YOUNGSTOWN — Malachi McKinnon scored twice, including the winner 2:20 into overtime, as the Youngstown Phantoms rallied past the Waterloo Black Hawks 3-2 on Saturday night at the Covelli Centre, completing the team’s first comeback win of the season after trailing through two periods, according to the Youngstown Phantoms’ official game report.
Waterloo struck first, and it did so quickly. Jordan Geike converted 1:46 into the game on the Black Hawks’ first shot on net, firing to the top shelf after a pass from Sal Viviano, the Phantoms’ report said. Youngstown answered on the power play at 13:33, when Kamden Kaiser tied the game, but the lead lasted only 44 seconds — Colin Dustin’s high tip redirected past goaltender Peter Chlebowski to put Waterloo back in front 2-1, where the score stayed through a scoreless second period.
The comeback ran through the captain. Early in the third period, with Waterloo on a power play, Chlebowski played a dump-in up the near wall, McKinnon chipped the puck past his man and raced in alone, cutting across the net mouth and lifting a backhander past Charlie Menard to tie the game at 4:11 — a shorthanded goal on which Chlebowski earned his first USHL assist. The Waterloo Black Hawks’ official postgame recap confirms the sequence and the scoring line: McKinnon’s shorthanded equalizer at 4:11 of the third, assisted by Chlebowski, and the overtime winner at 2:20, assisted by Thompson.
Youngstown pressed from there, outshooting Waterloo 15-5 in the third period, according to the Phantoms’ report, but neither team scored again in regulation. In overtime, McKinnon carried the puck coast to coast, crossed from the right wing wall to the left, and from below the bottom of the left circle whipped a severe-angle shot over Menard’s short-side shoulder for the 3-2 win. It was McKinnon’s second career overtime game-winning goal; his first gave Youngstown a win over Chicago on December 27, 2025, the team said.
“I thought that was the best full game we played all season,” Phantoms head coach Nathan Paetsch told the Youngstown Phantoms’ official site. “Top to bottom, every single guy, we played a really complete game.” Paetsch also praised his goaltender, telling the team’s official site that Chlebowski “had almost zero chance on both goals against” and “just stepped-up big time” instead of folding.
By the numbers, the win was built on special teams and goaltending at both ends. Youngstown finished with 40 shots, went 1-for-5 on the power play and killed all seven Waterloo power plays, according to the Phantoms’ report — a point the Black Hawks’ own recap underlined, noting Waterloo was denied on seven power-play opportunities and has now gone three straight games without a power-play conversion. Menard stopped 37 of 40 shots in the loss, while Chlebowski stopped 26 of 28 to earn his first USHL win.
The victory lifts Youngstown to 7-9-1-0 with 15 points, and it was the Phantoms’ first win this season in a game they trailed after two periods — a small milestone for a young team learning to close. It also finished a strong home weekend against the same opponent: Youngstown beat Waterloo 6-3 on Friday night at the Covelli Centre, making Saturday’s overtime win a two-game sweep of the Black Hawks.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: the final score, the scoring sequence and the goaltending lines are confirmed by both clubs’ official reports, and McKinnon’s two goals were his seventh and eighth of the season, per Waterloo’s official box score summary. What we’re still waiting on: whether the Phantoms can carry the momentum into the finale of a three-games-in-three-days weekend against the conference leaders, and any roster or injury updates the team releases before puck drop.
What happens next is immediate. Youngstown wraps up its three-in-three weekend with a Sunday matinee against the Eastern Conference-leading Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at the Covelli Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 4:00 p.m., the Phantoms said. Related coverage: Blue Jackets Blow 2-0 Lead, Fall 4-3 to Flyers for Fourth Straight Loss and Johnson Scores in Overtime as Blue Jackets Blank Rangers 1-0 at Nationwide.
Photo: Jbugos, CC BY-SA