PHANTOMS CRUISE TO 7-2 WIN OVER U17’S FIFTEEN PHANTOMS FIND SCORESHEET; FIVE PHANTOMS RECORD MULTI-POINT NIGHT

YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Youngstown Phantoms (2-5-0-0, 4pts) scored the first three goals of the game and never looked back as they cruised to a 7-2 win over Team USA’s U17 squad Tuesday night at the Covelli Centre.

“There was a lot of good, but there’s also a lot of habits and details that we have to clean up,” said Phantoms Head Coach Nathan Paetsch. “Overall, a win’s a win, but essentially there’s a few things we have to do a little better.”

Following an opening faceoff by brothers Malachi (Youngstown) and Maverick (Team USA) McKinnon, the NTDP almost grabbed the lead on the game’s opening shift, but video review showed a spinning puck never fully crossed the goal line. The game’s opening shift had Paetsch cringing on the bench as his son Kellen, a Team USA defenseman, absorbed a few big checks from the Phantoms.

“It was weird, because on the first two shifts he got blown up,” commented Paetsch. “My wife (Jaclyn) texted me after the first period like ‘Are they targeting him?’” Paetsch added with a laugh. “I’m a proud dad, I thought once he settled in he played really well.”

It wasn’t long after the nervous moments of the early going that the Phantoms dented the scoreboard. Jesse Orlowsky started the scoring by feathering a perfect shot off the right pad of Mason Martin, with Martin leaving the rebound right on the tape of Oliver Raimovaara. With Martin out of position after the initial shot, Raimovaara fired into an empty net at 6:51 for his second of the year. Minutes later, Malachi McKinnon beat Martin with a wrister from the right dot at 9:24 for his first of the year and a 2-0 Youngstown lead. Shortly after, Jack Hair’s centering feed at 12:19 to Matej Mikeš hit off a USA stick and went in, giving Hair his third goal of the season. USA answered back with a power play one-timer from Jack Trupiano at 15:16 to get the NTDP on the board, but Youngstown still led 3-1 heading into the break.

The Phantoms built on the lead early in the second period, needing just three minutes to stretch their advantage. Jackson Conroy redirected a shot from Axel Brongel-Larsson at exactly 3:00 to put Youngstown up 4-1. Stephen Cover recorded a power play goal at 8:31 when his cross-crease pass hit a USA stick and bounced into the net, giving Youngstown a 5-1 lead. Malachi McKinnon recorded his second tally of the night at 12:46, tapping home a back door feed from Cover to wrap up a 3-on-2 rush for Youngstown. Youngstown led 6-1 at the end of the second.

Team USA got one back in the middle part of the third period when Henry Buttweiler used a between-the-legs shot to slide one past Owen Lepak, but Youngstown recorded the final tally of the night with 15.6 left in regulation with Hair’s second of the game, a wrister from the high slot that beat Martin to the blocker side.

Lepak stopped 22-of-24 to earn his second win of the season. Martin suffered his first loss, allowing seven goals on 41 shots.

The Phantoms will begin a three-city, six-game road trip on Friday, beginning with a pair of games in Michigan against the Lumberjacks. Youngstown will also stop in Chicago and Des Moines as part of the trip before returning home November 6 to face the Madison Capitols at the start of a six-game stay at Covelli.

BY THE NUMBERS

Shots – 41

Saves – 22

Power Play – 1/3

Penalty Kill – 0/1

Goals – Conroy, Cover, Hair (2), McKinnon (2), Raimovaara

Assists – Berard, Brøngel-Larsson, Cover (2), Guolla, Mars, Mikeš (2), Miller, Orlowsky, Pietila, Thompson, Zajic (2)

Box Score - https://ushl.com/ht/#/game-summary/13527