USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Kick off Season-Long Road Swing Against Green Bay and Desmoines

Published on December 15, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Phantoms begin their longest road stretch of the season this weekend - a pivotal five-game swing that will test their mettle heading into the New Year. On Friday the Phantoms (14-6-1, T-second East) face the league-leading Green Bay Gamblers for the first time this season before traveling south to take on the Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday. The puck drops at 8:05 p.m. EST both nights.

Head Coach Anthony Noreen said that Friday's game against the Gamblers (19-3-1, first East) in Green Bay, Wis. will be the crucial test for the Phantoms, who are just 5-4-0 on the road this season.

"The way you conquer any huge task that seems too big to beat is by breaking it down into small goals," he said. "The only thing we're focusing on right now is our first shift against Green Bay."

The Gamblers have been one of the most dominant franchises in the entire United States Hockey League over the past few seasons and have appeared in two straight Clark Cup Finals, winning the championship in 2010. So far this season, they have taken that dominance to a new level, leading the USHL in wins and goals for (97), while allowing the fewest goals (50) of any team in the league. They rank in the top three in both power play and penalty kill percentage and have three players - Alex Broadhurst, Nolan LaPorte and Kyle Novak - who have recorded 20-plus points already.

"Green Bay is at the top of the standings for a reason," Noreen said. "They're well-coached, they play the game the right way and they have extremely good players. I think this game's going to be a great measuring stick for our team."

The game is the first of six meetings set between the two Eastern Conference foes, with the latter five being played out over the Phantoms final eight games of the season. The Gamblers own a 7-2-0 advantage in the history of the series, but the games have hardly been as lopsided as the record would indicate, with four of their wins coming by a slim one-goal margin.

Noreen said that in order to achieve his team's ultimate ambitions this year, beating the Gamblers is going to be a key.

"If we're going to get to where we want to get, at some point we're going to have to get through the Green Bay Gamblers," he said. "There's no doubt about that."

There will be little respite for the Phantoms after they face the Gamblers as they must travel to one of the toughest road venues on Saturday - Buccaneer Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The Phantoms beat the Buccaneers (10-9-1, fourth West) twice earlier this season in the Covelli Centre, but to do so on the road, in a hostile environment, is another thing entirely. The Bucs own the second-best home record in the USHL's Western Conference at 6-3-1 and Noreen said he expects to see a vastly different team from the one his Phantoms beat 4-2 and 5-1 back in October, this time around.

"It's going to be a very tough game. Des Moines is usually one of the hardest places to play in the league," he said. "Coach [Regg] Simon is as good a coach as there is in the USHL and I'm sure he is going to have his team much improved from the last time we saw them.

"They play a very similar style to us and it's not going to be a very pretty game. We're going to have to earn every inch in that game. We expect it to be a war."

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United States Hockey League Stories from December 15, 2011


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