Phantoms Earn Series Win with 5-1 Triumph
February 8, 2009 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
BOARDMAN, OH (Sunday, February 8th, 2009) - The Mahoning Valley Phantoms earned some much needed separation in the North Division standings as they dropped the Traverse City North Stars 5-1 at the Ice Zone in Boardman on Sunday to win their three game series 2-0-1.
The victory gives the Phantoms (28-10-4, 60 pts) a five-point lead over the North Stars (25-11-5, 55 pts) for first place in the North, matching Mahoning Valley's largest division lead of the season.
Nick Kenney notched a hat trick for Mahoning Valley, scoring in each period, as the Phantoms put their foot on the gas and never looked back on Sunday, never trailing through the entire 60 minutes.
Kenney said that despite all the offense, the Phantoms won the series finale with defense.
"We played really well on defense," said Kenney, "we got away from that a little [on Saturday] but we came back and locked down in the third game. The physical game was important too because we know [the North Stars] don't like to get hit and turn it over if you start checking them."
Brad Smith (Ohio State University) and David Chaney also scored for the Phantoms.
Smith's goal was his second in as many games while Chaney's second-period power play marker was his first in a Phantoms uniform.
Jordan Tibbett picked up his second "W" of the weekend, stopping 22 North Star attempts as he improved to 19-5-1 on the season.
Tibbett said that the big leads provided by the Phantoms' offense made his job a lot easier in picking up two wins against the North Stars on the weekend.
"It takes a lot of the pressure off me back there," said the 2009 Top Prospects selection, "so I can just relax and have some fun in net."
Kyle Jean scored the lone tally for Traverse City, spoiling Tibbett's shutout bid 56 seconds into the third period.
The Phantoms' 2-0-1 finish in the three-game set gave them five of the possible six points in play in the series. Their 28-10-4 record is now third-best in the league as Mahoning Valley leap-frogged idle Fairbanks (27-10-6) in the overall NAHL standings.
The Phantoms turn right around and head to Marquette, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to open up a three-game series against the fifth-place Marquette Rangers at Lakeview Arena on Thursday at 7:30 PM.
The game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 1240, WBBW-AM, and worldwide at MVPPhantoms.com via B2 Networks. The pregame show will begin at 7:15 PM.
Phantoms individual game tickets are on sale at the Phantom Box Office at the Ice Zone. Call (330) 965-7500 for more information.
The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.
North American Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2009
- Stars drop finale, 5-1 - Traverse City North Stars
- Phantoms Earn Series Win with 5-1 Triumph - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Hockey Wknd Across America Starts Friday; Much Planned - U.S. National Team
- U.S. National Under-18 Team Defeats Russia, 5-3 - U.S. National Team
- Jr. Blues Sweep Mighty Topeka Roadrunners - Springfield Jr. Blues
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.
