Phanoms set to his home ice...finally
Published on October 27, 2004 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
Boardman, Ohio (Wednesday, October 27, 2004) -- After 10 straight games away from home to open the 2004-2005 campaign, the Youngstown Phantoms Junior-A hockey club will play on home ice for the first time this weekend, hosting the Toledo Ice Diggers on Friday, October 29 and the Cleveland Barons on Saturday, October 30. Opening face-off for both contests is set for 7:00 p.m.
The Phantoms (6-4-0) last saw action on Saturday (October 23) when they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Texarkana Bandits on the final day of the NAHL Showcase Tournament in Minneapolis. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Youngstown, who had won its first three games in Minnesota by a combined score of 18-1. The Phantoms blanked the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, 4-0, then defeated the Bay State Breakers,
6-1, and the Walpole Junior Stars, 8-0.
"Against Texarkana, we ran into a team that was similar to us, but with a little more experience and a little more skill," Youngstown Head Coach & General Manager Bob Mainhardt said. "But overall, for four days and four games, I was pretty darned pleased with how we played. We're happy to be home though. We were a tough team on home ice last year. We take pride in how we play on our rink, and I expect the guys to put on a real good show for the home crowd."
Youngstown and Toledo (10-6-0) have met twice this season with the Phantoms winning easily by scores of
5-2 (September 22) and 7-1 (October 9). The latter game was a penalty-filled and fight-marred affair that resulted in several players on both sides receiving suspensions from the NAHL. Youngstown and Cleveland split a pair of pre-season games in early September, but Saturday night's contest will mark the first time the two teams have met in a regular season game.
"We've had a couple pretty impressive wins over Toledo, and I think they've accepted that if they try to skate with us man for man, they're going to be in trouble," Mainhardt said. "So I would expect it to be pretty physical, but we do pretty well with that area of the game as well. I actually expect both games to be very physical. Cleveland has more skill and they're not very big, but they have some guys who can get under your skin. They'll both be typical rivalry games."
Tickets for this weekend's games with Toledo and Cleveland -- and Phantoms' home games throughout the 2004-2005 season -- are available by calling (330) 965-7500 or visiting The Ice Zone, located at 360 McClurg Road in Boardman.
North American Hockey League Stories from October 27, 2004
- Phanoms set to his home ice...finally - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Dog Pound Weekly - Bozeman Icedogs
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