Phantoms have first place in sight
December 2, 2004 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
Boardman, Ohio (Thursday, December 2, 2004) -- First place in the North Division of the North American Hockey League will be at stake when the Youngstown Phantoms Junior-A hockey club (13-6-2, 28 points) hosts the USA National Team (15-5-1, 31 points) at The Ice Zone on Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4. Opening face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. both nights.
Despite the fact the second-place Phantoms have registered only two wins in their last six contests, they could still leapfrog over Team USA into first place with a pair of victories in regulation this weekend. Youngstown has been one of the highest scoring teams in the NAHL this season (83 goals in 21 games), but last weekend the Phantoms managed just two goals during a two-game home series against the Soo Indians. Youngstown scored both of those goals in the first period last Friday, and then held on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory. The following night, the Phantoms were blanked 4-0 and out-shot in the contest, 40-22.
"Offensively, we have not been clicking the way we were earlier in the season," Phantoms Head Coach & General Manager Bob Mainhardt said. "But if we take care of business in our building this weekend, we could still end up in first place. Team USA has a lot of very skilled players and they play well together as a team. We'll have to perform well at both ends of the rink in order to beat them."
Tickets for this weekend's games against the USA National Team -- and all Phantoms' home games -- are available by calling (330) 965-7500 or visiting The Ice Zone, which is located at 360 McClurg Road in Boardman. Tickets are also available at the door on game nights.
• Discuss this story on the North American Hockey League message board...
North American Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2004
- Phantoms have first place in sight - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Blizzard rally to dump Billings - 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.
