Phantoms Prepare for Third Straight Trip to Nationals
April 28, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (Monday, April 28, 2008) - Over seven months removed from the beginning of the North American Hockey League season, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms are now one of four teams remaining as the 2007-2008 campaign culminates with the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament this week outside St. Louis.
The Phantoms marched to a 36-18-4 regular season record - good for second in the North Division, and now, after a 4-3 playoff record, including a sweep of the third place Alpena Ice Diggers, the team is poised to make another run at the title - earning a bid to the Robertson Cup for the third consecutive year.
After an inspiring speech from World Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik at the Ice Zone in Boardman on Monday morning, the Phantoms loaded the team bus optimistic about their chances at returning to the league title game.
"I think we have a good chance, but there are four good teams that have a good chance," said Mainhardt. "It is going to come down to whichever team comes out and wants it more and executes the best. It is definitely going to be a good tournament."
Leading the way in the post season, as he has done all season, is veteran forward Derek Graham. The seventh leading scorer in the NAHL during the regular season with 71 points, the future Ferris State Bulldog has continued to lead the team in playoff scoring as well - tallying nine points in seven games.
Graham centers the team's most productive line, with Alden Hirschfeld and rookie Grant Blakey on the wings. In the playoffs, the trio has combined for 21 points to help spark the offense. Making their statistics even more impressive is the fact that they are usually matched up against the opponents top line combination as well.
Goaltender Garrett Bartus has been a major contributing factor to the team's incredible late season run which saw the Phantoms go 13-5-0 over past 18 games. In post-season play, Bartus has the league's best save percentage at .945 and a goals against average of 2.14 - fourth best among playoff goaltenders.
The five-day National Tournament gets under way on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EDT when the Phantoms face-off against the Topeka Roadrunners. In the teams' only head-to-head matchup of the year, at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn., in just their fourth game of the season, the Phantoms beat the Roadrunners 3-2 in a shootout.
On Thursday night at 8:30 p.m., Mahoning Valley will face off against their North Division rivals - and tournament hosts - the St. Louis Bandits. St. Louis won the North this season with a 47-9-2 record - good for 96 points before winning six of seven games in two playoff series against the U.S. National Team and the Phantoms. Last year, in the Robertson Cup Championship game, the Bandits beat the Phantoms 8-4 and now, Mahoning Valley is looking for a measure of revenge.
"Having guys that have been through it, having the experience, it is worth its weight in gold," says Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt. "It is definitely a good thing to have players that have been though this and know what to expect - it should help us out."
Including the playoffs, in 12 games against each other this season, the Phantoms are just 3-7-2 against St. Louis. The task becomes even tougher for the Phantoms when playing at the Hardees IcePlex, where the Bandits are undefeated in six games against Mahoning Valley.
"I think we've learned from the experience that we do have on this surface," Mainhardt says. "Everyone has played on an Olympic surface, both of those other teams (Alexandria and Topeka) have as well, so I am sure they are going to be prepared and ready to go as well."
In their final game of the round-robin portion of the tournament at 4 p.m. on Friday, the Phantoms will take on the Alexandria Blizzard for the first time this season. Alexandria is the No. 3 seed from the Central Division, and have been forced to five games in their first two playoff series against Southern Minnesota and Springfield.
The team with the most points after the round-robin will get a bye into the league title game on Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT. The second and third best teams will play in the semifinal game on Saturday at 4 p.m. for the right to advance to the championship game, while the fourth place team will be eliminated.
Keep up with the Phantoms and watch all the action live on www.mvpphantoms.com. The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.
North American Hockey League Stories from April 28, 2008
- Phantoms Prepare for Third Straight Trip to Nationals - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
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