Despite Split With Marquette, Phantoms Retain Second Place in North

February 11, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release


BOARDMAN, Ohio (Monday, February 11, 2008) - The difference was in the effort this weekend, as the Mahoning Valley Phantoms skated to a 1-1 record against the Marquette Rangers in North American Hockey League action on Friday and Saturday night at the Ice Zone in Boardman.

The Rangers came out of the gates firing throughout the first period Friday, taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room. Second period goals by Johnny Meo and Miles Winter were not enough for the Phantoms however, as Rangers goaltender Beau Christian turned aside 59 of 61 shots to lead Marquette to a 6-2 win.

"I thought a lot of those 61 shots were desperation shots," said Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt after Friday's game. "It was just a lack of intensity. Some guys just did not try hard, which is pretty black and white."

Rangers defenseman Derek Grogan was on the top of his game Friday, stepping up to collect two goals and an assist, while helping the Marquette powerplay convert three of six opportunities against the Phantoms usually solid penalty kill.

"We had the wrong players on the ice," said Mainhardt when asked about the Phantoms' penalty kill "Some guys were just falling asleep. Two times, a defenseman stepped down back door, which is an elementary play, and to allow ourselves to be beat by that is just a lack of focus, and we'll have to make some adjustments."

Saturday's game was played to the beat of a different drum, as the teams skated scoreless through the first 30 minutes. Although Marquette jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second, a goal and an assist each from Scott Moser, Chad Boeckman and Kyle Verbeek helped the Phantoms roll off four unanswered goals and rebound for the 4-1 win.

"The main difference is that we worked hard from the drop of the puck, and played like a team that was hungry and focused," said Mainhardt. "You can have all the talent in the world, but if you're not willing to do what it takes to win, then it doesn't matter. I thought we had the conviction on Saturday that we were missing on Friday."

Phantoms goaltender Jordan Tibbett, in his first action since January 20, stopped all but one of the 32 Marquette shots on goal. Tibbett's win, his seventh of the season, and his second in a row, moved him above .500 for the first time this season.

"He came in on Saturday and gave us a chance to get back on track," said Mainhardt. "It goes a long way in showing how much he's matured, having not played in a while, and then getting back in there and having his A-game ready."

It was the Phantoms power play that provided Tibbett with all the offensive support he would need, going 2 for 6 on the evening. The unit had been struggling up until two weeks ago, but has now scored four goals in the past three games.

Injury troubles have plagued the Phantoms all season, and this weekend was no exception. Forward Kyle Bailey, who had been surging recently and earned an honorable mention for Player of the Week last week, was out of Saturday night's game after a second period injury on Friday.

While forwards Alden Hirschfeld and Kurt Washnock; and defensemen Denny Kramarz, John Houston, and Carl Nielsen all remained sidelined with injuries, Verbeek and Derek Carr finally returned to the lineup.

With third place Alpena idle this weekend, the Phantoms used Saturday's win to cushion their second place standing in the NAHL North Division. Mahoning Valley (26-13-4, 56 points) now has a three point lead over the Ice Diggers (25-15-3), but trails first place St. Louis (36-8-1) by 17 points.

The Phantoms moved to 4-1-1 against the Rangers this season, with only a March 7-8 date in Marquette remaining between the two this season. The NAHL playoffs start the first week of April.

Next up, the Phantoms host the Traverse City North Stars (14-19-10, 38 points) on Friday and Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. both nights at the Ice Zone in Boardman. Catch all the action live at www.mvpphantoms.com.



North American Hockey League Stories from February 11, 2008


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