Phantoms Drop 4-3 Decision to Madison; Comeback Bid Falls Short
October 15, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Youngstown Phantoms News Release
YOUNGSTOWN, OH – A three-goal deficit proved too large a hole to climb out of for the Youngstown Phantoms (1-3-0-0, 2 points) Friday night at the Covelli Centre as they dropped a second-straight decision to the Madison Capitols, this one by a 4-3 margin. Madison led 3-0 after the second period and 4-1 just before the halfway point of the third. Youngstown struck twice in the final 4:46 to draw back within a goal and came within a hair’s breadth of tying the game on multiple occasions, falling just short.
“We were down 3-0 on a couple of tough bounces, had to kill a full two-minute five-on-three and a five-minute major, and the penalty killers did a great job. Power play guys did a great job,” said Phantoms Head Coach Ryan Ward. “In the third period we were fast, we had detail, and we dictated the play.”
For the second night in a row, Madison scored three in the second period. After a scoreless first, the Capitols jumped on the board early in the frame when Finn Brink put home a rebound at 2:14. Jack Musa scored on a redirect at 10:50, and Jonah Aegerter beat Colin Winn (18 saves) on a wrap-around at 11:41, staking Madison to the large advantage heading into the second intermission.
The Phantoms finally dented the scoreboard at 4:01 with a power play goal from their captain Shane Lachance. Lachance gathered in a loose puck at the mouth of the blue paint during a net-front scramble and backhanded it through the five-hole of Mason Kucenski (28 saves) to get Youngstown on the board. Madison answered back with a power play goal of their own just over five-and-a-half minutes later when Musa fired a one-timer past Winn from the slot at 9:37, giving the Capitols back their three-goal cushion at 4-1.
Youngstown wouldn’t go away though, as Kenta Isogai got a steal-and-score on a nifty backhander at 15:14 to cut the Madison advantage back to two. LaChance cashed in his second of the night at 16:42 when he stepped out from behind the cage and tucked a backhander around Kucenski and into the net, bringing the Phantoms back to within a goal. Matthew Perkins earned an assist on the goal, giving him points in all four of the games in his USHL career thus far. Winn headed back to the bench with 88 seconds left in regulation, but despite intense pressure, Youngstown could not find the tying marker and Madison escaped with the win.
The Phantoms take to the road for the next six games, with stops in Chicago, Plymouth, and Muskegon before returning to the Covelli Centre on November 11-12 to take on the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
By the Numbers
Shots – 32
Saves – 18
Power Play – 1/3
Penalty Kill – 5/6
Goals – Isogai, Lachance (2)
Assists – Perkins, Rozzi, Varner
Box Score – https://ushl.com/ht/#/game-summary/10295
• Discuss this story on the United States Hockey League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
