By WJBC Staff
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Phantoms scored twice in the opening period and had a pair of power-play goals, stopping the Bloomington Thunder’s three-game win streak with a 4-1 win on Monday afternoon at the Covelli Centre.
Austin Pooley netted a pair of goals for the Phantoms (19-11-3-1, 42 pts) and had an empty-net tally with 1:19 left in regulation to hold off the Thunder’s comeback bid.
Trailing 3-0 at the outset of the third period, Bloomington (16-12-3-0, 35 pts) struck on a 5-on-3 power play to cut the deficit to two less than halfway through the frame. Wyatt Kalynuk ripped a slap shot from the left point, beating Phantoms goaltender Ivan Kulbakov at the 8:46 mark of the final period. The goal for Kalynuk stretched his career-high point streak to five games. He has points in six of his last seven contests after going seven games without a point.
Bloomington outshot the Phantoms by nine in the game and increased that pressure in the third period, limiting Youngstown to four shots. But despite the edge in shots on goal for the ninth consecutive game, the Thunder had trouble solving Kulbakov, who finished with 27 saves on 28 shots.
In holding the Phantoms to 19 shots on goal for the game, the Thunder set a new season-low for shots against. Coincidentally, the previous low came in a 3-1 win over Youngstown on Nov. 11 when Bloomington allowed just 20 shots on goal.
Mitchell Mattson registered an assist on Kalynuk’s goal, giving him four points in his last three games. After being selected in the 2016 NHL Draft, Mattson has posted 17 points in his first full season in Bloomington.
Logan Halladay finished with 15 saves in his 20th game of the season.
Bloomington continues an eastward road swing with a game against the Team USA under-17 team Saturday in Plymouth, Michigan, before returning home to host Youngstown Sunday.