Staff Photo/Brian Yoger Phantoms forward Brecken Smith prepares for a shot in the team’s 5-3 win over USNTDP.
YOUNGSTOWN – Even without three of their top five scorers, and down six players overall, the Youngstown Phantoms had no shortage of offense, as they took down the USNTDP U18s, 5-3, in a hotly contested affair.
“I cannot stress how proud I am of this group of men.” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “Obviously we’re missing six players in the squad, and (we’re facing) probably the toughest test we’ve ever had here, and I think the guys came in ready to play.”
The U18s got on the board first early in the contest, as Cole Hutson, a top-25 prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft, beat goaltender Colin Wynn to give Team USA an early advantage.
The deficit wasn’t long for the Phantoms, as striker Kuzma Voronin took advantage of some chaos in the net to put the ball home.
Youngstown’s power play got some much-needed juice on Friday, capitalizing on three of its opportunities.
“I thought our power play had a little bit of magic tonight. It was good to see.” Ward said. “The biggest thing on the power play is they all worked with Team USA to recover pucks. I thought that’s what they need to do on a more consistent basis. We talked about that this week in practice and they did that. I think when you work on a team, You feel good about yourself, and that’s a good thing.
Special teams overall played a big role, which naturally happens when games turn physical.
The second-best penalty kill in the league was flawless on Friday, stopping Team USA on each of its three occasions with one player.
“I thought PK was great. We cleared pucks when we had to, blocked shots when we had to, and Colin Wynn blocked shots when we had to.” Ward said. “This is a very talented group we play against, PK answered the bell, and when you win the special teams battle, we’re going to win the game 75-80% of the time.”
Mickey Burchill scored the first goal, finding a gap and launching a rocket to give the Phantoms an advantage they would not give up.
It was Adam Pietila who scored the next goal. Pietila’s shot into the net increased Youngstown’s lead to 3-1. The striker is currently wearing the captain’s ‘C’ in place of Andrew Strathman as he takes part in the World Junior A Challenge.
Defenseman Sacha Boumediene set up the wing.
“He (Boumediene) just put the ball in the back of the net, and we were really connecting by working hard up front and stepping up and somehow finding a way through.” Pietila said.
As the second period ended, the fireworks began to fly. Fitness rose and nerves began to boil. A Sam Ranallo fumble call with 13 seconds left in the second period was the inciting incident as he closed out the middle frame with fists.
This friction continued into the third period as tensions flared again, leading to multiple ejection skirmishes.
But the attack never went away, as Ranallo opened the third period with a goal. The U18s went on to score two more goals, trading goals with Youngstown back and forth throughout the period.
Just past the halfway mark, Myles Jonty scored the team’s third power play goal of the evening. They have now scored 19 goals by one man.
Wayne recorded 26 saves on 29 shots in the win.
With five players, including Strathman, participating in the World Junior A Challenge, and another on injured reserve, there are plenty of holes to fill until they return.
Fortunately for the Phantoms, depth has always been the hallmark of this set.
Ward mentioned how every day is a test, and how “Iron sharpens iron.” The mentality that the team adopts is what has helped them in such situations.
“I think it comes down to the culture the players have created, the leadership and the standards they have created here.” Ward said. “For me as a coach, this isn’t my locker room. It’s these guys’ locker room, and they monitor it. We have a standard and this is the standard and it’s the next man up mentality.”
“When our guys step in, and they get a chance to prove themselves, everyone is hungry to be a Phantom. I think it’s an experience every day and these guys understand that. “Just having one or two or six guys out of the lineup, the expectations don’t change, and I think that’s what it is.” Really special.”
The Phantoms (16-6-2-0, 34 points) and Team USA will hit the road together to finish out the weekend series, with a game Saturday in Plymouth, Michigan.
The next time on the ice at the Covelli Center for the Phantoms won’t be until 2024 when the Phantoms host Omaha.
byauger@tribtoday.com
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