BOX SCORE

YOUNGSTOWN, OH – To say that Youngstown Phantoms (6-7-3-1, 16 points) Head Coach Ryan Ward was underwhelmed with his team's effort on Saturday night would be disingenuous. Ward classified the performance as "embarrassing" after his team's 3-2 loss to Team USA (U17) at the Covelli Centre Saturday night.

"It was fairly embarrassing considering (Team USA) are a team full of 16-year-olds," said Ward. "I thought Team USA was better than us. I thought they had more urgency and desperation. I think we showed how immature of a hockey team we are tonight."

Youngstown opened the scoring for the evening just 1:04 into regulation when Kenta Isogai beat his man with a power move to the net and fired a forehander past Jack Parsons (25 saves) to give the Phantoms a 1-0 lead. It was Isogai's fifth goal of the season and gave him a three-game goal-scoring streak, a career high. Hunter Price recorded an assist on the goal, his first point in the USHL.

Team USA scored the next three to grab a hold of the game. Kamil Bednarik tipped home a pass from the mouth of the crease at 8:21 of the second to tie the game. Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen fired home a wrister at 17:23 for a power play goal, and Kristian Epperson fired a bouncing puck through Colin Winn's (28 saves) five-hole at 12:45 of the third to wrap up the USA scoring run.

The Phantoms tried to mount a comeback as Shane Lachance scored a power play goal at 13:24 for his team-leading 11^th goal of the season and Jake Rozzi rang one squarely off the pipe moments later, but Youngstown could get no closer and fell by the 3-2 margin.

Youngstown takes to the road for the next four games, beginning with the American Cup (powered by Wegman's) in Rochester, New York against the Green Bay Gamblers before traveling to Madison the following weekend to battle the Capitols.

By the Numbers
Shots – 27
Saves – 28
Power Play – 1/5
Penalty Kill – 4/5
Goals – Isogai, Lachance
Assists – Price, Strathmann (2)