Layoff doesn’t hamper Phantoms

By GREG GULAS

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BOARDMAN — After a 13-day layoff, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms were anything but rusty Friday against North Division foe Team USA.

The outcome wasn’t what they had expected.

Jeremy Morin scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and added two assists.

A.J. Treais and Zach Golembiewski each notched a goal and an assist to pace the Nationals to a 7-4 victory over the Phantoms in North American Hockey League action Friday night at the Ice Zone.

“We played hard and I was really pleased with our overall effort,” Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt said. “There were too many cards, however, stacked against us tonight.

“We gave them a good run in the first period despite allowing two goals, but moved our feet and stayed out of the penalty box in the second period to cut into their lead,” Mainhardt said.

“We got into penalty trouble once again in the third period and that was the difference in the game,” Mainhardt said. “Both goalies, [Jordan] Tibbett and [Garrett] Bartus have been playing well so we’ll regroup, come back with Bartus in goal, play more disciplined and hope to stay out of the penalty box. We should then be all right for the final game of the series.”

Team USA got on the board first when Kenny Ryan’s power-play opportunity registered at 8:42 of the opening period.

When Kenny Lynch added his sixth goal of the season at 14:40, a shorthanded, unassisted tally, Team USA built a two-goal advantage heading to the second period of play.

A shorthanded goal by the Phantoms’ Robert Harrison just 3:53 into the second period cut Team USA’s lead in half. When Miles Winter notched his 16th goal of the year at 8:15, Mahoning Valley tied the game at 2-all.

Kyle Palmieri’s penalty shot at 10:36 helped the Nationals regain the lead at 3-2, but Alden Hirschfeld’s first of two goals in the period tied the game for the second time at 3-all.

Treais helped Team USA wrest the lead from the Phantoms with his goal at 15:15 of the period, but Hirschfeld’s second score just 56 seconds later forged the third tie of the game at 4-all.

Jeremy Morin’s team-leading 16th goal of the season at 16:53 was the seventh and final goal of the period and proved to be the difference in the game as the Nationals took the lead for good, 5-4 heading to the final period of play.

Morin assisted on both Chris Brown’s (12:58) and Zach Golembiewski’s goals in the final period as Team USA scored the final three goals of the game to secure the victory.

Mahoning Valley’s Jordan Tibbett stopped 37 Team USA shots while falling to 5-6-1 on the season.

The same two teams will conclude their two-game series tonight at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice Zone.