Friday's box score

KEARNEY, Neb. – Four unanswered tallies from four different goal scorers powered the Youngstown Phantoms to a 4-1 win over the Tri-City Storm on Friday night at Viaero Center. 

Youngstown (35-18-1, 71 pts) has won ten of its last 13 games. Tri-City (25-25-4, 54 pts) has dropped eight straight against Eastern Conference opponents. 

The Storm were first to find the scoreboard. Rylan Bonkowski collected his fifth goal of the season at the 13:01 mark of the opening frame. The Minnesota State commit skated the puck through neutral ice and into Youngstown's zone. As he crossed the Phantom blue line, Bonkowski cut to the top of the right wing circle where he ripped a snapshot around the blocker of Youngstown goaltender Melvin Strahl.

The Phantoms answered with a pair of second period goals, both of which took place during 4-on-4 situations, and took a 2-1 lead after forty minutes. 

Ryan Rucinski evened the game 11:37 into the second. The Ohio State commit received a crisp centering pass from Conner de Haro on the left wing, then immediately fired a high blocker-side snapshot past Tri-City goaltender Michal Pradel. Rucinski was open at the rim of the right wing faceoff circle, which is where he belted the shot. 

Luke Osburn put the Phantoms ahead less than four minutes later. The Buffalo Sabres draft pick (4th round, 2024) sent a snapshot toward Pradel as he drove the puck through the right wing circle of the Tri-City zone. The shot bounced off the blocker of Pradel, then left shoulder of Storm defenseman Landon Fandel, and into the Tri-City net. It was Osburn's eighth goal of the season. 

Youngstown added two more in the third to complete their string of four unanswered. 

After a Kade Stengrim shot from the Tri-City blue line was halted by Pradel, a rebound came directly to the Phantoms' Jakub Heš. The Omaha commit quickly finished at the 9:53 mark of the period from the left side of Tri-City's crease. Heš picked up his ninth goal of the season and second in three games. 

Down 3-1 with approximately 2:30 left in regulation, the Storm pulled Pradel for an extra attacker. 

Youngstown quickly found the empty net. Landan Resendes emerged in a 2-on-1 rush with Brecken Smith. Resendes fed Smith in the middle of the Storm zone. The Jackson, Michigan native placed the puck into the empty cage with 2:10 to go. 

Strahl collected his league-leading 29th win of the season after halting 32 of 33 Tri-City shots. Pradel stopped 29 of 32 Youngstown attempts in the game. 

Up next: Tri-City closes its two-game set with Youngstown tomorrow night. Puckdrop inside Viaero Center is scheduled for 6:05 pm CT. 

Tomorrow, the Storm host Epilepsy Awareness Night presented by The Epilepsy Foundation - Great Plains Region. The foundation's mission is to improve the lives of people with the disease through education, advocacy, research, and connection. Storm players and Stormy will wear special Epilepsy-themed uniforms that will be auctioned off live on the ice after the game. Proceeds will benefit The Epilepsy Foundation - Great Plains Region. 

Saturday is also Non-Profit Night at Viaero Center. Numerous local non-profits will be in attendance to inform fans of their purpose and how to get involved. 

To purchase tickets, visit stormhockey.com, call the Storm at 308-338-8144, or stop by the Viaero Center box office in-person.