Phantoms goalie Tyler Sims shuts out Springfield, 3-0

Justin Bodine scored the game-winning goal for Youngstown.
BOARDMAN -- The Youngstown Phantoms Junior-A hockey club registered one of its finest victories of the season Friday, blanking the Springfield (Ill.) Junior Blues, 3-0, in North American Hockey League action at The Ice Zone.
Phantoms goaltender Tyler Sims made 42 saves and earned his league-leading fourth shutout.
Sims out-dueled Springfield's Ian Harper, who has three shutouts and entered the game with a sparkling 1.97 goal-against average.
Springfield, the second-place club in the North Division, falls to 26-9-2 record. The win improved Youngstown's record to 18-14-7.
"We've been talking about playing hard the full 60 minutes all year long, but tonight might be the first game that we played every shift and every minute the way we're supposed to," Youngstown coach Bob Mainhardt said. "Tyler has been our backbone and tonight was a great night for him.
"That was two of the top goaltenders in the league going head-to-head there with him and Harper," Mainhardt said. "They faced a lot of shots."
Bodine nets game-winner
The Phantoms scored their first goal at the 17:41-mark of the first period while enjoying a five-on-three advantage. A crisp pass from Mike McMullen found Justin Bodine streaking toward the net, and Bodine beat Harper with a wrist shot.
Early in the second period, it appeared Youngstown had increased its lead to 2-0. Jared Katz stick-handled beautifully from behind the net and fed McMullen right in front. McMullen deflected the puck past Harper at 5:19, but the officials ruled no goal, saying the net had been dislodged from its moorings.
The Phantoms picked up their second goal early in the third period as Joe Federoff scored on a rebound at 3:34, concluding a flurry of activity in front of the net.
Youngstown iced the game on an empty-net goal by Aaron Rhyner with 32.9 seconds showing on the clock.
The Phantoms are 1-1-1 against the Junior Blues.
Both teams had 42 shots on goal tonight in a wide-open contest.
Tonight at 7, the Phantoms and Blues play again at the Ice Zone.