Welcome to the Tier I United States HockeyLeague
October 2, 2009 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (October 2, 2009) - With only one day remaining until the home opener against the Indiana Ice Saturday night, the Youngstown Phantoms present Countdown to Opening Night. Today's edition: Welcome to the Tier I United States Hockey League.
A whole new level of hockey has come to the Mahoning Valley, as the Youngstown Phantoms begin their first-ever season in the Tier I United States Hockey League, America's premier developer of National Hockey League talent. After a five-game preseason slate, the regular season's lid will be lifted at the Covelli Centre Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. against the league champion Indiana Ice.
Now entering its 31st year of existence, the 14-team USHL has produced more than 100 current NHL players, including Mark Eaton, Ruslan Fedotenko and Alex Goligoski of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets Jared Boll and Rostislav Klesla. The league also has helped secure NCAA Division I scholarships for nearly 200 of its current players.
The USHL was established in 1979, but did not reach its full vision until 2002, when in conjunction with USA Hockey, the Tier I designation was established and bestowed upon the league. Tier I regulations mandate minimum standards for coaching, facilities, education, off-ice player support and nearly every other manageable aspect of the player's experience. The prime beneficiary of this is the young hockey athlete.
While providing an unrivaled environment for player development, the USHL at the same time conforms to all NCAA rules regarding the maintenance of hockey eligibility. As part of this emphasis on higher education, the USHL mandates that all player housing and equipment be paid for by the teams, so as not to jeopardize the players' ability to take their games to the collegiate level. In essence, the USHL is a training ground for the game's very best, ensuring the ultimate in fan excitement.
With hockey's popularity growing tremendously in the United States, the USHL has emerged as the nation's foremost pipeline to both the collegiate and professional ranks. Simply put, the road to the NHL now goes through Youngstown!
The Phantoms' goal as the 2009-10 USHL regular season kicks off will be the same as the other 13 teams: the Clark Cup. Symbolic of supremacy in American junior hockey, the Clark Cup is presented annually to the USHL's playoff champion. Last season, the East Division's Indiana Ice triumphed over the West's Fargo (N.D.) Force three games to one in the best-of-five final series to claim the prized chalice.
Joining the Phantoms in the seven-team East Division will be the Chicago Steel, Green Bay (Wisc.) Gamblers, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders, Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks, the Indianapolis-based Indiana Ice and the United States National Team Development Program located in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Des Moines (Iowa) Buccaneers, Fargo Force, Lincoln (Neb.) Stars, Omaha (Neb.) Stars, Sioux City (Iowa) Musketeers, Sioux Falls (S.D.) Stampede and the Kearney, Neb.-based Tri-City Storm make up the USHL's tightly-packed West Division.
The Phantoms will take on each team in the league at least four times - two at home, two on the road - as they battle for the right to hoist the Anderson Cup, the stately grail awarded to the team who completes the USHL's 60-game regular season schedule with the best record. Green Bay currently holds the Anderson Cup after going 39-17-4 in 2008-09 for a total of 82 points.
Following the conclusion of the season on the first weekend in April, the top four teams in each division will qualify for the Clark Cup Playoffs, with the division winners playing the fourth-place teams and the No. 2s facing the No. 3s in best-of-five series. The second and final rounds, also best-of-fives, follow. Nine playoff victories are needed to hoist the coveted Clark Cup.
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Join your Youngstown Phantoms for their United States Hockey League regular-season opener Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Covelli Centre downtown! Faceoff between the Phantoms and the defending USHL champion Indiana Ice is set for 7:15 p.m., but the Opening Night celebration starts early with a pregame tailgate party starting at 5 p.m. in the Covelli Centre parking lot.
Rally towels will be distributed at the gate and Phantoms fans are encouraged to help Black Out the Covelli Centre by wearing black apparel to the game. In addition, pretzels, hot dogs and sodas will be only $2 apiece all night.
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United States Hockey League Stories from October 2, 2009
- Buccaneers Stomp Stampede in Shootout; 4-3 Final Score - Des Moines Buccaneers
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Falls to Chicago, 5-1, in USHL Opener - U.S. National Team
- Stampede Announce Captains - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Lancers Announce Radio Partnership with NRG Media - Omaha Lancers
- Welcome to the Tier I United States HockeyLeague - Youngstown Phantoms
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