Blackhawks draft pick Adam Gajan stopped 25 of 26 and earned his 23rd win on Thursday
Mikey DeAngelo scored at the 1:25 mark of the overtime period, and Adam Gajan (CHI) made 25 saves as the Green Bay Gamblers skated to a 2-1 overtime win over the Youngstown Phantoms on Thursday.
With the win, the Gamblers moved into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference with four games left in the regular season.
Green Bay opened the scoring less than six minutes into the game. Youngstown's Charlie Cerrato was called for cross-checking, sending the Gamblers to the power play.
On the ensuing possession, Geno Carcone cleaned up a loose puck in front after Charlie Russell's centering feed was initially blocked. The goal marked Carcone's ninth of the season and third in the last five games.
The game seemed destined to finish with a 1-0 final score. However, the Phantoms sent the extra attacker onto the ice late in regulation and tied the game on Tomas Machu's (NYI) first goal of the season with 48 seconds left.
Green Bay's clearing attempt went right to the tape of defenseman Conner de Haro. He dished the puck over to Machu, who wristed a shot from above the right circle and into the back of the net, sending the Covelli Centre into a frenzy.
However, the excitement would be short-lived after DeAngelo curled in tight and sent a backhander into the net early into the overtime period.
Gamblers netminder Adam Gajan turned aside 25 of 26 shots on goal, and he now has the third-most wins (23) among USHL goaltenders. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick has also won three of his last four outings.
What the win means for Green Bay
Green Bay now occupies the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, who will play the NTDP U18s in a home-and-home series this weekend. Why is this important? The top two seeds in each conference earn a bye week into the Conference Semifinals in the Clark Cup Playoffs.
What the loss means for Youngstown
The Phantoms earned an all-important one point and climbed a full four points ahead of the Madison Capitols. Youngstown currently occupies fourth place in the East. If the playoffs were to start today, the Phantoms and Capitols would play three games at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio.