Staff photo / Brian Yauger Youngstown Phantoms defenseman Jason Dobay fires a shot during the team’s game on Saturday at the Covelli Centre against Team USA.

YOUNGSTOWN — After Saturday’s comeback victory over the US National Team Development Program, the Youngstown Phantoms looked to keep the momentum going against the Des Moines Buccaneers, but fell short, 5-2, on Sunday at the Covelli Centre.

Penalties proved to be costly for the Phantoms (8-6-2-0) as they were sent to the box six times, derailing chances they had in the offensive zone.

“It’s disappointing,” Phantoms coach Brad Patterson said. “I thought we had plenty of chances. It’s tough to produce offensively when you’re in the box for extended periods of time. I thought that took away from the flow at the end of the day.”

Just like the night before against Team USA, the Phantoms found themselves in an early deficit, trailing 2-0 after the first period.

The team rallied back in the second with Yusaku Ando scoring his sixth of the year on the power play to get the Phantoms on the board. Five minutes later, Matthew Cassidy knotted the game at two, firing in a goal.

According to Patterson, the players’ battle-back mindset is an asset, as well as a requirement.

“I think that’s ingrained,” he said. “You’re not a part of this program if you’re not willing to battle. I know the guys in there are, and they show it on a nightly basis whether they’re up or down.”

Unlike the Team USA game the night prior, Patterson wasn’t a fan of how the team started out. The Phantoms had chances early, but were unable to connect, unlike the Buccaneers. Going forward, he knows the team’s drive will make some of those chances connect.

“I really liked our start last night. Tonight I thought we were just average,” Patterson said after Sunday’s game. “We didn’t capitalize on our chances and they did. There’s never any quit and I know on a nightly basis guys will chip away when they need to.”

One way to increase the amount of chances they get is by staying out of the penalty box.

“I didn’t think it was a non-disciplined nature of penalties that we had tonight just the hooks, the holds, those are the ones that burn at the end of the day,” Patterson said. “When you’re hard-working and you get a hard, physical penalty, those are generally the ones you’re you’re able to kill because you can feed off of that.”

The penalties committed by the Phantoms were more mental lapses than the hard, physical ones. Minor stick infractions that eventually added up.

“I thought tonight with sticks we were a little bit, I don’t want to say lackadaisical, but just sloppy,” Patterson said. “I guess you can call it undisciplined, but, I think that’s a mental fatigue and that’s something we need to get better at.”

The Phantoms, in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, look to rebound with a two-game homestand against the Sioux Falls Stampede on Friday and Saturday.

To get back on the right track, Patterson doesn’t want to see too much change, just come out and maintain the same effort that won them four out of the six games they’ve had in November.

“I think we just need to reset,” he said. “You can’t win every game in this league and no one will, but you need to be able to show up and compete on a nightly basis. The guys have done that, so I don’t think there’s gonna be any change.”