Phantoms focus on Soo, announce first college signing
Published on January 6, 2005 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
As the New Year begins, the Youngstown Phantoms sit atop the standings in the NAHL's North Division (18-10-2, 38 points), and the club's first college signing -- first line center Anthony Canzoneri -- has taken place, with the prospect of many more to come. A sense of optimism is spreading throughout The Ice Zone.
One cannot help but ponder the Phantoms' playoff potential with the NAHL regular season now half-complete. "When you consider where we're at now, it's tough not to think ahead to April when the playoffs start. But the competitiveness within our division easily brings the focus back to where it should be, which is this weekend," said Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt, referring to Youngstown's contests against the visiting Soo Indians this Friday and Saturday, January 7 and 8.
"Also consider that the rest of the division has played two to four fewer games than us. So that gives them an opportunity to possibly catch us," he added.
After a 1-3-0 start, the Phantoms went 10-1-0 in their next 11 games. Rob Rassey registered points in each of those games, giving him the third-longest point-scoring streak in the NAHL this season. In that span, Rassey collected 10 goals and 11 assists, which contributed to his current eighth place standing in league scoring (15-24-39 points). Within that same period, Marc Menzione set -- and still holds -- the league's longest goal-scoring streak of the season, with seven goals in six games, lifting the Phantoms from sixth to second in the standings by mid-November.
Three weeks later, Youngstown battled the division-leading U.S. National Team for the top spot. On Saturday, December 4, the Phantoms beat the USNTDP 5-3 and grabbed first place for the first time in franchise history; a position they have since maintained. Aaron Rhyner's hat trick highlighted the win, and his team-high 20 goals are currently fourth overall in the NAHL. Rhyner's 40 points also rank him seventh in league scoring. Both he and Rassey are the only Phantoms to play in all 30 games this season. Linemate Canzoneri's 26 assists are third in the league and one more than he had for all of last year.
"The first half of the season has confirmed what I believed in when we started; that we have offensive depth and two-way skill, a defense that would improve with time, and two competitive goaltenders who can frustrate opponents any night. We had some injuries as the regular season started. Since then, we're pretty well healed up, aside from a couple players," added Mainhardt.
Defensively, the Phantoms have played well. Despite a roster that is down to five defensemen, Youngstown has the lowest team goals against average (GAA) in their division at 3.07. Jeremy Smith has asserted himself as the resident tough guy, racking up 106 penalty minutes (third in the NAHL and first among defensemen). He has combined that with 14 assists and 18 points (seventh at his position). As a team, the Phantoms are third in the NAHL with 17 goals scored by defensemen, an indication that offensive depth is not limited to the Phantom forwards.
Goaltenders Jerry Kuhn and Tom O'Brien have both made impressions between the pipes for Youngstown. Both are in the top 15 in GAA, and their three combined shutouts are tied for first among all NAHL teams. "It is both a benefit and a challenge to have two good goaltenders. They compete hard for ice time, and that can only help the team," Mainhardt said.
Now to Canzoneri. The Phantoms co-captain has accepted a scholarship to play hockey at Division I Bentley College.
"This is just the first of what we feel will be many college signings from this year's team," said Mainhardt. "And I cannot think of a more deserving player than Anthony. He is going into a great situation at Bentley, where he will be a huge part of their program. The Falcons have a bright future, and we couldn't be happier for Anthony."
Canzoneri, 19, is a 5-foot-10, 180 pound forward from Homer Glen, Illinois, and is in his second season with the Phantoms. In 28 games this season, Canzoneri has eight goals and 26 assists for 34 points, placing him third in team scoring. He is among the league leaders in assists (third), points (tied for 12th) and his three game-winning goals are tied for 11th. In 56 games last season, Canzoneri was fourth on the team in scoring with 15 goals, including a team-high eight power play goals, 25 assists, and 40 points.
"We're excited about Anthony's decision to attend Bentley next year," said Bentley head coach Ryan Soderquist. "He is a great player, and, more importantly, he is a great person. When he visited the school, I knew he would be a great representative of our program. We expect great things out of him over the next four years."
Bentley College is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, a western suburb of Boston. With an enrollment of nearly 4,200 students, the Falcons compete in the nine-team Atlantic Hockey Conference along with such conference rivals as Canisius, Army, Holy Cross, and Connecticut. Currently, the NCAA has 58 Division I hockey programs in six conferences.
"I just felt I could see myself there for four years. Coach Soderquist feels that I can contribute immediately to the team, and I'm impressed with the quality of education they offer," said Canzoneri, who plans to major in Business Administration.
Home Sweet Home: Twelve of the Phantoms next 13 games are at The Ice Zone, including the first ever NAHL Division Showcase, from January 14-17. The four-day, 12-game weekend Showcase will feature the Phantoms and their North Division rivals, Cleveland, Soo, Toledo, and the U.S. National 18 & Under team, as well as former division rival, the Springfield Jr. Blues, now in the NAHL South Division. Teams will play once each day, which could have an impact on the division standings at its conclusion. The host Phantoms will play their games each night.
Scoring First Matters: The Phantoms have scored the first goal in 21 of their 30 games, more than any team in the NAHL. In those games, their record is 17-3-1, an .833 winning percentage. The 17 wins are also tops in the league. NAHL teams who score first have an overall record of 207-59-20, for a .759 winning percentage.
Against the Division: This season, Youngstown is 4-3-0 against Cleveland, 3-3-0 versus Soo, 6-1-1 versus Toledo, and 2-2-1 against the U.S. National Team.
Fire Away: Coming off the heels of a 66-shot outburst against Toledo on December 22, the Phantoms are now third in the league, averaging 35.27 shots per game. The team is also 13-3-2 when they outshoot their opponent.
They're On the Air: A live in-studio interview with Bob Mainhardt will air on the 'Sunday Sports Rap' show on AM-570, WKBN. Catch the broadcast this Sunday, January 9, from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. with co-hosts Jim Evans, Champ Summers, Denny Leibert and Chris Lewis.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2005
- Blizzard-Jets game rescheduled - NAHL
- U.S. National Team finishes fifth at 2005 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - U.S. National Team
- Bulls split weekend series with Bismarck - Billings Bulls
- Bobcats hope new blood means wins - Bismarck Bobcats
- Phantoms focus on Soo, announce first college signing - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Wildcats go 1-1, Teddy Bear Toss a success - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Spirit win pair on road, then drop New Year's tilt - Alaska Avalanche
- Icedogs look to chip away at division rival's lead - Bozeman Icedogs
- Tornado win third straight Newmarket Showcase - Texas Tornado
- Jets reclaim first in NAHL West - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- First Blizzard game of 2005 this Friday - Alexandria Blizzard
- Wins over Texarkana earn Hatch co-winner of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - NAHL
- Spirit's Erickson leads from blueline to grab share of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week - NAHL
- New Bobcat Fulton's five-point week captures Sher-wood NAHL Offensive Player of the Week award - NAHL
- NAHL announces All-Star team, coaches and staff who will face Tornado - NAHL
- Blizzard player commits to Division I Hockey program - Alexandria Blizzard
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.
