Youngstown Phantoms Game Notes
Published on November 28, 2014 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
The Phantoms kickoff a two game home-and-home series with the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday night, when the Phantoms travel to Muskegon for a 7:15 affair. This will be the second meeting of the season be- tween the two sides, with Muskegon taking the first meeting back on November 1st, by a 3-1 score.
LAST SATURDAY RECAP: The Phantoms fell to the Bloomington Thunder, 4-1 last Saturday night, in the seventh meeting of the season between the two sides. The loss marked the first time this season Bloomington has beaten Youngstown.
The Thunder found their way onto the scoresheet first, midway through the opening period, when Ta- rek Baker scored on the power play, giving the Thunder a 1-0 lead, 11:56 into the opening frame.
That lead was extended to 2-0, when Ryan Siroky netted his second goal on the weekend at the 18:39 mark.
Bloomington found the back of the net again early in the second period, when Max Gotlieb scored his first of the season, putting the Thunder up, 3-0, 2:59 into the frame, and chasing Phantoms goaltender Colin DeAugustine from the game.
The Phantoms had a plethora of scoring opportunities, including a missed Kyle Connor penalty shot, but the Phantoms eventually found the back of the net midway through the period, when forward Max Letunov took a shot from the near side blueline that was deflected by forward Lukas Craggs past Thunder netminder David Jacobson, cutting the Thunder lead to 3-1 after two periods. The goal marked the first of Craggs' USHL career.
The Phantoms continued to get quality scoring chances and pepper Jacobson with shots, however an empty netter late in the third from Baker sealed the 4-1 win for the Thunder.
PREVIEWING MUSKEGON: The Lumberjacks are currently riding a three game winning streak, and have won five of their last six games. Muskegon is coming off of a 2-1 win over the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Wednesday. They are led by Griffin Molino, who has 18 points (5g, 13a) on the season, followed by a pair of 16-point scorers in team goals leader and 2014 Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Matheson Iacopelli (11g, 5a), and Tom Marchin (8g, 8a). In goal, Eric Schierhorn has shoul- dered most of the load this season, appearing in 16 of the team's 19 games, compiling a 12-3-1 rec- ord along with a 2.45 goals-against average, and a .926 save percentage.
WE MEET AGAIN: The Phantoms and Lumberjacks square off for the second and third times this season, with Muskegon holding 1-0-0 edge in the season series, after the Lumberjacks took a 3-1 decision back on November 1st, with Max Letunov scoring the lone goal for the Phantoms. The Phan- toms are looking to put their recent history with the Lumberjacks in the past, after Muskegon won the season series last season, 7-2-0. All time, the Phantoms are 13-17-3 against the Lumberjacks.
POINT MAN: Forward Max Letunov has been on a tear recently, accounting for 14 points (3g, 11a) over his last ten games, including a seven-game point streak from October 24th-November 14th.
The St. Louis Blues prospect leads the Phantoms with 20 points (8g, 12a) this season, and has points in 13 of his 17 games this season.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Team captain Ryan Lomberg had a pair of goals in last Friday's 6-5 overtime win over the Bloomington Thunder, giving him a team-leading 10 goals on the season. He has added five assists to go along with his 10 goals on the season, and has recorded 14 points in his last nine games, after only registering one in his first seven.
FIRST FOR THE KID: Forward Lukas Craggs scored his first career USHL goal in Saturday's 4- 1 loss to the Thunder. The Bowling Green State University commit is the 10th Phantom to record his first career goal this season, and has also dished out a pair of assists to give him three points on the season.
Game 18: Youngstown vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks
Friday, November 28, 2014
L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon, MI-7:15 pm
YNG: 9-6-2
MUS: 13-5-1
COMEBACK KIDS: Last Friday marked the third game in a row in which the Phantoms had to mount a third period comeback to force overtime. In November 14th's shootout win against Lincoln, Kiefer Sherwood scored late in the third to force overtime, and the Phantoms won the game on a Max Letunov shootout goal. On November 16th against the Stars, Josh Nena- dal tied the game five minutes into the third, before Lincoln picked up the win in overtime. The Phantoms have gone to overtime or a shootout five times this season, compiling a 3-2 record in those games, including a pair of shootout wins.
ALL-TIME LEADER: With his goal in November 16th's 4-3 overtime loss to the Lincoln Stars, Kyle Connor is now the Phan- toms' all-time goal-scoring leader, with 55, surpassing Sam Anas' 54. Connor scored his 50th career goal back on October 11th, making him the 18th player in USHL history to reach the mark, and just the third player in League history to score 50 before his 18th birthday, joining former Waterloo Black Hawk Taylor Cammarata, and former Omaha Lancer Seth Ambroz. In addition to Connor and Anas, former Phantom Austin Cangelosi is the only former Phantom to score 50 in a career. Connor is the Phan- toms' all-time leading point scorer, amassing 133 points (55g, 78a), in 133 games played.
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY: Kyle Connor has been named to Team USA's Junior Select Team that will partici- pate in the upcoming World Junior A Challenge. This will be the second time in 2014 that the University of Michigan commit will be competing internationally for Team USA, as he helped lead them to a Gold Medal in the IIHF Under-18 Men's World Champi- onships back in April. The Shelby TWP, MI native was also invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp back in August, and was a participant in September's CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, which brought together the top 42 American-born NHL Draft-eligible prospects.
WELL AREN'T YOU SPECIAL: The Phantoms special teams units have been amongst the best in the USHL all season long. The Phantoms currently boast the second-best power play in the League, converting on 24.4% of their chances (22/90).
The penalty kill has been just as solid, killing off 70-of-81 opposition power plays, while scoring five goals. On November 5th against Bloomington, the Youngstown power play units converted in four of five opportunities, and in the Phantoms' sweep of the Thunder on October 24th & 25th, nine of the team's 11 goals on the weekend were of the special teams variety; six on the power play and three shorthanded. Overall, 17 different players have recorded at least one special teams point this season.
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Phantoms are amongst the top teams in the League in many offensive categories, including goals (69) assists (109), points (178), power play goals (22), and shorthanded goals (5). Currently, the Phantoms are second in the League, averaging 3.99 goals per game.
HATS OFF TO THE CAPTAIN!: Phantoms captain Ryan Lomberg netted his first-career USHL hat trick in the 7-5 loss to the Chicago Steel back on November 10th. He also added an assist, which set a new career single game point mark for the Rich- mond Hill, ONT native. Through 13 games this season, Lomberg has accumulated seven goals and four assists, for 11 total points.
FIRST OF MANY: Forward James Winkler and defenseman Kris Myllari each scored their first career USHL goals in the 9-3 win over Bloomington on November 5th, making them the eighth and ninth Phantoms to tally their first USHL goal this sea- son. Forwards Kevin Conley and Chase Pearson are tied for the goal lead amongst the Phantoms' USHL newcomers, with four goals each.
GOAL RUSH: The Phantoms lit the lamp nine times in the 9-3 win over the Bloomington Thunder on November 5th, tying a team record, and marking the first time this season, the first time since October 5th, 2012 (9-6 win over Waterloo), and just the third time in team history that the Phantoms have scored nine goals in a game. The only other time was a 9-3 win over the Steel on March 31, 2010, the Phantoms' first season in the USHL. Youngstown got points from 14 different players, including forward James Winkler (2g), and defenseman Kris Myllari (1g), who each scored their first career USHL goals.
JIRI LIGHTS THE LAMP: Alum Jiri Sekac scored his third-career NHL goal for the Montreal Canadiens on November 13th, in a 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins. He scored his first-career NHL goal in a 6-4 win over the Bruins on October 16th . He joins Andrej Sustr of the Tampa Bay Lightning as the only two Phantoms alumni from the USHL era to score an NHL goal.
THE NHL COMES CALLING: Three players with Youngstown ties were chosen in June's NHL Draft - Max Letunov, JJ Piccinich and Nathan Walker. Letunov was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round with the 52nd overall se- lection, making him the second-highest NHL Draft selection in Youngstown Phantoms history (Scott Mayfield, 2nd RD, #34 Overall to NYI in 2011). Next up was Walker, who was selected in the third round (89th overall) by the Washington Capitals. He suited up for the Phantoms during the 2012-2013 season, and last September signed a professional contract with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), making him the first Phantoms player to make the jump from the USHL to the AHL. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Walker is the first Australian-born player to be selected in the NHL Draft. The Final Phan- tom taken off the board was Piccinich who was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round with the 103rd overall pick. Currently a freshman at Boston University, Piccinich just wrapped up a two-year USHL career in which he totaled 30 goals and 43 assists in 123 games played.
United States Hockey League Stories from November 28, 2014
- Physical Battle Turns Offensive as Phantoms Score Eight - Youngstown Phantoms
- Larocque's Overtime Goal Give Saints 6-5 OT Win - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Capitols Force Improbable Overtime Before Falling to Dubuque - Madison Capitols
- Thunder Top Team USA on Black Friday - Bloomington Thunder
- Jacob Gwillim Stops 27 in First USHL Start as Lumberjacks Fall at Home to Phantoms - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Top USA Prospects in Bloomington on Black Friday - Bloomington Thunder
- Youngstown Phantoms Game Notes - Youngstown Phantoms
- Caps Shoot for 5th Straight Win as They Host Saints - Madison Capitols
- Incredible Youth Jersey Giveaway Saturday Night - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Racer Joey Gase Highlights Black Hawks Organ Donor Awareness Night - Waterloo Black Hawks
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