Phantoms Pull Away From Machine, Win 4-1
Published on November 7, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
WYANDOTTE, MI (Friday, November 7th, 2008) - The Mahoning Valley Phantoms' offense hit its groove late in the second period, scoring four goals in ten minutes of hockey to collect a 4-1 win over the reeling Motor City Machine.
Scoreless through the first 37-plus minutes of the game, the Phantoms broke free for a pair of goals in the last 2:07 of the second to carry a 2-0 lead into the third period.
First George Saad got his second goal in as many games, slapping home a rebound amid a scrum in front of Motor City netminder Zach Hansen 17:53 into the second. John Houston followed 20 seconds later, lining a wrist shot under Hansen's glove with 1:47 left.
Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt says the offense's patience eventually paid off in the second.
"The most important thing is that we stuck to the offensive game plan," said Mainhardt. "We were getting our opportunities and sometimes guys get frustrated, but we stayed patient. We changed a couple things and the goals came."
Nick Taurence briefly pulled the Machine back into the game just 1:12 into the third, snapping one past Tibbett for his third of the year.
Two and a half minutes later, Alex Lippincott bounced a goal line shot in off Hansen to reinstate the Phantoms' two-goal lead. Lippincott then assisted on Johnny Meo's second of the year, a point-blank shot that rolled over Hansen's glove for the final margin of 4-1.
Phantoms goalie Jordan Tibbett improved to 6-2-0 on the season, shutting down 16 of Motor City's 17 shots in the win. Tibbett improved his goals against average to 1.74 on the season, putting him in third place league-wide in that category.
The game did not feature as many power plays as the teams' previous meetings, with the Phantoms going 0-for-5 on the power play while the Machine came up empty on three chances. The game did feature the Phantoms' first fight of the season, as Carl Nielsen got into a dustup with Machine enforcer Anthony Iaquinto.
The Phantoms' two game series with the Machine draws to a close tomorrow night at B.F. Yack Arena, with the opening faceoff scheduled for 7:10 PM. The game will be broadcast live at MVPPhantoms.com with the pregame show starting at 7:00 PM.
North American Hockey League Stories from November 7, 2008
- Phantoms Pull Away From Machine, Win 4-1 - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- U.S. Nat'l U18 Team Tops Sweden, 3-1 - U.S. National Team
- Monday is Meet the Phantoms Day at the Chevrolet Centre - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Tops Slovakia, 7-0, at 2008 Under-17 Four Nations Cup - U.S. National Team
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