It was Team USA which got the better bounces however, as they walked out of the Covelli Centre with a 5-2 victory over the Phantoms.

“I think there’s a stretch of that game that we like,” Phantoms coach Brad Patterson said. “Obviously our secondary scoring, a big chunk of it, had to watch the game from the stands tonight, but at the end of the day you put yourselves into situations that you’re trying to get success out of.

“I think we’re a bounce away when that game’s 2-1, 2-2 and, obviously, don’t capitalize and then we’re talking about it after the game.”

The initial bad bounce came from Team USA’s Ryan St. Louis, son of Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, who got the NTDP on the board first, putting a shot past Phantoms goaltender Mattias Sholl a little over halfway into the first period.

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Phantoms winger Will Hillman moves into position to try and cut off a Team USA pass.

Youngstown played Team USA shot-for-shot in the first, only being outshot by two, and held pace with them.

Matching the NTDP’s energy paid off early in the second period as Bennett Zmolek got the Phantoms on the scoresheet with a redirected shot from Ben Schoen. Schoen’s shot got lost in the netfront scrum and trickled past Team USA goaltender Gibson Homer after bouncing off Zmolek, knotting the game up at one apiece.

The Phantoms then broke that tie to go up 2-1 with a snipe from Schoen from the right faceoff dot, six minutes after the first goal.

That lead didn’t last long however, as not even a full minute later, NTDP defenseman Ty Gallagher beat Sholl to re-tie the game and two minutes later Team USA took the lead after Aidan Hreschuk’s goal.

With two minutes remaining and the Phantoms looking for a goal to send it to overtime, it was the NTDP who got the bounce they needed. Red Savage dealt the decisive blow, scoring his third goal of the year to put Team USA up 4-2.

Putting the icing on the cake for Team USA was defenseman Luke Hughes who scored the empty-netter to make it 5-2. Hughes, a Michigan commit, is projected to be a top five pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The Phantoms, who have had pacing issues in the month of December, look to have started 2021 on the right foot, playing a quicker and tighter game. To Patterson, a better pace comes down to the work done during the week.

“We talk about that all the time,” Patterson said. “Part of pace is predicated by your practice week. Although we’re missing seven or eight guys, we had a really good chunk to practice with this week. To be able to do those things isn’t just about X’s and O’s or systematic stuff, it’s about having bodies on the ice and being able to execute reps of different things.”

Sunday’s game marks the first game this season with an official captain, as the Phantoms named forward Reilly Funk captain last week. Having strong leadership this season is as important as ever and, to Patterson, Funk fits the bill on and off the ice.

“You need a group of guys that’s going to lead not only on the ice and, more importantly this year, off the ice, from a standpoint of there’s so many external factors that have influenced not only us, but the world in general,” Patterson said. “Those guys really shine through, so they’ll continue to wear letters for us.”

The Phantoms are back at it again this weekend with a back-to-back-to-back, hosting Dubuque on Friday and Saturday and then welcoming Chicago on Sunday. Puck drop Friday is set for 7:05.