Loss to Phantoms drops Steel out of 1st place
Austin Pooley registered the final goal in a back-and-forth showdown Friday as the Youngstown Phantoms defeated the Chicago Steel, 4-3, in the opening game of a weekend set. The Phantoms (22-13-4-1, 49 pts.) improved to 2-1-0-0 this season against the Steel (25-9-1-3, 54 pts.). The two teams will meet again Saturday at Fox Valley Ice Arena with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m.
Chicago got on the board first in a busy first period. Jack Badini recorded a power-play goal at the 8:59 mark, redirecting a Reggie Lutz one-time shot from the right point. The goal was Badini's team-leading 18th tally of the season.
The Phantoms responded less than a minute and a half later. Curtis Hall won a left circle draw back to Max Ellis, who sped a shot past Steel netminder Ales Stezka at 10:14.
Each team registered a goal during a holding penalty against Chicago's Mitch Lewandowski. First, the Steel regained the lead thanks to Marc Johnstone's second short-handed goal of the season, racing down the ice and bouncing a shot through the five-hole of Youngstown goalie Ivan Kulbakov at 12:18. But Youngstown then cashed in on the power play when Tommy Apap tipped a shot into the net at 13:25, tying the game, 2-2.
Before the opening period ended, Youngstown gained its first lead of the game when Marshall Moise recorded his first goal as a Phantom, jamming a shot in from the top of the crease at 16:36.
Early in the second period, Steel winger Brannon McManus brought the game to its third and final tie. McManus reached back and fired a highlight-reel shot from the left faceoff dot into the far top corner of the net, beating Kulbakov over his glove at 0:56.
Youngstown went back on top at 12:36 when Pooley tipped a Max Ellis shot from the left half-wall. The Phantoms led, 4-3, at the second intermission.
Chicago outshot Youngstown, 9-8, in the third period, but was not able to find the equalizer. A late power play chance for Chicago was immediately canceled out by a slashing minor called against Corson Green. The Steel pulled Stezka for an extra attacker with two minutes remaining, but Kulbakov denied Chicago's last chances to record his 18th win of the season.
Chicago suffered its ninth regulation loss of the season, and third in a five-game span. Dubuque (26-10-1-2, 55 pts.), who has played one more game than Chicago, leapfrogged the Steel in the Eastern Conference standings, as the Steel find themselves out of the first-place spot in the conference for the first time this season.
McManus' goal was his 60th career USHL point. Graham Lillibridge recorded 2 assists for Chicago.