Defenseman Anthony Bitetto turned in his second five-point game of the season against the Youngstown Phantoms, helping lift the Indiana Ice to a convincing 11-1 home win at Pan Am Plaza Wednesday night.
Bitetto netted a first-period power-play marker and also contributed four helpers at the downtown Indianapolis venue. The second-year USHLer scored two goals and three assists in Youngstown Feb. 3 in the Ice’s 5-1 win on Hockey for Health School Day.
Despite scoring the first goal for the second straight game, the Phantoms (15-27-2, 32 points) were stifled by the defending USHL champion Ice in Curtis Carr’s first game as Head Coach. Indiana claimed four out of five games in the season series with the Phantoms.
Indiana (26-15-2, 54 points), which improved to 5-0-0 in the month of February, got two goals each from Nic Dowd, who also added an assist, and top sniper Antti Roppo in its largest offensive output of the season. The Phantoms’ previous high for goals surrendered had been set in a 9-3 loss in Ann Arbor, Mich., against Team USA Dec. 19.
Youngstown blueliner Scott Mayfield wired a long wrister past Ice netminder Cab Morris to put the visitors on top a little more than six minutes into the contest; Jefferson Dahl and Adam Berkle picked up the assists.
The early lead would only survive 40 seconds, as Roppo’s 21st of the season from the left circle against Phantoms goalie Jordan Tibbett tied the score. Bitetto stuffed in a power-play set up from Alex Wideman to give the Ice their first lead at the first intermission with 3:12 left in the frame.
Indiana netminder Morris made 19 saves for his 17th win, but more memorable were his two assists on back-to-back power-play goals to begin the second. Morris earned his first two points of the season on Dowd’s breakaway tally (1:57) and Nick Bailen’s center-ice shot that sneaked through at 6:02 to raise the home advantage to 4-1; Bitetto registered the primary assists on both.
Dowd’s second goal came at 8:56 from the left dot, then Max Cook raised it to a five-goal margin from close range less than two minutes later to chase Tibbett in favor of Matt Mahalak in the Phantoms’ cage. Alex Kuqali’s first of the season squeaked by Mahalak with 12 seconds left in the period, giving Indiana five in the frame and a 7-1 bulge.
Bryon Paulazzo cashed in on the man advantage at 3:30, as did John Parker at 8:37 from the left side of the crease during a Phantoms penalty, raising the Ice to 5-for-6 on the power play for the night. Roppo and David Johnstone tacked on even-strength tallies to close the scoring.
Youngstown heads home for a date with the West Division-leading Omaha Lancers Friday night at Covelli Centre. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m. on American Heart Association Night!
Courtesy: Youngstown Phantoms
