Phantoms extend streak

February 20, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release

The streaking Mahoning Valley Phantoms moved closer to a North Division championship last weekend, securing their 10th straight win with two victories over second-place Alpena.

"We're playing some good hockey right now, but we know as a team we have to continue to improve," said Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt, whose team moved to an NAHL-best 38-10-1. "There's still a long road to hoe to meet the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season."

The Phantoms skated to a 3-2 win over the IceDiggers on Friday. Dustin Cloutier scored two goals, including the game-winner, with Robert Harrison adding the other Mahoning Valley tally. Between the pipes, Ryan Zapolski made 26 saves for his league-leading 35th victory of the season.

The next night, Alden Hirschfeld struck for two goals and two assists as Mahoning Valley buried the IceDiggers, 11-1, in a spirited affair. Cloutier notched a goal and three assists, while Chad Boeckman added two goals and an assist. In goal, Jonny Morrow made 24 saves to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Mainhardt was happy to see his club limit the IceDiggers, one of the top offensive teams in the NAHL, to only three goals last weekend and six their last four meetings.

"Obviously, we've been generating some good offensive numbers, but it's our defense that has really stepped up lately," said the coach. "We're playing with much better attention to detail on the defensive side of the puck and our goaltending always gives us a chance to win."

With Mercyhurst-bound Zapolski in top form all year, Morrow, who was picked up last month from the USHL's Lincoln Stars, affords Mahoning Valley a formidable tandem in net.

"Zaps has been great all season, and Jonny gives us a very good, experienced 1-2 combination," said Mainhardt. "They're both great competitors and great team guys, so it's created a very healthy competitive atmosphere for the two to continue to get better."

And the Phantoms are getting contributions from up and down the lineup. Eight forwards have racked up 40 or more points, with a defensive corps that's been equally impressive.

"Our depth has made us a very tough team to play against, and our guys know that if they don't produce there's a more than capable teammate waiting to pick up more ice time," said Mainhardt. "It's a very healthy motivational tool from within."

With a North Division title in their sites, the Phantoms are now concentrating on fine-tuning as the postseason approaches.

"Every day is a new challenge and that's why we're all involved in this game," said Mainhardt. "You live day to day, and whether you win or lose you have to get up the next day and meet new challenges head on.

"In hockey, you can go from hero to goat and vice versa very quickly, so you have to continuously strive for perfection and not listen to what everyone is saying too much, good or bad."

STANDINGS/LEADERS

North Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

x Mahoning Valley 49 38-10-1 77 .786 227 125

x Alpena 51 30-18-3 63 .618 182 166

Marquette 49 20-25-4 44 .449 151 172

Traverse City 51 17-29-5 39 .382 153 220

USNTDP 43 16-23-4 36 .419 133 155

South Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

x St. Louis 49 36-10-3 75 .765 183 112

x Santa Fe 48 32-12-4 68 .708 164 111

Texas 49 30-14-5 65 .663 165 136

Fairbanks 49 27-19-3 57 .582 188 168

Wichita Falls 49 18-26-5 41 .418 138 173

Alaska 47 13-29-5 31 .330 117 183

Central Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

Fargo-Moorhead 47 32-12-3 67 .713 182 146

So. Minnesota 52 29-20-3 61 .587 163 144

Springfield 51 21-26-4 46 .451 142 158

Bismarck 51 20-25-6 46 .451 157 188

North Iowa 49 20-24-5 45 .459 135 168

Alexandria 48 19-26-3 41 .427 128 160

x - clinched playoff berth

LEADING SCORERS

PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS

Rudasill, Todd ALP F 51 26 48 74

Maroon, Pat STL F 45 27 46 73

Echternach, Jesse FMH F 46 30 39 69

Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 49 41 27 68

Shean, Joe FBX F 49 18 48 66

Connolly, Chris FMH F 47 18 46 64

Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 40 31 32 63

Craner, Nolan ALP F 48 21 36 57

Pierson, Drew ALP F 51 24 32 56

Haddad, Nick FBX F 49 24 31 55

LEADING GOALTENDERS

PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT

Nagle, Pat STL 28 1672:13 20-5-3 2.05 .929

Hopper, Nick SFE 38 2194:27 24-9-3 2.08 .911

Zapolski, Ryan MVY 43 2517:02 35-7-1 2.26 .929

Tragust, Thomas TXS 41 2322:19 24-10-5 2.48 .905

Clark, Jay NIO 20 1091:40 8-9-2 2.53 .913

GOALS

PLAYER TEAM P GP G

Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 49 41

Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 46 32

Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 40 31

ASSISTS

PLAYER TEAM P GP A

Rudasill, Todd ALP F 51 48

Shean, Joe FBX F 49 48

(two players with 46)

Cloutier, Roadhouse, Skelly named Sherwood Players of the Week

NORTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mahoning Valley forward Dustin Cloutier tallied three goals and three assists last weekend as the Phantoms extended their winning streak to 10 games with two wins over Alpena. On Friday, the 20-year-old notched two goals, including the game-winner, in Mahoning Valley's 3-2 triumph. The next night, the Bentley College recruit from Berkley, Mich., scored a goal and three assists in an 11-1 Phantom victory.

SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Texas forward Sean Roadhouse rang up four assists last weekend as the Tornado skated to a two-game sweep over Springfield. On Friday, the 19-year-old tallied two assists in Texas' 4-2 win over the Jr. Blues. The next night, the Tulsa, Okla., native picked up two more assists, including one on Nielsson Arcibal's shorthanded game-winning goal.

CENTRAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Bismarck forward Shawn Skelly struck for two goals and two assists last weekend as the Bobcats spilt a pair of games with Marquette. On Friday, the 20-year-old registered two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in Bismarck's 5-3 win. The next night, the Walled Lake, Mich., native notched an assist in a 5-3 loss to the Rangers.

HONORABLE MENTION: Alaska defenseman Josh Erhardt; Alpena forward Mike DeGrazia; Santa Fe forward Josh Kamrass; St. Louis defenseman Scooter Vaughan; Texas defenseman Jake Newton; Wichita Falls forward Ville Aman and goaltender Cal Heeter

LAST WEEK'S SCORES/HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, February 14

Marquette 7 @ Alpena 1 (MAR: Kosinski, G, 3A)

Thursday, February 15

Santa Fe 5 @ Wichita Falls 2 (SF: Omilusik-Hennig, G, A)

Friday, February 16

Fairbanks 3 @ Alaska 4 (SO) (ALA: Erhardt, 2G, SOG)

Texas 4 @ Springfield 2 (TEX: Newton, GWG, A)

North Iowa 2 @ Southern Minnesota 1 (NI: Mobley, 2A)

Santa Fe 5 @ Wichita Falls 3 (SF: Kamrass, 2G, 2A)

Alpena 2 @ Mahoning Valley 3 (MV: Cloutier, G, GWG)

Bismarck 5 @ Marquette 3 (BIS: Skelly, G, GWG, A)

Saturday, February 17

Fairbanks 8 @ Alaska 1 (FBX: Maleev-Shean, G, 3A)

Traverse City 2 @ St. Louis 6 (STL: O'Kane, GWG, 2A)

Alexandria 3 @ Fargo-Moorhead 4 (SO) (FM: Brodeen, G, A)

North Iowa 1 @ Southern Minnesota 3 (SM: Jackson, 2G)

Santa Fe 3 @ Wichita Falls 4 (WF: Aman, G, GWG)

Alpena 1 @ Mahoning Valley 11 (MV: Hirschfeld, 2G, 2A)

Bismarck 3 @ Marquette 5 (MAR: Hauswirth, GWG, A)

Texas 4 @ Springfield 1 (TEX: Arcibal, GWG)

Sunday, February 18

Traverse City 2 @ St. Louis 5 (STL: Danowski, 2G, A)

Alexandria 0 @ North Iowa 1 (SO) (NI: Moss: 32 saves)

Alpena 2 @ USNTDP 3 (SO) (USA: Florek, 2G)

AROUND THE NAHL

THE WRIGHT STUFF: Second-year Southern Minnesota defenseman Kevin Wright, 20, has committed to the Air Force Academy (Atlantic Hockey) for next season. The San Jose, Calif., native has a goal and seven points after 51 games this season.

JERSEY AUCTION ANOTHER SUCCESS: Wichita Falls raised $76,200 for the Children's Miracle Network during the team's "Jersey Off Our Back" auction on Saturday. Goaltender Thomas Billick's jersey sold for a team-high $10,000, matching what his jersey sold for at last year's event.

QUIGLEY TO BEANTOWN: Second-year Mahoning Valley forward Matt Quigley, 18, has committed to Northeastern University (Hockey East) for this coming fall. On the season, the Pittsburgh native has 19 goals for 43 points in 48 games.

FRESHMAN PHENOM: Texas defenseman Jake Newton, 19, stepped up last weekend to the tune of two goals, including a game-winner, and an assist in the Tornado's two-game sweep of Springfield. "I think Jake is the best rookie defenseman in the league," Tornado coach-GM Tony Curtale said of the California native. "He plays well at both ends and has a cannon of a shot."

DANOWSKI COMMITS TO CANISIUS: St. Louis forward Derek Danowski has committed to Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey) for the 2007-08 season. Danowski, a 20-year-old from Warren, Mich., has eight goals for 27 points in 16 games this season.

AVS END SKID: Alaska snapped a seven-game losing streak on Friday with a 4-3 shootout win over Fairbanks. "These kids are playing for their hockey lives," Avalanche coach-GM Keith Morris said. "They're trying to show our organization and a lot of schools that they're better than a 12-win team."

THE WEEK AHEAD

Monday, February 19

Bismarck @ Fargo-Moorhead, 5:05 pm

Tuesday, February 20

Mahoning Valley @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm

Friday, February 23

Fairbanks @ Alaska, 7:30 pm

North Iowa @ Alexandria, 7:30 pm

Wichita Falls @ Springfield, 7:30 pm

Texas @ Santa Fe, 7:05 pm

Fargo-Moorhead @ Southern Minnesota, 7:05 pm

USNTDP @ Traverse City, 7:00 pm

Marquette @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm

Saturday, February 23

Fairbanks @ Alaska, 7:30 pm

Texas @ Santa Fe, 7:05 pm

Fargo-Moorhead @ Southern Minnesota, 7:05 pm

North Iowa @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm

USNTDP @ Traverse City, 7:00 pm

Marquette @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm

Wichita Falls @ St. Louis, 1:00 pm

Sunday, February 25

Wichita Falls @ St. Louis, 6:00 pm

Fairbanks @ Alaska, 5:00 pm

Alpena @ USNTDP, 3:00 pm

USNTDP @ Traverse City, 1:00 pm

(all times local)

Check out the North American Hockey League Statistics

North American Hockey League Stories from February 20, 2007

U.S. Nat'l Under-17 Team Falls to NAHL's Best, 5-3 - U.S. National Team
Phantoms win 11th in a row - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
U.S. National Under-17 Team Hosts Mahoning Valley, Travels to Traverse City - U.S. National Team
Phantoms extend streak - NAHL
FM Jets Close in on Playoff Spot with Dramatic Wins - Fargo-Moorhead Jets

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