Phantoms Open 2009 with First Place on the Line
Published on January 1, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The Mahoning Valley Phantoms will start 2009 play Friday night with a three-game series in northwest Michigan against the division rival Traverse City North Stars in a matchup of the top two teams in the NAHL's North Division.
Mahoning Valley (19-7-2, 40 pts) enters the weekend in first place, just three points ahead of second-place Traverse City (16-6-5, 37 pts) in the North, with six points in play in the series.
Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt says that with both teams getting ready to start the second half of the '08-'09 season, the standings take on a increased importance this weekend.
"The standings always mean quite a bit," says Mainhardt, "but the closer you get to the end of the season the more they mean. Obviously, this will be a huge weekend for both teams, so we expect a playoff-type level of play all weekend."
The Phantoms and North Stars have met four times so far this season, with each team holding a 2-1-1 record against the other.
The last time the two squads took the ice against one another, on November 28th, the Phantoms held off a Traverse City rally, defeating the North Stars 3-2 in a shootout at the Chevrolet Centre.
They also met for a three-game series in Traverse City in early November which the Phantoms split, going 1-1-1 in northwest Michigan.
Mainhardt says that if the Phantoms want to win this trip to Traverse City, a team effort will be key.
"We've got to focus on working hard this weekend," says Mainhardt. "I think if you look at every game in our division so far this year, it comes down to who works the hardest. If we want to be successful this weekend-and this year-that's got to be us."
Mahoning Valley comes into 2009 having won 10 of their last 13 games while Traverse City has gone just 3-3-4 in their past 10 contests.
The Phantoms are led up front by Jordy Trottier's 10 goals and 10 assists while Tibbett and Garrett Bartus have combined in net for a 2.57 GAA and a .907 SV%.
Kyle Bonis is the North Stars' leading scorer, with 11 goals and 12 assists so far this season; Brandon Stephenson anchors Traverse City between the pipes with a 2.64 GAA and a .893 SV%.
Friday and Saturday night's contests will begin at 7:05 PM while Sunday's game is set for a 12:35 PM start.
All three games will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 1240, WBBW, and worldwide at MVPPhantoms.com via B2 Networks.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 1, 2009
- U.S. National U17 Team Downs Slovakia, 6-1 - U.S. National Team
- Phantoms Open 2009 with First Place on the Line - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- U.S. National U17 Team Drops Quebec, 4-3 - U.S. National Team
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