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USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Romeo, Ruggiero Lead Phantoms Past Saints

April 4, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Dubuque Fighting Saints tried to ruin Youngstown's final Friday night contest of the season, and although they outshot the home team, the Phantoms showed dedication and hard work en route to a 3-1 win.

Youngstown was boosted by Steven Ruggiero's first career USHL goal, and a sparkling 38-save effort from Sean Romeo, who turned aside 17 of 17 shots in the first period.

"I had a little more [work] than I could have asked for, but the team made it easy for me," Romeo said. "I saw everything. They had a lot of shots from out far, so it wasn't as bad as it looked on the scoreboard."

Anthony Noreen had nothing but good things to add about Romeo's performance.

"He won us the game in the first period," Noreen said. "They had a tough one the other night, so they came out with a ton of energy, and threw everything at us. I think Sean weathered that storm for us. He made some big saves, and then in the 2nd period I thought the whole team came around. I thought we did a really good job from that point on."

The first tally did not arrive until the 14:29 mark of the opening period, when Ruggiero scored his first USHL goal. The defenseman made a great effort pinching in from the point, taking a backdoor pass from Kyle Connor, and chipping in his own rebound.

"It was a little towards the end of my shift there," Ruggiero said. "The puck got out, I noticed that their backcheckers were lagging behind, and when you have guys on the ice like Kyle Connor and Trey Bradley-two skilled guys-I just assumed that if I got open, I'd get the puck.

"Sure enough, Kyle made a really good play, opened up a lot of space, dished it to me cross-ice, and I was able to get it on net and finish. It was an unbelievable feeling. I thought I had a celebration planned out until it actually happened. I couldn't pull it off, but it was awesome-great feeling."

As a USHL rookie and a first round Phase I pick, Ruggiero hopes this is the first goal of many.

"I like to say I'm a two-way defenseman, and I hope that there's a lot more goals, assists, and offense to come," added Ruggiero. "It's good for my confidence, definitely."

The Phantoms would add to their lead about three minutes into the second period after Zach Evancho went upstairs on goaltender Kevin Reich. Evancho finished his check along the half boards, where Josh Melnick was able to pick up the loose puck. Melnick then feathered a pass right on the tape of Evancho's stick, and he finished the play.

"The message before the game was no matter what has happened all year, we have a great chance to make a statement and be remembered by these last two games," Noreen said. "It was a great start to it tonight."

Connor then recorded his 31st goal of the season about midway through the second period to put the Phantoms up 3-0. JJ Piccinich was credited with the only assist, as he showed great patience and awareness while digging the puck out of the corner and then setting up Connor.

The Fighting Saints added a power play goal in the third period to spoil Romeo's shutout, but that would be as close as they would come.

"It's awesome," Romeo said, when asked about tonight's win. "It's a great group of guys we have here, and to share this moment with them, it's awesome. It won't be as sweet unless we do it again tomorrow, so we have to focus on that."

With this weekend potentially being the last few USHL game for a few Phantoms, Noreen highlighted the thought of going out on a good note.

"That was the exact message," said Noreen. "Before the game, we told them typically the legacy that people remember is what happens at the end. Many times they forget what happens early on, and it's how you finish. We wanted to finish the right way, and the guys that are moving on deserve that. They've done a lot for this program, and have left it at a better place than they found it."

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