Phantoms fall to Alpena
Published on March 11, 2007 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
ALPENA, Mich. - Drew Pierson scored once and added three assists to lead the Alpena Ice Diggers to a 6-3 win over the Mahoning Valley Phantoms at Northern Lights Arena on Saturday night.
Mike Fillinger scored twice for the Phantoms, 42-12-1, marking the fifth consecutive game that he has recorded a goal. Johnny Meo added a goal and two assists and Drew Satterley chipped in two helpers.
The Ice Diggers thought they captured a first-period lead when the puck slid between the legs of Phantoms goaltender Johnny Morrow.
However, it was ruled that the puck was deflected in with a high stick and the teams played to a scoreless opening period.
Alpena officially opened the scoring just 37 seconds into the second period when Todd Rudasill beat Morrow on the stick side.
A little over two minutes later, at 2:48, Mike DeGrazia made it 2-0 on a backhander.
The Phantoms cut the deficit in half when Meo redirected Robert Harrison?s shot from the left point, at the 8:06 mark, for his third goal of the season.
But Alpena, 32-20-4, bounced right back, when Nolan Craner scored 47 seconds later for a 3-1 lead.
Pierson scored his fourth goal of the weekend and 29th of the season when he scored on the power play at 11:57 for a 4-1 Alpena advantage.
Rudasill scored his second of the night at the 55 second mark of the third period, a power play goal, to extend the lead to 5-1.
Fillinger scored at 12:53, but Erik Peterson dashed any hopes of a Phantoms comeback with a goal just 25 seconds later.
Fillinger added his 20th goal of the season, a shorthanded tally with 5:28 remaining, to round out the scoring.
For the game, the Alpena out-shot the Phantoms 43-41. On the power play, the Ice Diggers were 2 for 8, while the Phantoms were 0 for 6.
The Phantoms return home for their final seven regular season games. They host the U.S. National Team on Mar. 16-17. Face-off both nights is at 7 p.m.
The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company- Phantom Fireworks, which is headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 11, 2007
- Phantoms fall to Alpena - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
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.
