Healthy Phantoms on the road against Indians this weekend
Published on September 30, 2004 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
Boardman, Ohio (Thursday, September 30, 2004) -- The Youngstown Phantoms Junior-A hockey club will be back in action for the first time since September 22 when it travels to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for a two-game weekend series against the Soo Indians. Youngstown's games against the defending NAHL North Division champions are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 1&2. Opening face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. both nights.
The Phantoms (1-2-0) registered their first win of the young season when they defeated the Toledo Ice Diggers, 5-2, on the road on September 22. That night, Youngstown got goals from Anthony Canzoneri, Billy Glynn and Rob Rassey in the decisive third period. The satisfying victory came after back-to-back losses (9-4 and 10-4) to the USA 18-and-Under National Team the previous weekend.
Youngstown Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt expects to have a much healthier squad at his disposal this weekend in Sault Ste. Marie. Kevin Hicks, a defenseman who is out indefinitely with a fractured vertebra in his back, is the only player who will be unavailable. Forwards Warren Byrne (shoulder), Kyle Laughlin (hand) and Anthony Ciraulo (elbow and ankle) and defensemen Chris Smith (mild concussion), Shane Lennox (elbow) and Jeremy Smith (ankle) all missed time during the first three games because of various injuries.
"The most important thing that's happened since our last game is that we've gotten healthy," Mainhardt said. "We're really going to see our full squad this weekend, which we haven't seen to date. We had a lot of guys banged up who are 100 percent healthy now, and we had a great week of practice. The guys just really look to be hitting on all cylinders."
Mainhardt said he expects to encounter a much different Soo Indians squad this weekend than the one that finished first in the NAHL North Division with a 44-6-6 mark last season. The Soo have gone 0-3-1 in their first four games this season. The only point the Indians have picked up so far came when they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision at home to the Cleveland Barons on September 18.
"Last year the Soo had one really explosive line, and if you could shut that line down, you had a pretty good chance of beating them," Mainhardt said. "This year, I think we're going to see much more of a team effort from them. Especially early on, we'll have to see who we need to match up against and who the lines are to keep an eye on. They're going to play a much more physical style this year as well. This year, they have a little more size and a little more grit."
North American Hockey League Stories from September 30, 2004
- Tough weekend for the Barons - Cleveland Barons
- Fairbanks' Case selected Sherwood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - Fairbanks Ice Dogs
- Phantoms notch win over Ice Diggers - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Tornado tame Cats in home opener - Texas Tornado
- Bandits win nail-biter, then see rally fall short - St. Louis Bandits
- Spirit splits weekend series with Texarkana - Alaska Avalanche
- Back to work for the Blues - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Bismarck beats Jets in OT, captain and alternates named - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Marshals name team captains - Central Texas Marshals
- Bozeman's Day selected NAHL Offensive Player of the Week - Bozeman Icedogs
- Diggers reach .500 - Alpena IceDiggers
- NAHL and EJHL enter into historic competition/marketing agreement - NAHL
- Healthy Phantoms on the road against Indians this weekend - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
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