Bartus Shuts Down St. Louis; Phantoms Take Game Three

Published on April 23, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release


BOARDMAN, Ohio (Wednesday, April 23, 2008) - Behind stellar goaltending from Garrett Bartus and two points each from Grant Blakey and Derek Graham, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms dominated from start to finish and took Game 3 of the North Division Finals, 3-0 over the St. Louis Bandits at the Ice Zone in Boardman. St. Louis still leads the series 2-1.

For the first time in the series, it was the Phantoms that drew first blood. Just 3:56 into the opening frame, Alden Hirschfeld capitalized on a loose puck that squirted free from a scrum in front of the net and buried his second of the playoffs. Graham and Blakey picked up the helpers, giving Mahoning Valley a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.

Midway through the second period, Brent Dexter took a pass from Kyle Bailey in neutral ice, skated down the left wing, and sniped a wrister over the glove of St. Louis goaltender Cal Heeter to put the Phantoms up by two.

Both Heeter and Bartus traded key point-blank saves in the closing minute of the second period to keep it 2-0 after two.

Graham's power play tally with just over four minutes remaining in regulation closed out the scoring. On assists from Blakey and Miles Winter, Graham used a Bandits' defenseman as a screen and picked the upper corner over the right arm of Heeter for his third goal of the post-season. Graham now leads the team in playoff scoring with eight points.

Bartus stopped all 27 shots he faced on the night, while holding the St. Louis power play scoreless on six attempts. The veteran netminder is now 4-1 this season in the playoffs after registering his first career playoff shutout. His .955 save percentage is best among NAHL playoff goaltenders.

After going 0 for 11 with the man-advantage in the first two games of the series, the Phantoms went 1 for 7 in Game 3. St. Louis outshot Mahoning Valley 27-22.

The Phantoms stayed in the hunt for the North Division Playoff Crown with the win and will now host Game 4 of the series on Friday night at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice Zone in Boardman.

Catch all Phantoms hockey action live on the web at www.mvpphantoms.com. The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.



North American Hockey League Stories from April 23, 2008


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