USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantom Philes: Three More Commitments For Youngstown

Published on February 22, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - These are the Phantom Philes, a weekly comprehensive look at Youngstown's very own stop on the road to the National Hockey League.

While the goal of every United States Hockey League player is to claim a Clark Cup championship, a key part of the league's mission statement is assisting its players in securing college commitments.

This month, the USHL reached a new milestone in its education-oriented goals as Tyler Pistone of the Tri-City Storm committed to the United States Military Academy, pushing the total of current league players with college offers to 200 for the first time ever.

In addition, three Youngstown Phantoms joined the commitment parade in recent days, with Taylor Holstrom (Mercyhurst College), Brett Gensler (Bentley University) and Andrej Sustr (University of Nebraska-Omaha) establishing verbal agreements to play hockey at the NCAA Division I level.

Holstrom ranks second on the Phantoms with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) after racking up 19 for the Omaha Lancers last season. The southern California native will skate in the Atlantic Hockey conference for head coach Rick Gotkin, who has led Mercyhurst to six NCAA postseason appearances in his 22 seasons behind the Lakers' bench in Erie, Pa.

Fellow Phantoms forward Gensler (13 goals, 14 assists) will join his friend Holstrom in Atlantic Hockey next fall, donning the blue and gold of the Bentley University Falcons. Located in Waltham, Mass., just a few miles west of Boston, Bentley employs reigning Atlantic Hockey coach of the year Ryan Soderquist, who received the honor after leading the Falcons to a 10-win improvement last season.

6-foot-6 Czech defenseman Sustr rounds out Youngstown's newly college-bound trio. The Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks currently dress 20 USHL alumni, the most in NCAA hockey. Dean Blais is in his first year as UNO's bench boss and recently coached Team USA to a gold medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships; he also served as head coach and general manager of the USHL's Fargo Force from 2007 until last spring's run to the Clark Cup Final.

The addition of Holstrom, Gensler and Sustr to the Phantoms' college commitment list brings the total to nine. Scott Mayfield (University of Denver), Dave Donnellan (Western Michigan University), Luke Eibler (Northeastern University), Cody Strang (University of Wisconsin), Jefferson Dahl (University of Wisconsin) and Stuart Higgins (University of Maine) had previously reached deals to further their educations.

PHANTOMS GAMES THIS WEEK...

Friday, February 26 at 8:05 p.m. @ CEDAR RAPIDS

Saturday, February 27 at 8:05 p.m. @ WATERLOO

Sunday, February 28 at 4:05 p.m. @ GREEN BAY

FOLLOW THE PHANTOMS ALL SEASON LONG!

Listen to Voice of the PhantomsMatt Gajtka describe exciting Phantoms hockey on Youngstown's ESPN 1240. Broadcasts begin approximately 15 minutes prior to opening faceoff. Phantoms fans outside the listening area can log onto www.wbbw.com and use ESPN 1240's streaming audio player, so there's no need to miss a second of the action.

"Phantoms Phever" is an hour-long weekly talk show that brings you an inside look at your Youngstown Phantoms. Gajtka sets up shop Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Jeremiah Bullfrog's Sports Bar & Grille on US Route 224 in Boardman, chatting with coaches, players and front office staff about northeast Ohio's most exciting team and the great sport of hockey. Catch "Phantoms Phever" on Youngstown's ESPN Radio 1240 AM and online at www.wbbw.com.

Also, make "Youngstown Phantoms" your friend on Facebook and follow "ytownphantoms" on Twitter to stay plugged into the Phantoms 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

RADIO REPLAYS, PRESS BOX OPINIONS AND MUCH MORE...

Relive heart-pounding Phantoms action on demand! Listen to all the best goal calls from the past week's worth of games and get Gajtka's take on Youngstown's inaugural season in the USHL at the onlineVoice of the Phantoms blog at www.youngstownphantoms.com.

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Wednesday, February 17: INDIANA 11, YOUNGSTOWN 1

INDIANAPOLIS - Defenseman Anthony Bitetto turned in his second five-point game of the season against the Youngstown Phantoms, helping lift the Indiana Ice to a convincing 11-1 home win at Pan Am Plaza Wednesday night.

Bitetto netted a first-period power-play marker and also contributed four helpers at the downtown Indianapolis venue. The second-year USHLer scored two goals and three assists in Youngstown Feb. 3 in the Ice's 5-1 win on Hockey for Health School Day.

Despite scoring the first goal for the second straight game, the Phantoms (15-27-2, 32 points) were stifled by the defending USHL champion Ice in Curtis Carr's first game as Head Coach. Indiana claimed four out of five games in the season series with the Phantoms.

Indiana (26-15-2, 54 points), which improved to 5-0-0 in the month of February, got two goals each from Nic Dowd, who also added an assist, and top sniper Antti Roppo in its largest offensive output of the season. The Phantoms' previous high for goals surrendered had been set in a 9-3 loss in Ann Arbor, Mich., against Team USA Dec. 19.

Youngstown blueliner Scott Mayfield wired a long wrister past Ice netminder Cab Morris to put the visitors on top a little more than six minutes into the contest; Jefferson Dahl and Adam Berkle picked up the assists.

The early lead would only survive 40 seconds, as Roppo's 21st of the season from the left circle against Phantoms goalie Jordan Tibbett tied the score. Bitetto stuffed in a power-play set up from Alex Wideman to give the Ice their first lead with 3:12 left in the frame.

Indiana netminder Morris made 14 saves for his 17th win, but more memorable were his two assists on back-to-back power-play goals to begin the second. Morris earned his first two points of the season on Dowd's breakaway tally (1:57) and Nick Bailen's center-ice shot that sneaked through at 6:02 to raise the home advantage to 4-1; Bitetto registered the primary assists on both.

Dowd's second goal came at 8:56 from the left dot, then Max Cook raised it to a five-goal margin from close range less than two minutes later to chase Tibbett in favor of Matt Mahalak in the Phantoms' cage. Alex Kuqali's first of the season squeaked by Mahalak with 12 seconds left in the period, giving Indiana five in the frame and a 7-1 bulge.

Bryon Paulazzo cashed in on the man advantage at 3:30, as did John Parker at 8:37 from the left side of the crease during a Phantoms penalty, raising the Ice to 5-for-6 on the power play for the night. Roppo and David Johnstone tacked on even-strength tallies to close the scoring.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1048875 for full box score.

Friday, February 19: OMAHA 4, YOUNGSTOWN 1

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A pair of unfavorable bounces in the second period put the Youngstown Phantoms down, and then two third-period goals by visiting Omaha put them out Friday night at Covelli Centre in the Lancers' 4-1 road win.

With the score 1-0 Omaha, Youngstown's Jiri Sekac appeared to tie the game with 9:20 gone in the middle frame, poking a loose puck into Lancers goalie Jeff Teglia's paraphernalia and seemingly over the goal line. After a long deliberation, the apparent tally was waved off by the officials.

About six minutes later, Omaha's Dakota Eveland gathered a bouncing puck and turned it into a breakaway from 70 feet. Eveland beat Phantoms netminder Jordan Tibbett with a backhand deke to put the Lancers up 2-0 and turn the tables on the home side.

After Dylan Margonari converted Brett Gensler's centering pass for his first USHL goal in his eighth game at 8:18 of the third, Tom Craig and Seth Ambroz put the game on ice with even-strength markers less than five minutes apart, sending the Lancers (31-12-3, 65 points) to their second win in five days over the Phantoms and boosting their lead in the West Division to four points over second-place Fargo.

Youngstown (15-28-2, 32 points) fell at home for the sixth time in a row dating back to a 7-3 win over Team USA Jan. 18. The Phantoms, who dropped a 6-1 decision at Omaha last Sunday, generated just one goal for the eighth time in their last 10 games despite controlling the play for long periods of time throughout the contest.

Two of the top scorers in the USHL hooked up for the first score of the game, as Erik Haula (third in the league with 61 points) found Matt White (second with 69) from above the left dot at 18:16 of the opening frame. White drove a slap shot through traffic and inside the right post for his 26th goal.

Eveland's second-period breakaway goal materialized in a hurry, with Ambroz hoisting a clear into the atmosphere that bounced directly to Eveland's stick as he streaked through the neutral zone. In the decisive third, Craig's insurance goal came off an offensive zone faceoff just 61 seconds after Margonari struck from the top of the crease to cut the lead in half.

Eveland returned Ambroz's earlier favor with a set-up of his own with 6:03 remaining in the game to increase the Omaha lead to 4-1. Ambroz, who had two goals and an assist against the Phantoms in the teams' previous meeting, one-timed Eveland's pass high into the Youngstown net from inside the left circle.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1048902 for full box score.

Saturday, February 20: OMAHA 3, YOUNGSTOWN 1

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Despite another solid effort by the Youngstown Phantoms against the best of the West Division, the visiting Omaha Lancers made the most of their limited chances and held on for a 3-1 win Saturday night and a weekend sweep at Covelli Centre.

Brett Gensler cashed in his 13th in the first period to stake Youngstown (15-29-2, 32 points) to an early lead for the third time in five games, but a three-goal second-period burst by the Lancers closed out the scoring. The Phantoms, who have dropped seven straight at home, now take to the highway for a season-high five-game road swing.

The Lancers (32-12-3, 67 points), playing their third consecutive game against the Phantoms in an odd scheduling quirk, have now claimed the first three of the interdivision season series. The two sides will lock horns for the fourth and final time in Omaha Mar. 19.

For the second night in a row, the Phantoms hung with Omaha every step of the way. Gensler's icebreaking tally came after Cody Strang tried to pass to Ben Paulides in front but was denied. The puck deflected back to Gensler, and the future Bentley University Falcon rifled it over Jeff Teglia's glove hand at 10:35.

The home side got into penalty trouble to begin the second, and Camden Wojtala chipped in a power-play rebound to tie the score 80 seconds in. Youngstown goalie Matt Mahalak made a sensational stop on C.J. Ludwig to deny a bang-bang play, but Wojtala was at the right post to clean up the trash.

The Phantoms pressed back, getting numerous opportunities to jump back on top, but Teglia was flawless for the rest of the contest, making 27 saves in all. Tom Craig then continued the Omaha surge, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Stefan Demopolous with 2:40 left in the second to give the Lancers their first lead; Craig has scored in all three games vs. Youngstown over the past week.

Seth Ambroz, another Phantoms killer, deposited Omaha's third goal with just 12 seconds showing on the second-period clock. Following Greg Wolfe's blocked shot, the puck somehow fluttered off the end boards and off a body right to Ambroz, who flipped his fourth goal and sixth point against the Purple and Orange into an open net.

The third stanza was uneventful, with Teglia denying Taylor Holstrom's semi-breakaway chance early to keep the score 3-1, then watching as his teammates kept the Phantoms on the perimeter for most of the period.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1048971 for full box score.

Check out the Youngstown Phantoms Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from February 22, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central