USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantom Philes: Final Week Success Provides Spark

Published on April 6, 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 stop on the road to the National Hockey League.

With a 2-1-0 record in the final week of the regular season, the Youngstown Phantoms produced several more pleasant memories from their first go-around in the United States Hockey League.

But the real accomplishment might have been the rekindling of hope for the team's sophomore effort on the Tier I circuit, as much of the successful week was carried by players eligible to return to Youngstown in the fall.

Start with last Wednesday's 9-3 defeat of the Steel in Chicago, the one that swept the five-game season series and gave the Phantoms their 10th win on the road. USHL rookies Cody Strang and Nick Czinder each scored two goals at the Edge Ice Arena as Youngstown registered its biggest offensive output of the season.

First-year defenseman Scott Mayfield also contributed mightily in the blowout win, netting the eventual game-winning goal early in the second period and adding a pair of assists for his first three-point night in the USHL.

The 6-foot-4 St. Louis product wasn't done, though. Mayfield added three more points Friday night in Youngstown in the Phantoms' 4-1 triumph over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. His first-period slapper tied the game 1-1, then the rangy blueliner earned back-to-back assists in the middle frame as the Purple and Orange piled on for two shorthanded goals in less than a minute to finish off the playoff-bound visitors.

Speaking of shorthanded goals, the Phantoms earned a share of the league crown in that category with an irrepressible last-week push. Through 57 games, Youngstown had scored 12 times while down a man, a respectable total that placed it in the top half of the 14-team USHL. But with two against Chicago and two more in Friday's game, the Phantoms finished with 16, tied with Cedar Rapids for the most shorthanded strikes in the league.

Adam Berkle had the first of Youngstown's "shorties" Friday night to give him two goals in the game and 17 on the season, tying third-year veteran Tom Serratore for the team lead. The Philadelphia-area forward was named next season's captain by Head Coach/GM Curtis Carr later that evening at the team banquet.

Seventeen-year-old goaltender Matt Mahalak stopped 23 of 24 RoughRiders shots Friday night to pick up the win, but the Michigan native stopped the show with a fight against netminding counterpart Cody Campbell at the conclusion of the second period. After Mahalak was booted from the game for his bout, Jordan Tibbett took over, turning away all 19 shots in the third to earn hockey's version of baseball's "save."

Tibbett also started Saturday night and was strong again with Mahalak serving a suspension, making 40 saves in the 4-1 season-ending loss. Although Tibbett just completed his third season in Youngstown, he is still eligible to return for one last kick at the can; the Indianapolis product was in net for 11 of Youngstown's 20 victories this season.

The Phantoms' final record of 20-36-4 was on par with the results of most modern-era USHL expansion teams, with the exception of last year's Fargo club. (The Force got within two wins of the Clark Cup with the benefit of the framework set by the now-defunct Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets.) Although the Purple and Orange finished seventh in the East, Youngstown finished ahead of defending West Division-champion Lincoln in the overall standings 44 points to 40.

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Wednesday, March 31: YOUNGSTOWN 9, CHICAGO 3

BENSENVILLE, Ill. - They'll always have Chicago.

The Youngstown Phantoms swept their five-game season series with the Chicago Steel in resounding fashion Wednesday night, getting two goals each from Cody Strang and Nick Czinder in trouncing the home side 9-3 at the Edge Ice Arena.

The Purple and Orange scored 30 goals combined in grabbing a handful of wins against their East Division rivals, an average of six per game. But the Phantoms (19-35-4, 42 points) reached new heights to start the final week of the season, topping their previous best of seven goals, last reached Jan. 18 vs. Team USA.

The romp was just another highlight enjoyed at Chicago's expense in the Phantoms' inaugural USHL campaign. In addition to the franchise earning its first preseason win in Bensenville Sept. 11, Youngstown's only two successful third-period comebacks on the season came against the Steel.

No rally was needed Wednesday, as Strang helped set the tone right from the start, burying the rebound of Dylan Margonari's wrister 41 seconds into the game. Ty Loney added on later in the frame by tipping Scott Mayfield's point shot through Chicago goalie Connor Wilson, who endured the definition of a tough night in losing his third decision of the season to Youngstown.

Tom Serratore grabbed the Phantoms' goal-scoring lead with a persistent finish above the crease with 1:57 left before the first intermission; the third-year USHLer now has 17 red lights to pull one ahead of Jefferson Dahl, who earned an assist on the play, and Brett Gensler.

Danny Mattson one-timed the disc behind Jordan Tibbett to draw the Steel (23-29-6, 52 points) within 3-1 after 20 minutes, but the Phantoms delivered the knockout blow with a five-goal second period, tying a season-high set Jan. 18.

After Mayfield's 45-footer sneaked past Wilson and Adam Berkle finished a sterling individual play with his 14th goal in the opening moments of the second, the rout was brewing.

Strang's second of the night might have finished the job with Youngstown shorthanded, as he darted through two defensemen before deking Wilson to the ice and authoring a backhand finish - the candidate for goal of the year came with the Phantoms shorthanded, raising the lead to 6-1 at 15:05.

Margonari earned his second point with a similarly golden effort, stealing the puck and netting Youngstown's 14th shorthanded tally of the season and second of the night three minutes later. Czinder finished the blitz with 1:01 remaining, knocking in a big rebound at the left post for an 8-1 advantage.

The Phantoms chased Wilson 2:18 into the third, as Czinder danced past the Chicago defense for a breakaway goal and an eight-goal bulge. Following the goal, Wilson was tossed from the game for abuse of officials by referee Curtis Marouelli, forcing emergency backup Fedor Dushkin between the pipes for his first USHL action.

Cole Gunner (4:09) and Matt Esposito (5:50) strung a pair of tallies together for the Steel, setting the final margin at six goals, the Phantoms' largest of the season by two.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1049167 for full box score.

Friday, April 2: YOUNGSTOWN 4, CEDAR RAPIDS 1

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Phantoms have been dangerous all season while down a man, as they entered Friday night's game at Covelli Centre with 14 shorthanded goals, third in the USHL.

After the last two games, the Phantoms' penalty-killing unit has been upgraded to downright lethal.

For the second straight game, Youngstown scored twice shorthanded as they rolled to their second consecutive victory, 4-1 over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Adam Berkle had the first of the "shorties" and netted two total to help propel the Phantoms to their first winning streak since Dec. 4-5.

The Phantoms (20-35-4, 44 points), who now lead the league with 16 shorthanded goals, also got three points from defenseman Scott Mayfield, including his 10th red light of the season to lead all Youngstown blueliners. Mayfield also registered three points in Wednesday night's 9-3 stomping of the Chicago Steel.

Stu Wilson scored first for the playoff-bound RoughRiders (37-19-3, 77 points), but Cedar Rapids lost its third road contest in a row. The RoughRiders, as the East Division's No. 2 seed, will host the defending Clark Cup champion Indiana Ice Wednesday night in Game One of their best-of-five series.

After falling behind on Wilson's quick stash from in front of goalie Matt Mahalak at 14:11 of the first, the Phantoms wasted little time in drawing even again. Ryan Jasinsky freed the puck into the high slot, where Mayfield leaned into a blast that rose over Cody Campbell's glove into the Cedar Rapids cage.

The second period began as the first ended, with Youngstown in command. Scooping up his own rebound, Berkle spun a forehand through Campbell's body 3:21 into the frame to give the Phantoms their first lead. Berkle's 16th tally of the season drew him within one Tom Serratore for the team lead.

Serratore had company at the top a little more than three minutes later. While Andrej Sustr was in the box for holding, Mayfield sneaked down the left wing to get a quick shot off that Campbell kicked out, but directly to Berkle. The first-year USHLer made no mistake in boosting the lead to 3-1.

During that same penalty and less than a minute after Berkle's second of the game, defenseman Ben Paulides found room during a rush and snapped a shot that squeezed between Campbell and the right post for a three-goal advantage at 7:15.

The rest of the game contained no more goals, but plenty of action. Cedar Rapids' Jordan DiGiando was given a major penalty for boarding Cody Strang at the second-period buzzer, setting off three fights as the Phantoms rushed to the defense of their teammate.

Opposing goaltenders Mahalak and Campbell surprisingly squared off at center ice to start the fracas. After the rare goalie fight was extinguished, bouts broke out between Youngstown's Dave Donnellan and Stephen Collins and between the RoughRiders' Nick Lappin and Andrew Lamont. All six combatants, plus DiGiando, were issued game misconducts and hit the showers early.

Youngstown netminder Jordan Tibbett shined in the third period, turning away all 19 Cedar Rapids shots in relief of Mahalak to maintain the three-goal margin.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1049175 for full box score.

Saturday, April 3: CEDAR RAPIDS 4, YOUNGSTOWN 1

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - In a game marked by a plethora of penalties, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders used a three-goal second period to sprint past the Youngstown Phantoms 4-1 in the two teams' regular-season finale Saturday night at Covelli Centre.

The two sides combined for 19 power plays in the contest, but it was playoff-bound Cedar Rapids (38-19-3, 77 points) that took advantage first, netting a pair of man-advantage goals 14 seconds apart to grab a 3-0 lead in the latter stages of the second period.

Ty Loney punched in his second goal in three games at the end of a Youngstown power play to draw the Phantoms (20-36-4, 44 points) within two heading for the third, but the RoughRiders would allow them no closer. Goaltender Jordan Tibbett, starting for the ninth time in the Phantoms' last 13 games, was sharp in defeat, stopping 43 shots. He had 19 saves in the third period for the second straight night.

Bryce Aneloski's empty-net goal in the final minute iced the victory for Cedar Rapids, which snapped a three-game road losing streak heading into the USHL postseason. The RoughRiders, No. 2 seed in the East Division, will square off with third-place Indiana in the first round beginning Wednesday.

Youngstown finished the season 4-4-2 after Mar. 6, a significant improvement from the first two months of the year - when the Phantoms won just three times in 22 tries. Jefferson Dahl led the first-year expansion club with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists), while Tom Serratore and Adam Berkle each fired in 17 goals, tying for team-best in that category.

The early story Saturday was defense, as both Tibbett and Cedar Rapids' Troy Grosenick kept the game scoreless through one period. The tug-of-war continued until 8:10 of the middle frame, when Derek DeBlois, who earned two assists on the night, connected with Michael Parks to the left of the net for an open one-timer and a 1-0 'Riders advantage.

Parks' 11th of the campaign came just moments after the visitors had killed an extended Phantoms two-man advantage, and Cedar Rapids soon enjoyed its own 5-on-3 power play just past the period's midway point.Defenseman Andy Simpson took advantage of the situation, blasting a slap shot off the skate of Youngstown's Stuart Higgins and past Tibbett at 12:18.

Less than 20 seconds later, RoughRiders leading scorer Zach Lehrke found Mac Bennett at the bottom of the right circle for a quick shot and a three-goal advantage. Lehrke corralled a bouncing puck at the Phantoms' blue line and moved in with Bennett in an abbreviated 2-on-1 rush.

Loney's second tally in 17 USHL games was a beauty, as the rookie from nearby Valencia, Pa. popped Dylan Margonari's centering pass from below the goal line over Grosenick's glove hand. Nick Czinder, with seven points in his last eight games, picked up the secondary assist.

The Phantoms had three power plays in the third, but couldn't slip a second goal past Grosenick, who finished with 21 saves and his 26th win of the season.

Go to http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid1049182 for full box score.

Check out the Youngstown Phantoms Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2010


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