Gamblers’ offense too much for Phantoms, 7-2

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Two-goal nights by Anders Lee and Chris Crane, plus a three-goal effort from their power play, lifted the Green Bay Gamblers to a 7-2 victory in an East Division clash with the Youngstown Phantoms Saturday.

The first-place Gamblers (20-6-3, 43 points) maintained their 10-point lead over the second-place Indiana Ice, while the Phantoms (13-13-2, 28 points) remained tied with Chicago for fourth.

The two clubs will meet again at 1:05 p.m. today.

Dave Donnellan and Andrew Lamont both scored for Youngstown, the second of which drew the Phantoms within 3-2 late in the third, but four consecutive goals by the Gamblers put the finishing touches on the contest. Green Bay launched 51 shots at Youngstown goalie Matt Mahalak, a season-high for a Phantoms opponent on the season.

Green Bay is 14-0-0 when scoring first, and the Gamblers put themselves in that familiar position when they lit the lamp twice in the opening 3:31. Ryan Furne got the Gamblers rolling at 2:48 when his power-play wrister from the left dot found twine over Mahalak’s glove hand.

Dave Donnellan cut the Gamblers’ advantage in half with a long-range power-play marker, the third of the season for the Wisconsin-born defenseman, at 9:15 of the opening stanza.

Youngstown dropped its third-straight road game by four or more goals. The Phantoms are 6-7-1 away from the Covelli Centre.