Phantoms rally on School Day, but cut down by Lumberjacks in OT

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Phantoms forced overtime against the Muskegon Lumberjacks with a buzzer beater, but couldn’t carry that momentum into extra time as they lost, 4-3.

Playing Thursday morning in front of a crowd of 5,668 on the team’s annual School Day game, the team came back from a one-goal deficit three times.

The final equalizer came off Phantoms defenseman Alec Mahalak’s stick with 0.6 seconds left in regulation. Muskegon’s Garret Van Whye beat Youngstown goalie Ivan Kulbakov glove-side with five minutes left in overtime.

The Phantoms (11-9-2-1) played their first game without top scorer Nicolas Werbik. He’s left the team to tryout for team Czech Republic for the World Junior Classic. UConn commit Evan Wisocky occupied Werbik’s spot on the top line, registering three shots and finished with an even plus-minus rating.

Muskegon (14-10-0-0) opened the scoring with a goal from Mikael Hakkarainen in the first period. Youngstown responded two minutes later when Greensburg, Pa., native Dalton Hunter collected his first goal with the Phantoms.

Koby Bender put the Lumberjacks ahead by one late in the second period, but early in the third, the Phantoms’ Alex Esposito found a wide open Brett Murray for the team’s second equalizer. Will Smith scored what stood as the game-winner until the final second of the game for Muskegon.

Kulbakov made 23 saves for the Phantoms. Muskegon’s Keith Petruzzelli stopped 28 shots while collecting an assist.

With the loss, the Phantoms sit in fifth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference.

The Phantoms continue their homestand tonight a 7 p.m. with the first of a two-game series against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.