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Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Look to Continue Improvement During Two-Game Set

January 16, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Following Saturday night's victory against Team USA, the mood around the Youngstown Phantoms' dressing room was different. Music echoed from the speaker system. Smiles permeated the players' faces. The team's relief in ending their ten-game losing streak was evident-the players even got to use a new ping pong table for the first time as a small reward.

Still, embodying head coach Anthony Noreen's trademark throughout the difficult stretch, the team practiced and prepared for this weekend's two-game set as if nothing had changed.

"As far as the attitude in the room this week, I think it's been light," said Noreen. "We've tried to build a team and an organization here where the guys can come in with a smile on their face, no matter what. Obviously, it's a little bit of pressure off their back. Having said that, I don't think it's a whole lot different than what it was last week walking in."

The Phantoms face a stiff test this weekend, particularly on Friday night, as the Western Conference's second-best team in the Waterloo Black Hawks visits the Covelli Centre.

"I'll tell you this, from watching [Waterloo], they're the best team in the USHL right now," opined Noreen. "I don't think there's anybody playing as well as them, I don't think there's anybody as deep as them, and I don't know if there's anybody as talented as them up front. They have a very good goaltender, and a good 'D' core as well. In pre-scouting them, it's one of those games where you know you're going to have to be at your very best to have a chance. That's great for us right now. I think it's a great test to have to play against a team like that."

The Black Hawks (25-5-1, 51 points) trail the Omaha Lancers by three points for the top spot in the USHL, but Waterloo has played four fewer games than Omaha. The Black Hawks boast nine skaters with 20 or more points, and carry an impressive 11-3-1 road record. They will make their only visit to the Covelli Centre in 2013-14 on Friday.

"We know we're coming into the game as an underdog," said Noreen. "We have a top team coming into our rink, and they have a pretty good streak going right now. I've said it before, you're never as good as you think you are when you're at the top, and [you're never] as bad as it might look when you're at the bottom. This team, we're improving. There's a lot of positives, and a lot of good things to look at with our hockey team, but again, what better chance to prove it than against the top team in the league? Let's see where we're at; it'll be a great test for us."

One element that will help the Phantoms continue to improve is the further integration of defenseman Bo Pellah, who made his debut fresh off of a flight from Sioux Falls last weekend.

"He just brings an element that we lacked," said Noreen. "He's so calm and so poised with the puck. He truly is an elite offensive defenseman. Nothing against our other defensemen, but I think that's a quality that comes with experience, and being a little bit older. He's extremely gifted with the puck on his stick, and it gives our team a different look to have a guy like that back there."

After taking on Waterloo on Friday, Pellah and the rest of the Phantoms will battle the Muskegon Lumberjacks for the second time in as many weekends on Saturday night, which will be Pittsburgh Penguins Night at the Covelli Centre. In a stark contrast to Waterloo, Noreen and the Phantoms are plenty familiar with the Lumberjacks by now.

"We know what [Muskegon] is going to do, and they know what we're going to do. It's going to come down to the guys executing and having passion on the ice, and that's the way it should be. You talk about Friday night's game: it's two teams playing each other for the first time in a couple of months. There's going to be some systematic tweaks. But with us and Muskegon, I could go down and put the game plan up, and the guys know what it's going to be already. You ask what their power play was, what their penalty kill was, what their forecheck was, and they know it inside out. I'm sure that [Muskegon] knows the same thing about us. It's coming down to the guys on the ice, and that's the way it should be."

With another important weekend of games on the docket-the fourth and fifth contests of Youngstown's seven-game homestand, Noreen continues to preach improvement as the Phantoms look to start a different sort of streak from the one that they just ended.

"I think we just get better, no different than if we would have won or lost both games last weekend," said the Phantoms' coach. "We have things we need to improve on both individually and in our team game. We worked on those things all week. We encouraged good habits all week, and hopefully we improved from last Saturday until today, and from today until tomorrow, and hopefully that shows in the game tomorrow night."

Single game tickets are on sale now for all Phantoms' home games at the Covelli Centre. Phantoms 10-Game Flex Plans are also available starting at the low price of just $89. Call 330.747.PUCK (7825) for more information or to reserve seats today. For all the latest news, visit www.YoungstownPhantoms.com, follow the Phantoms on Twitter (@YtownPhantoms) and 'like' them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/YoungstownPhantoms).

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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.

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