YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Jack Murtagh (East Greenbush, N.Y.) tallied two points and Cullen Potter (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored his first goal in USHL play, but the U.S. National Under-17 Team fell, 5-4, to the Youngstown Phantoms tonight at the Covelli Centre.

A shorthanded tally from Youngstown's Brecken Smith tied the game, then Andrew Strathmann made things 2-1 with 4:35 left in the opening stanza.

Potter evened the score 57 seconds later. He grabbed a clearing attempt at center ice off a Youngstown change, came zooming into the offensive zone and rifled a wrister from the left circle.

Sam Ranallo restored the Phantoms' one-goal advantage 2:59 into the second period, then Daniel Jencko added a fourth with a one-timer on the power play.

Will Moore (Ithaca, N.Y.) brought the U.S. within one 7:31 into the final frame, banging a rebound into a half-empty cage off an initial chance from Garrett Lindberg (Moorhead, Minn.), who was set up by Landon Hafele (Fairbanks, Alaska).

Youngstown was quick to respond with a Jencko redirection 1:29 later to make it a 5-3 game.

Conrad Fondrk (White Bear Lake, Minn.) found an answer with 4:27 to play, beating Phantoms netminder Owen Bartoszkiewicz with a one-timer from the right circle off a Murtagh feed, but the U17s were unable to complete the comeback and fell by a 5-4 count.

The U17s are back in action Sunday, Dec. 3 as they head west to Fox Valley Ice Arena to take on the Chicago Steel. Puck drop is set for 4:05 p.m. and the game can be streamed live on FloHockey.