Phantoms fall in Carr’s home debut

By Tom Williams

YOUNGSTOWN — New head coach, same frustrating search for goals.

In Curtis Carr’s home debut as Youngstown Phantoms interim head coach, the team’s season-long struggle to put pucks into the net continued in a tight contest.

Three days after head coach Bob Mainhardt’s dismissal, the Phantoms fell 4-1 to the Omaha Lancers (31-12-3, 65 points), the top team in the USHL’s West Division. The loss, the Phantoms’ sixth-straight at the Covelli Centre, stung after a third-period rally.

Midway through the third period, Dylan Margonari’s first goal in his seven games with the Phantoms (15-28-2, 32 points) sliced the Lancers’ lead to 2-1.

Cody Strang found Margonari in front of the Lancers’ net and his snap shot beat goalie Jeff Teglia to give the Phantoms hope.

But the rally was dashed 61 seconds later when Camden Wojtala won a faceoff in the Phantoms’ zone and Tom Craig immediately fired the puck through Phantoms goalie Jordan Tibbett’s pads to restore Omaha’s two-goal lead.

Seth Ambroz scored from the faceoff circle for a three-goal advantage.

“It’s been a hectic three or four days,” said Carr who was Mainhardt’s assistant coach. “I think the guys responded really well. Tonight was the best game we’ve played in a long time. I thought we had opportunities to win the game.”

Two days after an 11-1 loss at Indiana, the Phantoms played the Lancers evenly until late in the first period when Matt White’s slapshot from the top of the faceoff circle beat Tibbett for Omaha’s 1-0 lead.

The Phantoms thought they had tied the game midway through the second period, but referee Boone Bruggman waved off Jiri Sekac’s score, ruling that the puck did not completely cross the goal line behind sprawled goaltender Jeff Teglia.

“He said he didn’t see it cross the line,” said Carr of Bruggman’s explanation. “He saw [Teglia] cover the puck then fall back into the net. He lost sight of it as the puck was bouncing so he technically never saw it.

“That was a huge momentum killer for us.”

With five minutes to go in the second period, the Lancers doubled their lead on Dakota Eveland’s breakaway goal. Ambroz sprung Eveland whose backhand shot beat Tibbett for a 2-0 edge. Teglia also earned an assist.

“It’s definitely been an interesting week,” Phantoms captain David Donnellan said, “Tonight, we came out and played with a lot of fire playing physical. We out-hit [the Lancers] and we’re hoping to carry some of that momentum into tomorrow.

“Everybody was positive the whole game,” Donnellan said. “It was 2-1 against a great team. A few more shots in the third period and it could have been a completely different game.”

Carr, who now handles the changing of the forward lines after being responsible for the defensemen, said he’s becoming more comfortable with his new role.

“Wednesday was a little different,” Carr said. “We didn’t get the goaltending we wanted so that made it tougher. Tonight, I felt a little more comfortable.

“I’m just trying to think a lot out before games, watching video of their lineup to try and gauge who I want against [opponents] so I’m more prepared.

“Right now, we’re stressing the positives,” Carr said. “We’re showing [the players] things that they are doing well, hoping that will create an environment that will increase what they do well.”

williams@vindy.com