It felt great," Mackey said. "I'm actually speechless about it."

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