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Former Phantoms doing well while current squad seeks to stop a three-game skid
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J.T. Stenglein, left, of the Youngstown Phantoms had three points for the team in last weekend’s games against Team USA.
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
As the Youngstown Phantoms strive to shake off some January blues in their pursuit of their first USHL playoff berth, two former players are excelling for the University of Denver.
Ty Loney, a Phantom for two seasons, was named the WCHA’s co-rookie of the week. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound forward notched a career-high two goals Friday night and added a game-winning assist Saturday as the No. 15 Pioneers swept Bemidji State by scores of 6-3 and 3-2.
Loney has recorded three or more points in each of the past three weekends. He is riding a five-game point streak during which he has nine points on four goals and five assists.
Those points have him tied for 10th in WCHA rookie overall scoring with 13 points (five goals, eight assists). He is plus two for even-strength goals scored for and against.
One of Loney’s teammates is defenseman Scott Mayfield, a Phantom for two seasons and a second-round draft pick by the New York Islanders in last summer’s NHL Draft.
Mayfield has two goals and four assists in the 23 games he’s played. He’s plus six for even-strength goals.
Bemidji State forward Danny Mattson, a Phantom last season, had an assist in each of the losses to Denver.
Coming off their first winless weekend of the season, the Phantoms hope to regroup with a very busy weekend road trip that has them skating three times in three days.
First, the Phantoms (18-11-2, 38 points, fourth place) will play on Friday and Saturday against the Buccaneers in Des Moines, Iowa.
The trip will conclude on Sunday with an afternoon game in suburban Chicago against the Steel.
Last weekend, Team USA defeated the Phantoms twice at the Covelli Centre as three-game home winning streak was snapped.
In Friday’s 2-1 loss, Zach Tatrn scored his first USHL goal while goaltender Matthew O’Connor made 33 saves.
In Saturday’s 6-4 loss, the Phantoms surrendered five goals in the second period.
Third-period goals by Ryan Belonger, JT Stenglein and Austin Cangelosi gave the Phantoms hope, but an empty-net goal by the Nationals gave the Phantoms their first consecutive home losses this season and third defeat in a row.
“We need to be desperate from when the puck drops,” Phantoms coach Anthony Noreen said after the game. “I think you saw in the third period what a desperate Youngstown Phantoms team looks like.
“The bottom line is we’re not going to accept anything less than that,” Noreen said.
The Phantoms and Nationals combined for 133 penalty minutes, including 81 assessed to Youngstown. That total eclipsed last season’s single-game high by one minute.
“It’s just tough to get your offense going when you’re in the box,” Noreen said.
Belonger was penalized after a late-game altercation and will miss the next two games as a result.
Stenglein scored in both games to extend his scoring streak to four games. He has two goals, four assists and six points over the span.
Left wing Stephen Collins has been placed on the 45-day injured reserve list. The 20-year-old suffered a lower body injury in Friday’s game.