Staff Photo/Brian Jauger Phantoms defenseman Luke Osburn prepares for a pass during the first period of Saturday’s game.
YOUNGTOWN — with newest acquisition Kazimier Sobieski “evil” Netminder Melvin Strahl’s shutout performance led the Youngstown Phantoms to a 3-0 win over Des Moines on Saturday.
“I thought I hadn’t given up yet.” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “I thought our guys have been doing a good job without the puck lately, and I thought the goal on the third power play was great. Since we got (Sobieski), it’s been great. I thought he and (Luke Osburn) were great tonight. I thought our team played pretty tight. We worked hard and it was nice to get the win on home ice.”
Sobieski was acquired by the team on Nov. 19 and has been a mainstay in four games since then.
Already named USHL Defenseman of the Week in his debut weekend, Sobieski has seven points (four goals, three assists) in four games against Youngstown.
“There’s no flaw in his game.” Ward said. “He moves the puck. He’s very, very smart. He obviously has a good stick. Offensively, he’s probably better than I expected him to be, and defensively, he’s very, very smart. He defends hard. So for us, he’s been great. He’s happy to be here and we’re really happy to have him.”
The blueliner finished off Saturday’s game with goals in the first and third periods.
The midfielder’s goal came from local talent Cal Houston, who scored his first USHL goal and first goal on home ice.
“We had a lot of families here tonight and obviously the kids were excited for me.” Houston said. “I was a little nervous when I was judged, but I was happy to know it was a good goal. It was definitely a moment I will remember forever.”
Strahl continued his strong form in the 2024-25 season, recording his second clean sheet of the year.
“Melvin was really good.” Ward said. “He’s found his composure. He’s the type of guy who doesn’t move out there. He didn’t have a lot of work to do, but he made some saves when he needed to.”
After the Phantoms quickly got down to 5-3, Strahl came close to getting a shutout in the third period, but the defense was strong and did not allow a goal.
For Houston, it was emblematic of Phantoms hockey.
“For the first five or 10 minutes, I thought we got hot. We were winning the puck with it. Then we slowed down a little bit and were a little complacent. Then (Ward I think they jacked us up like they always do on the second break and we just kept rolling from there.” Houston said. “Then we got into the winning position with 10 minutes left and made that big 5-on-3. And that’s just Phantoms hockey.”
This is a busy time for Phantom. Three key players will be leaving the team for the World Junior A Challenge: Osburn, Jack Hextall and Ryan Rucinski.
The Phantoms are also sketching out their schedule for a five-game road trip before Christmas that these players will miss.
of “Next guy.” Mentality will be the key.
“We have divided our schedule into areas where we think we can make some progress during this period.” Ward said. “We set a goal for ourselves and we exceeded it. Looking ahead to the next month and a half, it’s certainly a challenge and we’re prepared for it. We’ll be back next week and back to work. We have to be ready for this. We have some control over our destiny here and I think the players are starting to mature enough to understand what’s at stake. ”
Youngstown (14-7-0, 28 points) begins a two-game set against Muskegon. They return home on December 27th to take on the Lumberjacks.
