Storm rally for two-goal victory

By Greg Gulas

YOUNGSTOWN — With the Tri-City Storm looking for their first road win and the Youngstown Phantoms eyeing their first home win, something had to give.

Two goals by Brett Moehler and a three-goal third period helped the Storm to a 5-3, come-from-behind victory Friday in USHL action at the Covelli Centre.

In a game that featured five power-play goals and 14 overall opportunities when skating with a man advantage, perhaps the most telling statistic of all was that the Phantoms could get off just two shots on goal in the critical final period.

“Our veterans look like rookies and our rookies look like veterans right now,” Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt said. “The changeover with the youngsters taking over for the veterans is probably going to happen sooner than we thought.

“Our penalty kill has been absolutely unacceptable while the penalties we have been taking, quite frankly, aren’t acceptable either,” Mainhardt said.

Heading into the game, the Phantoms were 13th in the 14-team league (75.7 percent) in the penalty kill.

They allowed three power-play goals (in eight attempts) to their West Division counterparts while cashing in on just two-of-six opportunities.

“We’re working stupidly right now; not working within our system and that is a concern,” Mainhardt said.

Moehler scored the first of his two goals on a power-play opportunity at 14:02 of the first period, registering his first goal as the Storm took the early advantage.

The Phantoms (2-3-1) knotted the game at 15:39 of the period on Luke Eibler’s first of two goals, also a power play opportunity.

After a missed Brett Gensler penalty shot six seconds earlier, Richard Young notched his first goal of the year at 16:52 for Youngstown’s 2-1 advantage.

Maxwell Tardy’s third goal of the year at 12:29 of the second period, also a power-play opportunity, tied the game at 2-all.

Eibler’s second goal with 29 seconds before the second intermission put the Phantoms ahead, 3-2.

“This was a scrambley-type of game,” Storm head coach Drew Schoneck said. “Goals were going off of everyone and while it doesn’t look that way in the box score, the special teams by both teams were actually pretty good tonight.

“Both teams played hard, unfortunately, someone had to lose,” Schoneck said.

Tri-City’s Radoslav Illo scored his fifth goal of the season at 6:32 of the final period, an unassisted tally that knotted the game at 3-all.

Cody Murphy scored to break the tie at the 9:08 mark of the third period. Moehler’s empty-netter at 19:13 rounded out the scoring.

Moehler said that his first two goals of the season could not have come at a more opportune time.

”I’ve been close the last couple of games but tonight they finally registered; and it helped us win the game which is the most important thing,” Moehler said.

“Youngstown is an excellent team and as a first-year entry in the league, will only get better. They’re a gritty bunch; a group that always seems to be in your face the entire game,” Moehler said.

Carsen Chubak, who has been the netminder in all six Tri-City games, rejected 16 Youngstown shots for his fourth win.

“There were a lot of power play opportunities tonight and I must admit, Youngstown works it up top pretty good,” Chubak said. “They made it difficult for me all night to see the puck.”

Tri-City held a 27-19 shots on goal advantage.

The final game of the two-game set will take place tonight at 7:15 at the Covelli Centre.