The 5-11 forward took a cross-zone pass from Jack Devine (Glencoe, Ill.) and beat Youngstown goaltender Kyle Chauvette five-hole for his program-leading 52nd point of the season.

Despite handily outshooting the Phantoms in the second period, the U.S. could not find the equalizer and settled for a 2-1 ledger at the end of 40 minutes. 

The U.S. had another quick start to begin the final period of play, and Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) notched his second goal of the weekend with a shorthanded tally. Gauthier collected a clear fed the puck to Rutger McGroarty (Lincoln, Neb.) in the Phantoms zone before firing the return pass past Chuavette to even the game at 2-2. The goal marked the team's eighth shorthanded tally of the season. 

Gauthier provided the game-tying heroics once again at the 11:51 mark of the period, firing a laser past Chauvette off a clean faceoff win and quick pass from Cole Spicer (Grand Forks, N.D.) to make it a 3-3 game.

Moments later, Spicer tipped a shot from Jimmy Snuggerud (Chaska, Minn.) past Chauvette to give the U.S. its first lead of the night, but the Phantoms scored a pair of back-to-back tallies to retake a 5-4 advantage. 

The U.S. pulled goaltender Cameron Korpi (South Lyon, Mich.) for an extra attacker in the final moments of play, but Youngstown netted the empty-netter to put the game out of reach. 

Korpi ended the night with 23 stops for the U.S.

The U17s return to action next week when they hit the road for a Thursday-Friday series in Dubuque and a Saturday contest against Green Bay. All three games are set for 8:05 p.m. ET starts.