Youngstown Phantoms' Colin DeAugustine makes incredible stick save, extending USHL record win streak

When a team has won a record 17 games in a row like the Youngstown Phantoms have in the United States league, it needs to have made its own breaks in improbable fashion at various points.

Such was the case during win No. 15 of the Phantoms' skein last Friday, when 19-year-old goalie Colin DeAugustine made a phenomenal diving stick save late in the third period of a tied game on the road to deny the Waterloo Black Hawks of a potential winning goal. Waterloo's Brandon Smith made a great play to earn a rebound opportunity, making his break to the net and kicking the puck up to his stick after DeAugustine stopped the first shot. Yet DeAugustine laid out and made the stop. Off their ensuing counter-attack, the Phantoms buried the game-winner.

The multiple angles illustrate what a great save DeAugustine made. The native of Burgettsville, Pa., is not yet committed to a college hockey program.

DeAugustine has a 2.77 average and .907 save percentage for the league-leading Phantoms while sharing the crease with 18-year-old Boston College recruit Chris Birdsall (who nailed down Consecutive Win No. 16 by shutting out Waterloo 4-0 last Saturday). Presumably both goalies are being put to the test almost every night, since when a team is on a long win streak, every opponent is extra-motivated to be the one who ends it.

Youngstown's win streak is the longest in the USHL since it was classified as a Tier 1 junior league in 2002.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.