The Team | PHANTOMS BLANKED FOR FIRST TIME | ||||
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Youngstown Phantoms reached the quarter pole of their first USHL season Friday night, but they’d just as soon forget this particular milestone. Sioux Falls Stampede goaltender Clay Witt earned his first shutout of the season, blanking the visiting Phantoms with a 30-save effort in the home team’s 3-0 win. Youngstown (8-6-1, 17 points) was held off the scoreboard for the first time in 15 USHL games and fell for just the second time in regulation on the road. Sioux Falls (10-1-4, 24 points) improved its record at Sioux Falls Arena to a league-best 8-1-3.
The Stampede’s seventh-ranked power play cashed in its second opportunity of the game at 14:02 of the first period to put the Phantoms in an early 1-0 hole. Chad Ruhwedel’s slapshot from the center point was stopped by goalie Matt Mahalak, but the rebound skipped directly to the stick of Matt Farris, who deposited his fourth of the season from the bottom of the left circle.
The tight dimensions of the Stampede’s rink tend to cause trouble for first-time visitors, and that appeared to be the case throughout the opening stanza with the home side outshooting Youngstown 13-4, although Farris’ goal was the only tangible damage.
Joe Zarbo’s older brother Matt tossed a left-side wrister past Mahalak at 4:44 of the second, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Matt Lindblad, who got the primary assist on the scoring play. Joe and Matt played together last year with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.
Despite registering 10 shots to the Stampede’s nine in the middle frame, the Phantoms couldn’t solve Witt through 40 minutes of play, marking the first time this season Youngstown skated into the third period in search of its first goal of the game.
Sam Coatta finished the scoring 4:49 into the final frame as the rebound of George Michalke’s drive caromed into the goal off his body. The Phantoms launched 16 shots in the third and also enjoyed a late 5-on-3 power play for 30 seconds, but Witt kept a bouncing puck from crossing the goal line in the final second, locking up his shutout, Sioux Falls’ second clean sheet of the campaign.
Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=1048859 for full box score.
The Phantoms drive south on Interstate 29 for their first-ever meeting with the Sioux City (Iowa) Musketeers Saturday night at 7 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. Eastern. Youngstown then begins a five-game homestand next Friday with a 7:15 p.m. start against the Lincoln Stars.
The Youngstown Phantoms are a Member Club of the United States Hockey League (USHL), America’s only Tier I hockey league and premier developer of National Hockey League talent with more than 100 alumni on current NHL rosters.
Visit www.youngstownphantoms.com or call the Front Office at 330.747.PUCK(7825) for more information on the Phantoms organization. The Youngstown Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company (Phantom Fireworks), located in Youngstown, Ohio.
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