Sunday, March 22, 2015
Staff report
Waterloo, Iowa
There will be bonus hockey this spring at the Covelli Centre.
Saturday’s 4-0 victory over the Waterloo Black Hawks clinched a playoff berth for the Youngstown Phantoms, the USHL team with the most points.
The victory extended the Phantoms’ winning streak to 16 games. The Phantoms’ last loss was on Jan. 31.
James Winkler, Josh Nenadal, Ryan Lomberg and Kyle Connor scored goals while goaltender Chris Birdsall made 24 saves to earn the shutout.
Winkler’s power-play goal five minutes into the game was the game-winner. Taylor Best and Lomberg assisted. Best and Matt Miller assisted on Nenadal’s goal while Connor and Tommy Parran had the assists on Lomberg’s goal. Connor’s tally was a short-handed goal.
The Phantoms (35-13-5, 75 points) opened a three-point lead over second-place Cedar Rapids after the RoughRiders (36-17-0, 72 points) lost to 4-2 to the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
The Phantoms maintained a one-point lead over the Tri-City Storm (34-14-6, 74 points), the first-place team in the Western Conference in the race for the Anderson Cup, the trophy awarded to the regular-season champion. The Sioux City Musketeers (34-16-5, 73 points) also won Saturday to remain in contention.
Today, the Phantoms will be in Chicago to play the fifth-place Steel (26-23-3, 55 points).
The top four teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. The Phantoms will be making their third postseason appearance in four seasons. Last year’s club finished last in the Eastern Conference.
Phantoms penalty killers skated off all four Waterloo power-play chances.