BOX SCORE

YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Youngstown Phantoms (17-12-3-1, 38 points) saw seven different goal scorers and 14 different skaters find the scoresheet, in addition to 33 saves from Jacob Fowler en route to an 8-0 shutout of the Madison Capitols Saturday night at the Covelli Centre. It was Fowler's league-leading fourth shutout of the season and sixth of his career, which ties him with Sean Romeo for the club record.

"I thought easily that was our most complete sixty minutes of the season," said Phantoms Head Coach Ryan Ward. "Super proud of the guys. Good to cap off a good weekend for them and move forward with a big weekend next weekend (against first-place Chicago)."

Youngstown came out like a house on fire, putting up four in the opening period. Brandon Svoboda gave the Phantoms all the offense they would need just 2:27 into regulation when he tipped home a beautiful pass by Jake Rozzi for his ninth goal of the season. Matthew Perkins, celebrating his 19^th birthday, picked up a loose puck that was poked free by Kenta Isogai and deposited it behind Rastislav Elias (2 saves) at 4:48 to double the Youngstown lead. William Whitelaw tapped home a power play goal for his 16^th goal of the season at 9:09, and Hunter Bischoff hammered his second goal of the campaign home at 10:27, capping off the Youngstown scoring in the opening frame. Shortly after the Bischoff goal, Elias was brought to the bench in favor of Mason Kucenski (19 saves).

The Phantoms kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second period, tacking on another pair in the second. Shane Lachance put home a rebound for a power play goal just 1:26 into the period. Kucenski stopped a Whitelaw shot, but the puck squirted behind him into the blue paint, and Lachance was there to poke it home for his team-leading 22^nd goal of the season and league-leading 11^th power play goal. Youngstown tacked on one more at 13:17 when James Fisher won a puck battle behind the cage and threw a centering pass to the front of the net. The pass bounced off Bischoff and to Braiden Clark, who fired it home for his second goal of the year and a 6-0 Phantoms lead. Madison's best scoring opportunity came in the waning moments of the period as a neutral zone turnover lead to a 2-on-0 break for Madison with Oliver Flynn and Matt McGroarty coming in on Fowler, but the Youngstown netminder was able to turn away McGroarty's shot and keep Madison off the board.

Youngstown refused to let the Capitols off the mat and added another pair of goals in the third period. Rozzi finished off an electric shift by the third line by slipping a backhander through Kucenski's five-hole at 13:44, finishing off a 2-on-1 break with Justin Varner. Lachance got a lucky bounce 44 seconds later when his cross-crease pass hit a Madison stick and redirected behind Kucenski at 14:28, finishing off the scoring for the night. Lachance stands at second in the USHL in goals with 23, trailing Chicago's Jack Harvey by two.

The Phantoms wrap up their five-game homestand next weekend with a pair of games against the Chicago Steel on January 27-28. Puck drop both nights is scheduled 7:05pm.

By the Numbers
Shots – 29
Saves – 33
Power Play – 2/4
Penalty Kill – 4/4
Goals – Bischoff, Clark, Lachance (2), Perkins, Rozzi, Svoboda, Whitelaw
Assists – Bischoff, Catalano, Centrella, Cerbone, Clark, Fisher (2), Isogai, Lachance, Pitner, Rozzi, Varner (2), Whitelaw (2)