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Shootout costs Phantoms a sweep
By Ryan Buck
The Youngstown Phantoms wiped out a two-goal deficit to force overtime on Saturday against the Waterloo Black Hawks.
But when Saturday’s USHL game ended at the Covelli Centre, Waterloo emerged with the extra point, winning the shootout for a 4-3 victory. The Black Hawks won the shootout, 2-1. The game ended when Waterloo goaltender Drew Hotte stopped Phantoms captain Matt Alvaro on Youngstown’s third shot attempt.
On the previous attempt, Michael Davies put a shot past Phantoms net minder Colin DeAugustine.
The Phantoms earned one point, one night after defeating the Black Hawks, 5-4.
“Within the game, we went down, 3-1, and the guys stuck with it,” Phantoms head coach John Wroblewski said. “Real squirrely there for a bit too.”
With the score tied at one goal apiece after one period, the spirit of Christmas was not circling the rink. A wild second period began unceremoniously for the Phantoms. Waterloo center Ronie Hein gave his team a 2-1 lead 30 seconds into the period off assists from Niko Hildebrand and Mikey Anderson.
Just 45 seconds later, Nick Swaney’s rebound put-back off a Yuri Terao shot gave the Black Hawks a 3-1 advantage.
An already physical game turned chippy as both teams jostled for possession and the upper hand in physicality.
As the second period’s opening minutes belonged to the Black Hawks, Youngstown controlled the period’s latter stages.
With Waterloo forward Hunter Luhmann in the penalty box, James Winkler cut the Phantoms’ deficit to one on an assist from Boston College-bound Connor Moore.
A near-melee ensued after the goal as all 10 skaters on the ice took to fisticuffs behind the Waterloo goal.
Phantoms forward Cameron Morrison and Anderson, the Waterloo defenseman, were given penalties and 10-minute game misconducts. Waterloo winger Marshall Moise joined them.
With 32 seconds remaining in the period, Phantoms defenseman Kris Myllari finished off a three-on-one short-handed opportunity, off a pass from Eric Esposito, set up by Alvaro.
Alvaro had scored the Phantom’s first goal in the opening period.
The second period saw a total of four goals and 34 combined penalty minutes between the two teams.
“There were a lot of cheap shots, a lot of big hits thrown around out there,” Wroblewski said. “Our guys kept at it and ended up getting that short-handed goal that got us the point.”
Neither team could break the tie as the seconds ticked away in the third.
DeAugustine snared a dangerous wrist shot from Swaney with 2:45 left in the game to preserve the tie.
With 45 seconds left, Morrison broke free of the Waterloo defense and unleashed a left-handed wrist shot, which trickled past Hotte.
The Black Hawks’ defense cleared the puck from the goal line before it could cross.
Hotte robbed Phantoms defenseman Vas Kolias of a potential game-winner with about two minutes left in the overtime, by far Youngstown’s best chance to end it.
As the action shifted to three-on-three after the four minute mark, Black Hawks defenseman Michael Davies’ slapshot drilled the goal post just under the one minute mark.
The Black Hawks out-shot the Phantoms, 32-19.