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Phantoms rally to force OT then fall in shootout
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The Youngstown Phantoms’ Ryan Belonger (16) scores on Muskegon goaltender Hayden Stewart during a shootout at Sunday’s game at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms fell 4-3.
By Tom Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
Despite one of their worst periods of the season, the Youngstown Phantoms rallied for a chance to steal a victory against their archrivals. Third-period goals by Mike Ambrosia and Dylan Margonari wiped out the Muskegon Lumberjacks’ 3-1 lead Sunday afternoon at the Covelli Centre.
But when they needed him most, Lumberjacks goaltender Hayden Stewart, in his fourth USHL game, took charge, stood tall. Stewart stopped Austin Cangelosi on a penalty shot in the final minutes of regulation and then four Phantoms shootout attempts to earn Muskegon a 4-3 victory.
“The effort was unacceptable from the start,” said Ambrosia after the lost point knocked the Phantoms (24-13-4, 52 points) down to fourth place in the Eastern Conference race.
“That third period, that was more desperation than anything else,” Ambrosia said after the Phantoms out-shot the Lumberjacks 21-6 and scored twice in the final 20 minutes of regulation to force overtime. “We need to get back to everyone playing a full 60 minutes.”
Stewart stopped 43 of the Phantoms’ shots, two nights after he was chased from the net after allowing three goals on eight shots in Youngstown 5-2 win at Muskegon, Mich.
“Rookie goalie, I give the kid a ton of credit,” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said. “To show that mental toughness, he was very impressive.”
Ambrosia sparked the Phantoms during a goal-mouth scramble with 10:39 remaining in regulation.
“Sam [Anas] has been taking great shots on the power play, so I was just trying to [create a] screen in front of the net,” Ambrosia said. “The puck dropped and I swung at it and fortunately it went into the back of the net.”
With 2:37 remaining in regulation, Margonari, a third-year Phantom, tied the game with an unassisted goal.
“One of my teammates dumped it into the corner and their winger picked it up,” Margonari said. “I was putting pressure on him and the puck came off his stick.
“I went five-hole,” said Margonari of his shot through Stewart’s legs to tie the game.
Margonari also scored the Phantoms’ first goal on a wraparound play in the first period. With the last-place Lumberjacks (12-20-5, 29 points) ahead 1-0, Margonari took the puck behind the Muskegon goal then forced his way to the front where his backhand shot beat Stewart.
“J.T. Stenglein cycled the puck to me behind the net and their [defenseman] let me come right to the net,” Margonari said. “I went for the far side of the net and slid it five-hole.”
In the penalty-filled contest (22 infractions, 62 minutes), power plays weren’t a factor. Ambrosia’s goal was the only goal scored with a man-advantage as the Phantoms skated off all eight of the Lumberjacks’ power plays and scored only once on their eight attempts.
In addition to their 46 shots, three other rang off the goalposts behind Stewart (Margonari and Stenglein in the second period, Cangelosi in the third).
Also, Soren Jonzzon’s first-period goal was waved off as referee Kevin Curtis ruled he kicked the puck past Stewart.
The Lumberjacks won despite playing their third game in 48 hours. While the Phantoms rested on Saturday after a long ride home from Michigan, the Lumberjacks played the Indiana Ice in Indianapolis on Saturday night then traveled to Youngstown.
Matt DeBlouw and Tyler Heinonen beat Phantoms goaltender Matt O’Connor in the second period. Ryan Lomberg scored the Lumberjacks’ other goal.
“Based on our effort in the third period, we probably earned it,” Noreen said of the point earned for the overtime loss. “[But] in the first 40 [minutes], we definitely play a complete enough game to deserve two points.”