YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Madison Capitols scored five unanswered goals over a 16-minute span that turned a 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 lead along the way to downing the Youngstown Phantoms (5-9-1-0, 11pts) 8-4 Saturday night at the Covelli Centre.

The scoring got started early and the teams traded goals on an early 4-on-4. Lukas Zajic gave Youngstown the opening goal just 1:41 into regulation, but Bryce Wiitala answered back at 2:46 for Madison. Alexander Svitov broke the 1-1 tie at 7:48 as he knocked home the rebound of Axel Brongel-Larsson's shot for his fourth goal of the season. Stephen Cover broke a seven-game goal drought just over a minute later at 8:50 as his heavy wrister from above the circles beat Elliot Lennon to the glove side. Cover had 3 points on the weekend against his former squad, a goal and two assists.

From that point on, however, it was all Madison, as the Capitols scored five straight and seven of the next eight goals in the game. Logan Lutner and Harper Frey scored before the end of the first to knot the game at 3-3 for intermission. Nolan Geerdes' goal 1:43 into the second period ended the USHL debut of Peter Chlebowski, who stopped 7-of-11. Owen Lepak came on in relief, but surrendered a 5-on-3 power play goal to Bode McConnell on the first shot he faced. Will Dosan capped off the
Madison scoring run at 6:54 when his cross-crease feed redirected off a Phantom defender and into the net.

At 14:15 Zajic converted a 5-on-3 power play for the second straight night, breaking the Madison scoring run and trimming the Madison lead to 6-4 at the second intermission, but Eero Butella dashed any hopes of a Phantoms comeback at 5:24 with his marker to give Madison back their three-goal lead. Cooper Snee put an exclamation point on the night for the Capitols with the evening's final tally at 7:56.

Youngstown continues their six-game homestand next weekend with a 3-in-3 against the Waterloo Black Hawks and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

BY THE NUMBERS
Shots – 32
Saves – 24
Power Play – 1/4
Penalty Kill – 3/4
Goals – Cover, Svitov, Zajic (2)
Assists – Anderson, Brongel-Larsson, Cover, Hair, Koltsov, McCormick, McKinnon, Zajic