USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Raring to Go Against Roughriders

Published on December 27, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The holiday break is over and it is right back to action for the Youngstown Phantoms, who take on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Wednesday night. The puck drops at 8:05 p.m. EST at The Stable in Cedar Rapids.

The Phantoms (16-6-1, T-second East) are in the midst of a four-game winning streak - and have won three straight on the road - but will have no time for a holiday hangover with a hungry Cedar Rapids team awaiting them. The RoughRiders (9-9-7, sixth East), typically one of the United States Hockey League's top teams, have lost seven of their last eight games. They have also lost more games in overtime (7) than any other team in the league, and two of those came at the hands of the Phantoms earlier this season in the Covelli Centre.

However, this will be the Phantoms' first trip to Cedar Rapids this season, and in their previous two seasons, they have had little success at The Stable, one of the league's most boisterous venues, going 0-4-1. Head Coach Anthony Noreen said that getting that elusive first road win over the RoughRiders will be no easy task on Wednesday.

"We're walking into one of the liveliest buildings in the league, against one of the better teams in the league," he said. "There's no doubt about it, we know we're going to have to be ready from the get-go."

Noreen said that it will be crucial for his team to be able to quickly adjust from the layover, but that the Phantoms will not be the only ones dealing with it.

"Cedar Rapids had a week off too, but we're sure they're going to be ready for tomorrow night's game," he said. "We're going to take every step from now until then to make sure we're ready as well.

"We had a really hard skate yesterday and today to get the legs and the hands back going and we reviewed systems, too."

Although Noreen said he does not expect many changes from the group that finished the symbolic first half of the season with a pair of impressive road wins against the Green Bay Gamblers and Des Moines Buccaneers, there will be one modification: first-year defenseman Ryan Lowney will be filling in for blue liner Kevin Liss, who is sidelined with an injury.

The smooth skating Lowney, 17, has appeared in 10 games with the Phantoms already this season and recorded three goals and 13 points last season with the Compuware AAA program in Plymouth, Mich.

"Ryan Lowney has done everything we've asked of him and we're more than comfortable putting him in on that first pairing," Noreen said. "We need him to step up and we're confident he will."

Single game tickets for the 2011-12 season are on sale now. Season ticket and flex plans start at the low price of just $90. Call the Phantoms office today at 330.747.7825 for more information or to make a reservation today! For a complete Phantoms schedule, visit www.youngstownphantoms.com .

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United States Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2011


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