The fourth trip to the shootout this season for the Youngstown Phantoms (21-16-5-4, 53 points) was as unsuccessful as the last seven: the Phantoms have not won a shootout since October of 2019 and dropped this skills competition in seven rounds to the Green Bay Gamblers 1-0 to allow Green Bay to escape the Covelli Centre with a 4-3 win Sunday evening.

The first six shooters for each side were unsuccessful in the shootout, but finally in the top of the seventh round Dominik Bartecko snapped a wrister to the back of the net to give Green Bay the advantage. Garrett Wright tried to beat Aaron Randazzo (29 saves) under the leg to the right side, but the Gambler netminder flashed his right pad to give Green Bay the bonus point in the standings.

“We thought we were on the verge of maybe capturing that game,” said Phantoms Head Coach Brad Patterson. “Really possessed the puck in overtime. Ultimately doesn’t happen. Goes to a shootout. We practice through those things, the guys that are shooting are the guys who have excelled at practice, but it just didn’t go in the back of the net tonight.”

Youngstown had to score twice in the final three minutes of regulation to even force overtime. With 2:38 left on the third period clock, Shane LaChance registered his second goal of the day, redirecting TJ Schweighardt’s shot past Randazzo to get the Phantoms back within one. Youngstown pulled Jacob Fowler (22 saves) to the bench immediately for the extra attacker as they pushed to tie the game. Green Bay had two good looks at the empty net, but Trey Taylor shut down one at the edge of the crease and another in the neutral zone to preserve the one-goal margin. With time winding inside of ten seconds remaining in regulation, LaChance threw a puck to the net mouth that Jaden Grant fired on net. Randazzo made the save on Grant, but the rebound popped out to Adam Ingram, who fired it to the twine with 6.3 seconds remaining in the third, forcing overtime.

Green Bay had built a 1-0 advantage entering the third period thanks to Cam Lund’s goal 5:57 into the second period and doubled that lead at 1:17 of the final frame when Alex Servagno put home his own rebound. Youngstown trimmed the lead in half at 5:05 on LaChance’s first goal of the game, a redirect of another shot by Schweighardt. Green Bay regained their two-goal cushion just 46 seconds after the first LaChance goal when a shot from Matt DeBoer from the right side hit Fowler in the shoulder, rolled down his arm and into the cage.

The loss snapped Youngstown’s three game winning streak, but they do have points in four straight and put some distance between themselves and the Madison Capitols while gaining ground on the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Phantoms trail Muskegon by three points in the standings for third place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference; Youngstown now leads Madison by the same margin for fourth. Youngstown has three games in hand on Madison and one in hand on Muskegon. The third- and fourth-seed teams receive home-ice in the opening round of the Clark Cup Playoffs, which begin at the end of April. The Phantoms take to the road for a five-game road trip that includes stops in Chicago and Plymouth to take on the U18’s. Youngstown returns to the Covelli Center April 1 for the start of a three-game set against Muskegon.

By the Numbers

Shots – 32

Saves – 25

Power Play – 2/4

Penalty Kill – 2/2

Goals – Ingram, LaChance (2)

Assists – Bettens, Schweighardt (2), Shoudy