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Phantoms extend win streak to 5
After 30 saves, DeAugustine just misses first shutout
By Tom Williams
Just 23 seconds from his first shutout of the season, Colin DeAugustine’s good luck evaporated.
Ahead by four goals, the Phantoms’ netminder had stopped the Omaha Lancers’ first 30 shots as the Covelli Centre visitors mounted one last rush.
DeAugustine, who led the Phantoms in wins the past two seasons, stopped Matt Meier’s shot, but the puck bounced high off his blocker. The pick hit the ice and eventually bounced into the net, with Meier credited with an unassisted goal.
The Phantoms’ protests that a high stick should have killed the play were unsuccessful, making the final score 4-1 in the Phantoms’ fifth-straight victory.
“I saw it go up and I reached up for it,” said DeAugustine who will play for Mercyhurst University in the fall. “Next thing I know, it was down on the ground. I figured someone had high-sticked it.
“I’m not worried about it — I have a few [USHL] shutouts under my belt,” DeAugustine said. “It was nice to get the win.”
Phantoms coach John Wroblewski said he saw at least three Omaha sticks in the air before the puck went into the net.
“If none of them hit it, I’d be amazed,” said Wroblewski, who called DeAugustine’s performance “fantastic.
“There were too many times where our defensemen were sleeping on line rushes,” Wroblewski said. “DeAug stood tall for us.”
The Hometown Heroes Night game honoring police, firefighters and first responders attracted more than 3,000 fans. The goaltender’s best saves came during Omaha’s five-minute power play early in the third period.
First, he stopped Jake Massie’s close shot, then used his glove to foil Patrick Harper on another break. He then made a sprawling save to stop Nick Rivera with his pads to preserve his shutout bid.
Defenseman Kris Myllari, who assisted on the Phantoms’ first three goals, said the long penalty kill (4:51 before a Lancer was penalized) was his highlight.
“It’s rewarding to do stuff [well] as a team,” Myllari said. “Our four [defensemen] rotating did a good job and DeAug’s made big saves. He was definitely our best player tonight.
“We fed off of him,” Myllari said. “Any time there was a bad turnover, he was right there to make a highlight reel save. He’s been doing that for three years here.”
Eric Esposito’s fluky goal got the Phantoms rolling. In his own zone, Garrett Hall ignited the play with a long cross-ice pass to Esposito just past the blue line.
Omaha goaltender Kris Oldham gloved Esposito’s shot but couldn’t hang on. The puck bounced into Harper trailing the play and deflected into the net.
Myllari had the primary assists on the Phantoms’ second-period goals. Chase Pearson and Patrick Kramer pounced on rebounds of Myllari shots to score.
In the final minute, Cam Morrison scored an empty-net goal.
Watching for the second straight night was Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux whose son Austin is a right wing for Omaha.