Phantoms win to finish as USHL’s top team

Staff report

ANN ARBOR, MICH.

There will be no sharing of the USHL’s Anderson Cup trophy for the 2014-15 season.

The Youngstown Phantoms cemented their position as the USHL’s top regular-season team with a 3-1 victory over Team USA’s 17-younger squad Friday night at the Ice Cube.

The Phantoms will open the playoffs on Wednesday in Muskegon, Mich., against the fourth-place Lumberjacks (35-20-4, 74 points). Games two and three will be at the Covelli Centre on Friday and April 18.

Friday’s victory is the Phantoms’ 39th in 59 games, their most in six seasons.

Kiefer Sherwood scored two goals (28 and 29 on the season) to spark the Phantoms’ attack. Kyle Connor, the USHL’s likely scoring champion, and Josh Melnick assisted on Sherwood’s first goal on a power play 7:02 into the game.

The assist is Connor’s 46th of the season and gives him 78 points. Sioux City’s Adam Johnson is in second place with 70 points. The Musketeers’ regular season ended with Friday’s 5-3 win over Sioux Falls. Waterloo’s Brock Boeser is in third place with 67 points and has one game remaining.

With 62 points, Max Letunov is sixth in the league in scoring.

Melnick and Alec Vanko assisted on Sherwood’s second-period goal.

Early in the third, Team USA’s Patrick Khodorenko spoiled goaltender Chris Birdsall’s shutout bid. Birdsall (18-7-5) finished with 30 saves.

Chase Pearson scored the Phantoms’ other goal on assists from Matt Alvaro and affiliate player Connor Moore.

Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen dressed three other affiliate players: Kole Sherwod, Grant Meyer and Justin Cmunt. That gave forwards Ryan Lomberg, Josh Nenadal, and Taylor Best and defensemen Matt Miller and Vas Kolias a rare night off.

Youngstown (39-14-6, 83 points) goes for its 40th victory tonight at 7:05 when the Phantoms welcome Team USA (25-31-3, 53 points) to the Covelli Centre. The Anderson Cup will be on display.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders will meet in the other Eastern Series.