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USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantoms Spend Inspiring Week in the Youngstown Community

January 20, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - With an estimated 50 events per season, the Youngstown Phantoms pride themselves on continued commitment to serving the people of the Mahoning Valley. That was never more evident than last week, when scheduling fate aligned to provide Youngstown players with no fewer than four opportunities to give back to the community in a three-day span-experiences that the team fully embraced.

By the end of the week, a rewarding feeling was provided for not only those in the community impacted by the smiles and dedication of the Phantoms, but also for the players who gave their time for others.

The de facto "Community Week" began with a trip to the St. Vincent DePaul Society on Tuesday, January 14. A soup kitchen located a few blocks from the Covelli Centre, the Society serves a daily meal to all who come through its doors.

Phantoms players Luke Stork, Zach Evancho, Lukas Klok, Josh Melnick, Tyler Spezia, Josh Nenadal, and Kyle Mackey stopped by to help with the preparation and serving of the meal. First, the team cleaned the facility and prepped food for serving. Then, in an organized assembly line setup, they created and handed out full plates to needy patrons.

On Wednesday, the team split up for two separate events. Kiefer Sherwood, Tommy Parran, and Matt Miller read to children at the Girard Free Library, as well as gave them an informal education session about hockey.

"It was good, because we helped teach young kids about hockey," said Sherwood, a future Miami University Redhawk. "Hopefully, they like it enough so they can come to a couple of games this year-they seemed interested! Giving back is a great way to interact with our fans."

While Sherwood, Parran, and Miller interacted with some of the youngest Phantoms fans, a different contingent of players connected with an older generation. Alfred Larsson, Truman Reed, Sean Romeo, and Trey Bradley visited the Greenbriar assisted living facility for a question-and-answer session, as well as an equipment demonstration, sharing with the residents the stories of how they became hockey players, as well as the ins and outs of life in the USHL.

"It's fun to interact with the community," said Romeo, the Phantoms' goaltender. "They're such a big part of what we do here and who we stand for. It's great to see them and interact with them and get to know people that come to our games and support us."

The players answered a multitude of questions, as well as posed for photos, but one of the highlights of the visit was Larsson helping teach a resident named Margaret how to hold a hockey stick.

"It's so much fun to meet new people, see them get a smile on their face, and appreciate what we're doing," said the Phantoms' captain.

Many of the residents were surprised to learn facts such as how young the Phantoms' players are, or how dedicated they are to their craft. According to Greenbriar Activity Director Gina Fernback, the visit does wonders for the residents.

"It's really special to us," said Fernback. "We have a large group of men here that really appreciate sports, and it's great to have someone here locally that they watch on TV and see around the community.It's very nice of the Phantoms to come here and entertain them, because this time of year, everyone gets cabin fever, and because our guys are open to so many things, they really appreciate them coming here and spending time with us. Our women like it too. It means so much, because they feel very special."

The visit meant a lot to a player like Trey Bradley, who was recently added to the Phantoms full time roster. A newcomer to Youngstown, it was special for him to go out and interact with the community that he is learning to call home.

"It's great to go out and see the future town I'll be playing in," said the Tampa, Florida native. "It's great that we can go out to the elderly home and put smiles on their faces. I'm sure they'll be talking about it for a few weeks."

Reed echoed those sentiments.

"It's really fun to get to meet new people in the community, to get to know our fans, and feel a little more connected with them," said the defenseman.

The week was capped off with a visit to the Akron Children's Hospital in Boardman. Larsson, Stork, Evancho, and Spezia were present for this inspiring trip-an event that Spezia specifically requested the Phantoms plan.

"One day I thought about it," he said. "Some of these kids have been dealt a bad hand, so it was nice to be able to go out there, talk to them, and brighten their day a little. You never know what that can do for some of these kids, so that was really easy for me in asking [Phantoms' staff]. They had no problem with getting it done."

The Phantoms began the trip by reading "Z is for Zamboni" to a patient named Isaiah. Following the book, the team signed a puck personally for him. Then, the Phantoms made the rounds to the surgery ward and the general hospital area, visiting with patients of all ages.

The visit personally touched Larsson, who recalled a similar experience he underwent when he was a child.

"I stayed at a hospital for four weeks when I was seven years old, so I know how tough it can be to be here," said the native of Sweden. "It's just great to come out here, put a smile on the kids' faces, and brighten up their day."

The team brought along signed sticks and pucks as gifts for the children, who were thrilled to have something to distract them from the difficulties of hospital life.

"It was awesome," said Stork. "Going there for the little kids, and helping them out in their tough situations-just helping with everything they're going through. I know it's tough, but we're always here for them. Whatever we can do."

Like most of the visits that occurred this week, the players found that the impact on them was just as strong as the impact they made on others.

"It was a truly humbling experience, because the kids don't deserve what they're going through," said Evancho. "Anything we can do to make their day a little brighter is an awesome experience."

Spezia, one of the team's veterans, expressed his overwhelming compassion for the kids whose days were hopefully brightened by his visit.

"As a junior hockey player, supporting the community and doing anything you can off the ice is most important. Today was a little bit different, though. I cannot imagine what some of these kids were going through. Just being able to go down there and maybe put a smile on their face can make a difference for some of these kids. It really gives me a whole different outlook on life. It was a great experience overall. I have nothing but great things to say about it."

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