Phantoms' Chevrolet Centre Record No Longer Perfect
December 19, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
YOUNGSTOWN, OH (Friday, December 19th, 2008) - The surging Marquette Rangers (15-13-4, 34 pts) pulled into a second place tie with the Mahoning Valley Phantoms (16-7-2, 34 pts) after the Rangers posted a convincing 5-2 win over the Phantoms at the Chevrolet Centre Friday night.
The game marked the first loss by the Phantoms at the Centre, where they were previously 5-0-0.
The Marquette duo of Chad and Aaron Pietila continued their torrid play against the Phantoms as Chad scored two goals and Aaron notched one goal with a pair of assists.
Chad Pietila opened the scoring 6:41 into the game, taking a centering feed from his brother and lining it past Phantoms goaltender Jordan Tibbett for his 12th goal of the season.
Colin Smith made it 2-0 with 44 seconds left in the first, putting a loose puck through Tibbett's legs while the Rangers were on the power play.
The Phantoms cut the lead to 2-1 with 13:23 left to go in the second period when he spun a rebound past Marquette netminder Kevin Kissaw, but that would be as close as the Phantoms would get on Friday.
Garrett Ladd fired a transition tally past Tibbett in transition to make it a 3-1 contest after two, then Aaron and Chad Pietila both poured in insurance markers to give the Rangers a 5-1 advantage with 5:35 remaining.
Jordy Trottier tried to pull Mahoning Valley back into the contest with his 10th goal of the season, scoring off a Nick Shkreli rebound with 3:25 left, but the score was too little too late as Marquette's defense held strong to preserve the 5-2 final margin.
The Rangers are the only North Division team the Phantoms have a losing record against; Mahoning Valley is 0-2-0 against Marquette with both games finishing at 5-2.
Kissaw made 26 saves for the Rangers and improved to 10-5-2 on the season while Jordan Tibbett (13-3-0) suffered his first loss since October 31st, only stopping 14 of Marquette's 19 shots in the defeat.
Marquette also dominated the special teams play Friday night, scoring twice on six power play chances while holding the Phantoms scoreless on five man advantages.
The Phantoms can still vault into first place with a win on Saturday over the Rangers in the series finale. The puck will drop between the two North Division rivals at 7:15 PM at the Chevrolet Centre. Saturday's game will also feature a special visit to by Santa Claus to the Centre.
North American Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2008
- U.S. Nat'l U18 Team Falls to N. Dakota, 5-2 - U.S. National Team
- Phantoms' Chevrolet Centre Record No Longer Perfect - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Rangers Upend Phantoms - Marquette Rangers
- U.S. Nat'l U17 Team Drops Springfield, 6-1 - U.S. National Team
- Bobcats Face Division Leader Saturday Night - Bismarck Bobcats
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