Phantoms seek reversal after sweep on road

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Phantoms’ recent three-game road trip to Illinois and Iowa produced two points but no victories.

After shootout losses to the Chicago Steel and Sioux City Musketeers on Thursday and Friday, the Phantoms stumbled on Saturday, losing 9-4 to the Musketeers.

The Musketeers’ converted on 4-of-6 power-play opportunities.

“We really put ourselves behind with some penalties, but our penalty kill can’t give up four goals,” Phantoms head coach John Wroblewski said. “We’ve got to be better on special teams.”

Youngstown started the game strong, carrying play for the first nine minutes. But Sioux City goaltender Cam Gornet made a handful of good saves to keep the Phantoms off the board.

Momentum shifted when the Musketeers’ Connor Sundquist deflected Jacob Wilson’s wrist shot past Phantoms netminder Colin DeAugustine. Three unanswered power-play goals followed.

Trailing 4-0, Wroblewski replaced DeAugustine with Conor O’Brien at the start of the second period. O’Brien made his USHL debut in Friday’s 3-2 shootout loss when he made 44 saves.

“The guys did a good job of keeping most of their shots coming from the outside,” O’Brien said of Friday’s game. “In terms of level of play, it’s definitely a step faster, every guy can shoot the puck, it’s definitely great hockey.”

After James Winkler scored early in the second period, Yushiro Hirano scored during a two-man advantage to slice the Musketeets’ lead to 4-2.

Sioux City took a 5-3 lead into the third period.

Cam Morrison scored in the third period to put the Phantoms forward into the league for USHL scoring. He has 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 assists.

The Musketeers finished strong, scoring three times in the final eight minutes.

“I thought we played well for long stretches of the game, we just didn’t have the timing,” Wroblewski said. “Couldn’t get a big penalty kill or a big save.

“If we would have scored there early in the first period, I think things could have been different,” Wroblewski said.

Wroblewski said he feels the Phantoms have become predictable over the past few weeks.

“We just didn’t get to our style tonight, and I would say that’s now the third game in a row we have failed to assert our game,” Wroblewski said Friday.

The Phantoms will be home this weekend for two games against the Waterloo Blackhawks. The games Friday and Saturday at the Covelli Centre will begin at 7:05 p.m. They will be the last home games in 2015.