Staff photo / Brian Yauger Phantoms defenseman Luke Osburn prepares a pass during the first period of Saturday's game.

YOUNGSTOWN — A two-goal night by newest acquisition Kazimier Sobieski and a “wicked” shutout performance from netminder Melvin Strahl helped push the Youngstown Phantoms past Des Moines in a 3-0 victory on Saturday.

“I thought we didn’t give up a whole lot,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “I thought our guys have done a good job without the puck lately, and I thought that power play goal in the third was awesome. It’s been outstanding since we got (Sobieski) and I thought him and (Luke Osburn) were great tonight. I thought our team played pretty tight. We worked, and it was nice to get the win on home ice.”

Acquired by the team on Nov. 19, Sobieski has been a staple on the blueline in the four games since.

Already the defending USHL Defenseman of the Week after his debut weekend, Sobieski sits at 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in four games with Youngstown.

“He doesn’t have any flaws to his game,” Ward said. “He moves pucks. He’s very, very smart. He’s got a good stick, obviously. Offensively, he’s probably ahead of where I thought he was going to be, and defensively, he defends hard. So for us, he’s been great. He’s happy to be here, and you know, we’re certainly glad to have him.”

The blueliner bookended Saturday’s game with goals in the first and third periods.

That middle period goal came from local talent Cal Huston, scoring his first USHL goal, and his first goal on home ice.

“I had a lot of family here tonight, and obviously the boys were pumped for me,” Huston said. “I was a little nervous when it got reviewed, but happy to see that it was a good goal, and surely a moment that I will remember forever.”

Strahl continued his solid 2024-25 campaign with another scoreless outing, his second of the year.

“Melvin’s been really good,” Ward said. “He’s found his poise. He’s kind of unflappable back there. He didn’t have a ton of work, but he made some saves when he had to.”

Strahl’s shutout was pushed in the third period after the Phantoms quickly found themselves on a 5-on-3, but the defense held solid and didn’t allow a goal.

To Huston, that symbolized Phantoms hockey.

“I thought we came out hot those first 5-10 minutes. We were getting pucks on that. After that, we kind of slowed down a little bit and (were) a little bit complacent. Then (Ward) kind of jacked us up, as he always does in the second intermission, and I think we just kept rolling from there,” Huston said. “Then we kind of got into that victory formation with 10 minutes left and killed that big 5-on-3. And that’s just Phantoms hockey.”

This time of year is hectic for the Phantoms. Three key players will be leaving the team for the World Junior A Challenge — Osburn, Jack Hextall, and Ryan Rucinski.

The Phantoms also are getting into the meat of their schedule with a five-game road trip before Christmas where those players will be absent.

The “next man up” mentality is going to be key.

“We’ve broken down our schedule into areas that we feel like we can make some hay in this stretch,” Ward said. “We set a goal for ourselves, and we surpassed that. I think looking ahead to the next month and a half, it’s certainly a gauntlet, and we’re going to be ready for it. We have to come back next week and get ready to work. We kind of control our own destiny here, and I think the guys are starting to be mature enough to understand what’s at stake.”

Youngstown (14-7-0-0, 28 points) hits the road for a two-game set with Muskegon. They return home on Dec. 27 to host the Lumberjacks.