Phantoms lose finale of Fall Classic

Staff report

Sioux City, Iowa

The Youngstown Phantoms finished the Fall Classic with a 5-4 loss to the Green Bay Gamblers on Saturday.

The Phantoms and Gamblers traded goals at the mid-point of the first period.

Grant Arnold struck first for the Gamblers, and Dylan Margonari netted the first goal for the Phantoms. Phantom defenseman Ben Paulides put a wrist shot in the top corner of the net to give the Phantoms a 2-1 lead going into the intermission.

Right after his go-ahead goal, Paulides took a cross-checking penalty late in the first period.

The Gamblers struck less than a minute into the second period when Grant Arnold put his second goal in the back of the net.

The Gamblers scored three consecutive goals to increase their lead to 5-2. Goal scorers were CJ Eick, Alex Broadhurst, and Josef Pontasch.

The Phantoms were able to stop the four-consecutive goal streak when Adam Berkle put the rebound goal in the net.

The third period started quickly when Jiri Sekac scored to put the Phantoms within one.

The rest of the period saw very few whistles, but the Phantoms were called for two back-to-back too many men on the ice penalties.

“We played with them today,” said head coach Curtis Carr. “We had our opportunities and if a few bounces went different ways, it might have been different.

“This trip has been a great opportunity for us to see how we stack up against the top teams in the league. We skated with everyone we played and to see the team battle until the final buzzer shows the drive our kids have. They never gave up and to see that early in the season is a good sign.”

The Phantoms travel to Des Moines next weekend to open up their 2010-2011 season Friday against the Buccaneers. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.