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- Written by Justin Irwin
- Category: Game Recap
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It's funny sometimes what a difference 24 hours can make for a team. After a lackluster performance the night before the Phantoms turned it around to make short work of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders who have given the fits the past three games. It was a much needed win, not just for points in the standings but also for the moral of the team and fans.
Things got of to a fast start. An odd bounce off the back boards had the puck eluding RoughRiders goaltender Bruno Bruveris behind the net. Justin Varner (credited on the score sheet to Chase Pietila) centered the puck to the crease and Shane Lechance managed to shove it in for his first USHL goal at 3:01 of the opening frame. The Phantoms extended the lead to a pair on a powerplay. With Cole Burtch in the box for holding, Kyle Bettens (again, credited to Morgan Winters officially) fed the puck to Jaden Grant alone in the low slot. Grant managed a quick short-side shot as he cut across the top of the crease, beating Bruveris at 14:33. The Phantoms were outshot by the 'Riders 9-8 in the first period.
The teams exchanged goals in the second. The 'Riders David Chen throwing a puck towards the net where it appeared to take a bounce off of Kenta Isogai and and managed to sneak in the side of Kyle Chauvette's net at 3:14. The Phantoms pushed the lead back to 2 goals when, on a rush up ice, Stiven Sardarian hit Ryan Alexander with a pass from the left face off circle to the right. Alexander had to stop and corral the puck to shoot it and whipped a laser to beat Bruveris at 7:31 of the second. Shots were 13-8 Phantoms in the middle frame.
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- Written by Justin Irwin
- Category: Game Recap
- Hits: 535
Well, after a week off and two weeks on the road the Phantoms returned to the Covelli for only their second home game of the season. The first game, way back on October 2nd, was a 8-1 pounding of the NTDP in front of a jubilant crowd. Last night felt like the polar opposite. Coming off of a long stretch away from home, a 4 game losing streak, and a controversial trade, the Phantoms first game back was markedly less energetic and a much smaller crowd and the performance on the ice matched.
The first 40:00 saw the teams exchange goals, not a lot of action. The Phantoms seemed to come out with some energy and ready to play for about the first 5:00 of the opening frame but that quickly faded and the RoughRiders took over most of the rest of the frame. At 7:11 of the first, the 'Riders Adam Flammang ripped a shot off the rush from the top of the right side faceoff circle to the top far corner, beating Owen Bartoszkewicz stick side for a 1-0 riders lead. Shots were 7-4 'Riders.
The Phantoms tied it late in the second. Justin Varner notched his second of the season, tracking down a loose puck and whipping a shot from the left faceoff circle that trickled through 'Riders netminder Connor Hasley at 14:56. Shots were even at 6 a side in the second.
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- Written by Justin Irwin
- Category: Game Recap
- Hits: 597
Home openers are always better when you win. Nothing beats a solid victory in front of the home crowd to kick off the season proper. There is that, then there is clobbering the NTDP U17 squad 8-1 after a 7-4 victory in their barn the night before. I said it all week and I'll say it here, I will give no apologies for bragging about destroying a U17 team. Anyone who knows the Phantoms and USHL knows they've done it to us. For the backstory, Friday night the game was close through most of it, tied at the halfway point until 3 unanswered goals put us over the top.
Whereas Friday nights start was a quick one, the Phantoms taking the lead 20 seconds in and the score hitting 2-1 in under a minute, Saturday nights game seemed a little more of a first meeting with a "feeling out" period. USA had a few moments where they took the play to us but for the most part we dictated the play with speed and physicality, just how you want to play the U17s. The Phantoms found themselves shorthanded after a brief 4-on-4 but the speed of Bayard Hall carrying the puck opened up some room room for Ryan Alexander who ripped a shot from the slot, beating netminder Michael Chambre at 14:01.
A few minutes later, Cole Burtch ended up on a 2-on-1 with Justin Varner, carrying the puck up the left side boards. Burtch looked off the defender and netminder, his eyes squarely looking towards Varner for a pass, and ripped a shot from the faceoff dot far side, glove hand to make it 2-0 at 16:41. Again, he never once looked at the net before unloading the shot. The Phantoms took the 2-0 lead into the intermission with shots also in our favor 15-9.
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