Countdown To Puck Drop: Phantoms Vs. Waterloo
Published on December 28, 2009 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release
The Youngstown Phantoms return to action after the USHL's 10-day Christmas break with their first four-game week of the season, starting with a home game against the Waterloo Black Hawks. These two East Division clubs have never met before but will square off a total of five times over the Phantoms' final 35 contests, including three at the Covelli Centre.
The Phantoms (12-11-2, 26 pts / T-4th in East) have alternated wins and losses over their past six games, including a 1-1 weekend Dec. 18-19 highlighted by a 5-2 road victory over defending league champion Indiana. F Cody Strang and F Taylor Holstrom each registered two-point nights against the champs; F Jefferson Dahl stretched his team-best goal-scoring streak to four with tallies against both Indiana and Team USA the following night.
After threatening to climb into playoff position with a four-game winning streak to close November, the Black Hawks (9-14-1, 19 pts / T-6th in East) have gone 1-5-1 in December to drop to the bottom of the division. Waterloo has given up a league-worst 4.58 goals-against per game and that trend continued in the Hawks' final weekend prior to the holiday break, as they dropped 7-2 and 6-5 road decisions to Tri-City and Des Moines, respectively.
PHANTOM PHACTS
- The Phantoms' breakthrough win over Indiana Dec. 17, their first in three tries against the current holders of the Clark Cup, was anchored by the sharp goaltending of Jordan Tibbett, playing in his hometown of Indianapolis. In front of family and friends, the former Mahoning Valley Phantom made 40 saves - 19 in the first period - to claim his sixth win of the season, tying him with tandem-mate Matt Mahalak in that category.
- The Phantoms suffered their only blowout loss of the season Dec. 18 in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the hands of Team USA's Under-18 squad, but there were some bright spots in the 9-3 defeat. D Luke Eibler added a pair of helpers to his impressive first-year totals (7 G, 4 A) and F Jiri Sekac earned his first point of the campaign, an assist on Dahl's second-period power-play goal. Youngstown's PP unit scored again in the third, its eighth two-goal output of the season.
- Youngstown leads the 14-team USHL in penalty minutes with 755, and as a result the Phantoms' penalty-killing unit has been getting quite the workout in recent weeks. In the month of December, Phantoms' opponents have been awarded 65 power plays in seven games for a lofty average of 9.29 per contest.
BLACK HAWK DOWN
- Third-year USHL forwards Tyler Barnes and Brock Montpetit are tied for the Black Hawks' team lead in points with 29 apiece. Experience has served both well: Barnes has already surpassed last year's point total (26) and Montpetit has matched his previous best in goals scored (13).
- A pair of second-year Waterloo defensemen find themselves among the league's top 10 blueline scorers. Zach Palmquist leads all Hawks' rearguards with six goals and 13 assists and his 19 total points place him fourth in the USHL, while teammate Dan Sova is tied for eighth on the circuit with 15 points (6 G, 11 A).
- Along with surrendering the USHL's most goals against on a per-game basis, the Black Hawks have also been betrayed by both their road play and special teams. In addition to posting a 3-10-1 record as the visitor, Waterloo sports the league's worst penalty kill (72.5 percent success rate). The Hawks' power play has been decent, with a 19.5 percent conversion rate that ranks seventh, but they've given up a league-high seven shorthanded goals.
UPCOMING GAMES AT THE COVELLI CENTRE...
Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. vs. Waterloo - Christmas Gift Exchange / Bring your unwanted holiday gifts to the game in exchange for a half-priced ticket to the game - all collected gifts will be donated to the Salvation Army! Also, enjoy $2 pretzels, hot dogs and pops all night long and take advantage of the Phantoms' Family Four Pack deal - four tickets for just $20 and additional tickets for $5 apiece!
Friday, January 8 at 7:15 p.m. vs. Fargo - New Year New You & Bargain Beer Night / Watch the Phantoms host the Force for the first time and enjoy $1 drafts all night long! Further details to come on this promotional night...
Saturday, January 9 at 7:15 p.m. vs. Fargo - Super Heroes Night / Honor our local police officers and firefighters!Enjoy a "Guns & Hoses" game pitting Youngstown's Finest vs. Youngstown's Bravest on the ice. More details to come...
CATCH PHANTOMS PHEVER!
Phantoms Phever, presented by House of Speed, is an hour-long weekly talk show that brings you an inside look at your Youngstown Phantoms. Join Voice of the Phantoms Matt Gajtka at Jeremiah Bullfrog's Sports Bar & Grille on US Route 224 in Boardman as he chats with coaches, players and front office staff about northeast Ohio's most exciting team and the great sport of hockey. Catch Phantoms Phever Tuesdays at 6 p.m. on Youngstown's ESPN Radio 1240 AM and online at www.wbbw.com!
FOLLOW THE PHANTOMS ALL SEASON LONG
ESPN 1240 is also the exclusive radio home for the Youngstown Phantoms! Matt Gajtka has the call from all 60 Phantoms regular season games as they roll through their first-ever campaign in the Tier I United States Hockey League. Hockey nuts outside the listening area can log onto www.wbbw.com to utilize the "Listen Live" feature! Fans may also purchase the Phantoms season pass at www.b2tv.com to watch and listen via the B2 Networks' multimedia game broadcasts.
United States Hockey League Stories from December 28, 2009
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Drops Canada-Quebec, 6-3 - U.S. National Team
- Special Guests Highlight USHL All-Star Gala - USHL
- Countdown To Puck Drop: Phantoms Vs. Waterloo - Youngstown Phantoms
- Hockey And All-Star Weekend Highlight New Year's Eve - Indiana Ice
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.
