DUBUQUE, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (22-9-0-0, 44 pts) erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to come back and win 4-3 in a shootout over the Youngstown Phantoms (17-12-0-1, 35 pts) on Friday night.
Facing a second deficit of the night, the Saints pulled goaltender Liam Beerman in the final minutes for an extra skater looking for a tying goal. When Matthew Desiderio fed a puck to the front of the net, and it bounced into a maze of players, Josh Giuliani found the loose puck and bashed in his second of the game to tie the game at three with 1:14 left in regulation.
Giuliani scored his 12th of the season on the rebound and helped force overtime for the Saints. His first goal came at the tail end of a major power-play for the Saints around the midway point in regulation. Giuliani's power-play tally came from Lucas Van Vliet and Edison Engle and brought the Saints within a goal after going behind 2-0 after one period.
Later in the second, Michael Barron rushed up ice and found Colin Frank streaking into the zone. Frank fed Kristian Kostadinski on the back post, who redirected his second goal of the season and tied the game for Dubuque with 2:38 left in the frame.
Just 25 seconds later, though, the Saints took a penalty and allowed the second Phantoms power-play goal of the game 1:17 after Kostadinski tied it.
The game remained 3-2 Youngstown until Giuliani's tying goal with 1:14 left. Liam Beerman kept Dubuque in striking distance after the Saints fell behind 2-0, facing double-digit shots in all three periods.
With a few chances throughout overtime, both goaltenders stopped them and the game headed to a shootout.
Beerman opened the shootout with a blocker-save on Adam Benák, who had been perfect on two shootout-attempts this season entering the game. After Lucas Van Vliet scored on his chance and Beerman stopped Landon Resendes, Barron had a chance to seal a win.
Barron's backhand shot went past Owen Lepak and under the bar to win the contest for Dubuque and keep the Saints in first place in the Eastern Conference.
Dubuque will put a four-game win streak on the line on Sunday afternoon when they travel to face the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
