BOX SCORE

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO – A 3-0 first period deficit was too much for the Youngstown Phantoms to overcome as they fell 5-2 to the Muskegon Lumberjacks Sunday at the Covelli Centre.

Muskegon opened the scoring at 11:04 of the first on Will Schlechtweg's first goal in the USHL. They followed up with an Adam Belusko wrister from the left wall that beat Tobias Trejbal high to the glove side. Off the ensuing faceoff, Trejbal lost his footing trying to play the puck behind the cage, allowing Chuck Blanchard to score on an empty net. Youngstown got on the board at 1:43 of the second when Kazumo Sasaki scored his seventh goal of the season, but couldn't cash in on any of the two power plays they had in the latter half of the period to draw any closer.

The Phantoms had momentum early in the third, but Viktor Norringer's goal at 11:02 put the game out of reach. Youngstown remained aggressive and pulled Trejbal for the extra attacker, but Niles Benson scored on the empty net at 16:35 to cap off Muskegon's night. A late Phantom power play allowed Jack Willson to score at 19:49, the 19^th goal of his USHL career, setting the Phantoms' mark for goals by a defenseman which Luke Osburn had set last year.

Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz was superb between the pipes for Muskegon in his USHL debut, stopping 32-of-34. Trejbal stopped 22-of-24 as the Phantoms dropped their third straight.

Youngstown hits the road next weekend for a pair against the Waterloo Black Hawks before returning to the Covelli Centre for the School Day Game against these same Lumberjacks on February 25.

BY THE NUMBERS
Shots – 24
Saves – 20
Power Play – 1/4
Penalty Kill – 2/2
Goals – Sasaki, Willson
Assists – Huston, Simpson, Willson