Staff photo / Brian Yauger Phantoms forward Evan Jardine scores a goal during the second period of Friday’s game at Covelli Centre in Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — An explosion of scoring in the last two periods, guided by a record-setting performance from Malachi McKinnon, propelled the Youngstown Phantoms to an 12-1 victory on Friday over the US National Team Development Program U17s.

“There’s not a whole lot to say,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “I thought our guys played really well. A lot of space, made some plays, executed when we had to. (Tobias Trejbal) was good when he had to be. Top to bottom, it’s a good game for us. Good win.”

Sean Miller got the Phantoms on the board in the first, scoring his second goal of the season.

It was the lone goal of an opening period which saw the Phantoms put 22 shots on net.

But it didn’t take long for those shots on goal to start finding the back of the net.

Youngstown’s 1-0 advantage at the intermission grew to 4-0 in the blink of an eye, with a trio of goals scored within 40 seconds of each other.

Evan Jardine and McKinnon assisted on each other’s goals scored just nine seconds apart. Soon after, defenseman Jack Willson joined the party with his eighth goal of the year.

McKinnon racked up another assist on Willson’s goal. Through two periods, the Minnesota native had five points, including an additional goal scored near the halfway point of the period. It’s the first five-point night by a Phantoms player since Jan. 27, 2018, where Matt Berry recorded one goal and four assists against Dubuque. His goal later on in the third period set a club record six points in one game.

“Malachi has been doing all the little things right. Even through the middle of the rink, his angling, his stick detail being on the right side of pucks, his competitiveness, he’s been coming for a little bit,” Ward said. “It’s good to see him have success, especially with his production. He’s been doing all the little things, and I think when you do that, you get rewarded. In hockey, there’s only so many places the puck can go, and I think Malachi has been doing a really good job.”

Taking advantage of a four-minute power play after a double-minor penalty, the Phantoms continued their second period push with another goal. This time Jack Hextall set up forward Ryan Rucinski with an easy tap-in.

That marked the captain’s 100th career point in a Phantoms uniform.

“He’s obviously one of the most complete players in our league,” Ward said. “You see how heavy he is on his stick, his skating has gotten exponentially better, he can play in every situation, he’s smart, he’s doing a wonderful job as the captain, so to see him get that milestone is awesome for him.

“You root for a kid like that, right? He’s a local kid. He worked his way into being an NHL draft pick, and those guys that have to work for it like, ultimately, it means a little more for them.”

Not satisfied with a single goal with the extra man, however, Cooper Simpson tacked on another, capping off the six-goal frame.

The third period started just like the second, with the Phantoms finding the back of the net. Simpson earned his second of the night, beating out netminder Eli Winters. Two minutes later, Miller got his second of the night.

Less than five minutes into the third period, the Phantoms reached double-figures on the scoresheet. Defenseman Carter Murphy was left uncovered and made Team USA pay the price.

The U17s responded at the midway point of the final frame, with forward Finnegan Sears breaking the shutout.

Less than a minute after McKinnon’s milestone-setting goal, Jardine added another goal of his own to cap the game off. The Phantoms finished the game with 47 shots on goal.

The Eastern Conference-leading Phantoms (28-8-2-1, 57 points) are back at it tonight against the U17s. Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m. at the Covelli Centre.