BOX SCORE

YOUNGSTOWN, OH – With 45 shots fired at the Chicago net, one might think the Youngstown Phantoms (18-12-3-1, 40 points) were trying to shoot the lights out at the Covelli Centre Friday night. The lights may have momentarily gone out in the third period, but the Phantoms had plenty of power as they knocked off the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Steel, 4-1 Friday night at the Covelli Centre.

"I thought we were good," said Phantoms Head Coach Ryan Ward. "I thought we were good from the net out, playing a sixty-minute game. Our penalty kill was good, our power play was good. I thought it was our best game 5-on-5 in a long time." The Youngstown power play may have been held off the scoresheet, going 0/4 on the night, but the vaunted Chicago power play, which came into the game first in the USHL with a 31.3% conversion rate, was held in check as well, going 0/6 including a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes.

Youngstown opened the scoring late in the first period. William Whitelaw's cross-crease pass was redirected by a Chicago stick into their netminder Christian Manz, but as Manz spun in the blue paint, the puck trickled across the goal line. The goal came at 17:48, Whitelaw's 17^th of the season, staking the Phantoms to a 1-0 lead. Whitelaw now has goals in four straight after going six games without a goal and having just three goals in the 17 games prior to last Thursday.

The Phantoms doubled that lead 6:36 into the second period. Justin Varner stole a pass at his own blue line, starting a 2-on-1 break. Instead of opting for the pass, Varner chose to shoot, and we ripped a wrist shot past Manz to the blocker side for his seventh goal of the season and a 2-0 Youngstown lead. It was Varner's first goal in eight games, his first goal at home in 19 games. Chicago answered back at 13:08 when Quinn Finley sneaked off the bench and joined a rush into the Youngstown end, tipping home Mack Celebrini's pass for his 12^th goal of the season. Youngstown led 2-1 at the second intermission.

Youngstown increased their lead to 3-1 at 7:35 of the third when Hunter Bischoff put home the rebound of Tomas Machu's shot for his third goal of the season and second in as many games. The Youngstown defense was tested as midway through the third period, Tory Pitner was called for high sticking, sending Youngstown down a man. After the whistle, Andon Cerbone was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing the call, putting the Phantoms down two men for the full two minutes. Chicago maintained zone time for all but 10 seconds of the power play and managed three shots on Jacob Fowler (24 saves), but could draw no closer.

Chicago continued to push, pulling Manz for the extra attacker with just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining, but Chase Pietila took advantage of a neutral zone faceoff win and fired a shot 130 feet into the open cage with 24.4 seconds left in regulation to seal the win for Youngstown.

The Phantoms and Steel wrap up their weekend series Saturday night at the Covelli Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05pm Eastern.

By the Numbers
Shots – 45
Saves – 24
Power Play – 0/4
Penalty Kill – 6/6
Goals – Bischoff, Pietila, Varner, Whitelaw
Assists – Catalano, Lachance, Machu, Strathmann, Wilson