Phantoms fall in overtime

January 14, 2017 at 12:07a.m.

By CODIE TALLEY

YOUNGSTOWN

Friday night’s overtime game between the Youngstown Phantoms and Sioux City Musketeers could best be described as a slugfest.

The Phantoms fell 2-1, but their defense, led by Mike Karow, was tough all night, allowing only 15 shots.

Sioux City goalie Matiss Kivlenieks was an unbreakable wall, stopping 28 of the Phantoms 29 shots.

Sioux City had a power play in the final minute of regulation after the Phantoms’ Austin Pooley was called for hooking.

Overtime began with Pooley in the penalty box and a four-on-three advantage for the Musketeers,

Sioux City (20-7-4-1, 44 points), the first-place team in the USHL’s Western Conference, scored just 27 seconds into overtime on a Kristin Pospisil goal.

“The guy makes a great play, scores a great goal,” Phantoms coach Brad Patterson said.

Despite the loss, Patterson said he “was pleased with our effort. I was pleased with the 60 minutes.”

After Phantoms goaltender Ivan Kulbakov made three outstanding saves, Sioux City scored just 5:25 into the game when Sampo Ranta found the net for the first time this season. The goal ricocheted off of Karow’s stick.

“A tough break on the first goal, kind of a strange one,” Patterson said.

Things got chippy between both teams after the goal.

The Phantoms’ Chase Gresock and the Musketeers’ CJ Dodero each got two minutes in the penalty box for roughing.

Another scuffle broke out late in the third period after Sioux City’s Solag Bakich plowed through Kulbakov. Bakich was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

Despite the chippiness, Patterson thought it was all in a competitive manner.

“Both teams play extremely hard,” Patterson said. “I don’t think there was anything that was over the top and I thought both teams did a good job of playing within the whistles.”

Kulbakov made two more saves in the first period as the Phantoms (17-12-3-1, 37 points) created opportunities on the oppoosite end. But despite 11 shots they couldn’t find the net.

Kivlenieks continued to stop everything that came his way in the second period. Then Phantoms forward Tommy Apap found the net 11:12 into the period, tying the game at one.

The Phantoms continued to fire away, outshooting Sioux City 20-10.

A Sioux City shot hit the post with about 13 minutes to play, but that was the closest either team came to scoring until the final minute of the third period.

Despite outshooting Sioux City and coming up with only one goal, Patterson feels that the Phantoms are where they need to be.

“There’s room to improve but at the end of the day we need to bear down around the net,” Patterson said. “Credit to their goaltender.”