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Phantoms endure rough ride in round three
By Tom Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
The Youngstown Phantoms’ sweep against the USHL’s top team last weekend stirred up a hornet’s nest.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders stormed into the Covelli Centre on Friday and stung the Phantoms, 6-1, in the home team’s most lopsided loss of the season.
“We were a little complacent from our two victories last weekend,” said forward Kiefer Sherwood, whose first-period goal opened the scoring. “We forgot what it [takes] to beat this team.
“We started well, but our energy and some of the basic things tonight weren’t there. We’ve got to regroup.”
The Rough-Riders (27-10-0, 54 points) will look to return the favor of a sweep in tonight’s rematch. Six different players scored goals as Cedar Rapids increased its lead to five points over second-place Muskegon (23-12-3, 49 points).
“We knew they were going to come out hungry, real upset about last weekend,” Phantoms co-captain Ryan Lomberg said. “We weathered the storm at first.”
The fourth-place Phantoms (19-12-5, 43 points) are now five points behind Dubuque (22-9-4, 48 points) but remain three ahead of Madison.
“Our start was good,” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said after his team dropped its third straight home game. “Probably should have had a couple of more [goals] in the first.
“They executed, took care of their chances. We didn’t.”
Sherwood snapped the scoreless tie late in the first period when Max Letunov found him in front of the net. Sherwood rang it off the goal post into the net behind goaltender Ben Blacker.
“Max did a good job of stripping [a RoughRider] of the puck and made a great pass,” Sherwood. “I don’t know how he found me. I just shot it quickly.”
It was downhill after that for the Phantoms. Seconds later, Andrew Gaus beat Phantoms goaltender Chris Birdsall.
Halfway through the second period, Andrew Oglevie’s shot from near the point bounced off a Phantoms stick past Birdsall. Ninety-one seconds later, Cal Burke scored on a breakaway, beating Birdsall with a backhander.
The turning point game when Burke was assessed a four-minute penalty and a game ejection for checking Phantoms defenseman Tommy Parran from behind. The Phantoms took four shots during the extended power play, but couldn’t get the puck past Blacker.
“They got it done,” said Lomberg of the RoughRiders’ penalty killers. “It was a big momentum swing.”
A few minutes later, Hugh McGing scored for a 4-1 lead.
“Our power play has been our key at times and tonight it was probably part of our downfall,” Noreen said.
The Phantoms went 0-for-6 with the man advantage.
“Their penalty kill is very good,” Noreen said. “Having said that, we had a lot of looks, a lot of possessions where we could have put the puck in the back of the net or maybe a created a secondary chance. We just didn’t.”
Lomberg said his frustrated teammates want another shot.
“We know we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Lomberg said. “We’re excited to have another crack at them. We’ll be ready.”