PHANTOMS Next 3 days are busy

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Phantoms received an extra present over the holidays that they are hoping to shed — a flu bug.

Last week, the Phantoms faced the most adversity they have seen all season as nearly a third of the players fell victim to the flu and the team went winless in three games.

Now the Phantoms (16-8-2, 36 points, fourth place in the USHL East Conference) are looking to get healthy and bounce back with another trio of games this weekend.

Tonight and Friday, the Phantoms will take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks at the Covelli Centre before traveling to Indianapolis for Saturday’s game against the Indiana Ice.

Last week’s road trip began with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in Iowa. The defeat snapped the Phantoms’ four-game winning streak.

Goaltender Matthew O’Connor played one of his best games of the season, turning away 41 of 42 shots including 18 in the second period.

Mike Ambrosia scored the lone goal for Youngstown.

The Phantoms’ other losses were to the Ice (5-2 and 3-0) in Indianapolis.

In the first game, the Ice (17-7-4, 38 points, second in East) jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first 31 minutes of the game. Dylan Margonari and JT Stenglein scored for the Phantoms.

On New Year’s Eve, the flu kept second leading-scorer Austin Cangelosi out of the lineup. Of those playing coach Anthony Noreen estimated that a third of them were “about 60 percent.”

“We’re not very healthy right now,” Noreen said. “We had about six or eight guys who were cleared medically, but were probably at about 60 percent.

“I credit our guys for their effort — for playing based on the circumstances. There were a lot of guys who played through a lot both games this weekend,” Noreen said. “But give [the Ice] credit. They had their chances and they put them in the back of the net. We had ours and we didn’t.”

Ice goaltender Jon Gillies, the USHL’s wins leader, turned away all 26 shots he faced.

Youngstown’s best opportunity came in the second period when Sam Anas had a close-in scoring try. Todd Koritzinsky found Anas undetected in front of the net.

Anas pulled the puck on his forehand and tried to stuff it in, but Gillies stretched his 6-foot-5 frame to get a glove up and make the save.

“Jon Gillies — if there’s a better goaltender in the league, I’d like to see him,” Noreen said. “He was phenomenal tonight.”

Ambrosia’s six-game scoring streak was stopped. He recorded four goals and seven assists for 11 points over the span.

During the calendar year 2011, the Phantoms posted a 31-20-8 record.

The Lumberjacks (9-12-1, 19 points, seventh in East) have been struggling but usually give the Phantoms fits with physical battles.