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USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms' School Day Game Tomorrow

January 21, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Phantoms will host their annual "School Day Game" at the Covelli Centre tomorrow, January 22.

With a special start time of 10:00 am, the game is designed to allow area school children to enjoy a day of Phantoms hockey as a field trip. Currently, 3,216 students representing 38 schools are slated to attend.

Several of these schools are able to come thanks to the generosity of local businesses, which graciously provided financial support where needed. These businesses include Covelli Enterprises, Millwood Company, Simco Management, and Marruci & Gaffney Excavating Company.

In addition, Sam Covelli will drop the ceremonial first puck, and Mayor John McNally is planning to be in attendance as well. Scrappy, the mascot for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, will join Phantoms mascot Sparky to provide entertainment for the students.

Game Preview

The hockey game will pit the Phantoms against the Eastern Conference's top team, the Indiana Ice, who come in with a 21-6-5 record (47 points).

The unusual start time in the middle of the week could potentially serve as a challenge to both teams. With the majority of games taking place on the weekend, and in the evening, a change of routine is necessary to accommodate for the game.

"I think for the daily routine, yes, we obviously won't be able to have a game day skate," said Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen. "Typically, that's about the time we would be getting to the rink. Having said that, I think most of these guys, if not last year, but two years ago, were playing midget hockey, and this is the norm. They're used to getting up and playing 10 am games, sometimes even earlier. It's not like it's something new that they've never done before. Actually, they've probably played more games in their lives at this time, rather than at seven o'clock at night."

Indiana swept a two-game series with Fargo last weekend, and currently sits in first place in the Eastern Conference. The speed and depth that the team has will certainly pose a challenge for the Phantoms.

"I think our plan is to throw their game back at them. We want to prove that we have depth, and that we can play a fast paced game. That's something our guys are still learning and still figuring out, because of our youth. We want to play our type of game, and we want to be tough to play against. We want to make sure that they know they're playing against us every single shift," Noreen said.

Forward Trey Bradley looks to continue his great play; it was just announced earlier in the week that he has officially been added to the active 23-man roster. In exchange, Youngstown sent Alex Rauter to the Wenatchee Wild (NAHL) as compensation. Bradley has one goal and four assists (five points) in seven games with the Phantoms thus far.

Noreen does not think the move to add Bradley full time changes much, adding that it is largely up to the Tampa, Florida native from here on out.

"If anything, it should take some pressure off of him," said Noreen. "He's done enough off of the ice, in the community, and on the ice to prove that he's a valuable member of our team. He deserves to stay here, and now it's just a matter of him pushing himself and us pushing him to help his development. So far, he's been very good, and we expect more from him in the future."

Josh Nenadal is expected back in the lineup after serving a one game suspension. Following Saturday night's loss to Muskegon, Noreen talked about much of a loss Nenadal was to the team. The 19-year-old forward is known for his tenacity and grit on the ice, and Noreen expects him to give Youngstown a spark against the Ice.

"Josh is what we are," said Noreen. "I don't know how else to say it, other than the type of energy he brings, and the commitment he has to our logo. The way he plays is something contagious to those around him, and something that makes his teammates better. It even makes us coaches better, to have a guy like that on your team."

Despite losing both games this past weekend, the team reiterated that there were positives to take out of each contest. The Phantoms dug themselves into a hole early in each match, but showed tenacity and heart, making a late push to get back into each game.

"If you walk down in our room, there's nobody feeling sorry for themselves. That's the type of culture that we've tried to build here over the last few years," said Noreen, who added that the best thing to do is to continue looking ahead. "There's nothing we can do except learn from it, move forward, get better this week, get better tomorrow, and hopefully be better against Indy on Wednesday."

Power play consistency will also be a big factor heading into Wednesday's contest. The Phantoms were 1/15 with the man advantage over the previous weekend.

With over a week of experience on the team under his belt, the continued integration of defenseman Bo Pellah (two assists in four games as a Phantom) is something to watch.

"I think he's done very well for himself," said Noreen. "I think he's been what we hoped as an elite puck moving defenseman. I think he brings an added element to our power play and a level of poise to our back end. I'm not saying we didn't have it before, but I think he brings it to an added level."

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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