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Peeters blanks USA
By Dan Hiner
Youngstown
Over the last two weeks, the Youngstown Phantoms made an effort to improve on the defensive end.
The Phantoms extended their win streak to five games with a 2-0 win over Team USA’s under-17 team on Friday. It was Youngstown’s first shutout of the season.
Starting goalie Ivan Prosvetov is out due to injury. Wouter Peeters stepped in and made 24 stops, playing all 60 minutes.
“Ivan had a stretch before he went down in three or four games where he played well and gave us a chance to win,” Phantoms head coach Brad Patterson said. “Wouter’s been in there and did the exact same thing.
“It’s a good thing to have, especially when you look at travel in this league and playing three games in three nights,” Patterson said. “To rely on either one’s great.”
Both teams were forced into longer shots and neither team could generate any offense in the first period.
Team USA (9-5-0-0) had a couple chances to take the lead in the first quarter, but the puck it off the pole both times.
Youngstown (10-5-2-1) took the lead with 8:50 left in the second period on a Chase Gresock goal. Gresock grabbed a rebound and scored from the left of the net.
Phantoms forward Max Ellis put the game out of reach with a goal of his own with nine minutes remaining in the third.
Youngstown forward Curtis Hall said the defense has improved because they’ve started communicating better.
He said the team’s focused on limiting opposing breaks and sticking to their technique.
Over their five-game win streak, the Phantoms have outscored opponents 22-10. Friday’s two-point win was the Phantoms’ fewest points scored since Nov. 10.
“It was a tight game, and we could reference or say ‘whoever we play in the league, it’s a hard-fought battle.’ There’s no one that’s weaker or so much stronger. The 17’s generate a lot of offense,” Patterson said. “I thought Wouter was good at that, and in the end of the day, we capitalized on out chances.”
Offensively, the Phantoms used their speed to outnumber Team USA on breaks. Youngstown players were frequently shooting the puck into the corners and beating defenders down the ice.
“That’s something we talked about a lot — when we have the pucks, looking to push them north. Sometimes it’s not the most pretty play,” Patterson said.
“Hockey’s a game of mistakes and you want to generate their mistakes or force their mistakes on their end when it’s 200 feet from your net.”
The Phantoms had three players scratched from Friday’s game due to injury. Patterson said the team will focus on getting players healthy with the Phantoms off for the next week.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you play, somebody’s gonna get banged up or bruised up,” Patterson said. “Couple guys [are] out right now and we hope to get them back real soon.
“The thing about this game is having a few extra players. In a developmental league, somebody’s gonna come in and do the job.
“We have some pretty good depth. It doesn’t matter if somebody’s out, even if it’s a key contributor. Somebody’s gonna get those minutes and be able to produce.”