Phantoms Start Final 15 Games This Weekend Versus North Stars
Published on February 14, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
BOARDMAN, Ohio (Thursday, February 14, 2008) - Although the Traverse City North Stars come into this weekend's series with the Mahoning Valley Phantoms with just 14 wins, 38 points, and a last place standing in the NAHL North Division, they still present a formidable challenge.
"They are a very dangerous team," said Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt. "They have a lot of talent and coach (Anthony) Palumbo has them going as of late. It is definitely nothing we can look past, and we'd be very fortunate to come away with a couple wins this weekend."
Not only have the North Stars (14-19-10) had two weeks to prepare for their showdown this weekend, but further bolstering the team's confidence is the fact that they swept the hottest team in the league their last time out.
The Alpena Ice Diggers had won 13 of their previous 16 games heading into a home-and-home series against Traverse City on February 1-2. Led by three points each from Kyle Bonis and Matt Hughes, and some strong goaltending from Brandon Stephenson and Chris Paliafito, the Stars pulled off a pair of upsets, winning 4-2 that Friday and 3-1 Saturday.
Since sweeping the Phantoms Hockey Showcase back on January 18-21 at the Ice Zone, Mahoning Valley has suffered through their toughest stretch of the season. The Phantoms are 2-3-1 in their last six games, but showed a lot of grittiness the last time out, fighting off a 1-0 deficit to score four unanswered en route to the 4-1 win on Saturday against Marquette.
Leading the Phantoms was the recently resurrected powerplay. With the help of a few players finally recovering from a string of injuries, Mahoning Valley went 2 for 6 with the man-advantage, and has notched four powerplay goals in the past three games.
The Stars and Phantoms will be facing off in their 10th and 11th games against each other this season, with Mahoning Valley winning seven of the previous nine matchups. With this kind of familiarity, both teams have a good feel for the other, and know what to expect.
"We've both had some personnel changes, but I think we both have a pretty good idea of what the other wants to accomplish," said Mainhardt. "It's just going to come down to the team that wants it the most and is able to impose their will on the other team."
The last five times out, it has been the Phantoms that imposed their will. Mahoning Valley has won by an average of three goals per game over that span, including a 3-2 win and a 4-0 win against the Stars during the Showcase.
While Phantoms leading scorer Derek Graham collected his first two points this past weekend after a six-game drought, the Phantoms coaching staff has been pleased with the increased performance from a few other individuals.
"(Forwards) Johnny Meo and Kyle Bailey, (and defensemen) Jon Madden and Robert Harrison have really stepped up and played well for us over the past five games," says Phantoms assistant coach Curtis Carr. "They have been working very hard every night."
On the injury front, forward Alden Hirschfeld, one of the team's top point producers, appears to be the most indefinite on a return date - he is listed as day-to-day. Defensemen Carl Nielsen and Denny Kramarz could be ready to go this weekend.
With just 15 games left in the regular season, the playoff picture is far from focused. The second place Phantoms (26-13-4, 56 points) currently sit just three points ahead of the third place Ice Diggers (25-15-3, 53 points) in the North. Meanwhile, Marquette (23-20-3, 49 points) is holding off U.S. National Team (21-18-2, 44 points) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division.
"We're probably not where we thought we'd be at this point," admits Mainhardt. "We've definitely got some hurdles that we have to overcome that we didn't necessarily forecast at the beginning of the year, but that's what makes it fun and challenging, and that's what's going to make us a better team at the end of the day."
The Phantoms begin their playoff push against Traverse City this Friday and Saturday night. Game time is slated for 7:15 p.m. both nights at the Ice Zone in Boardman. Catch all the action live at www.mvpphantoms.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from February 14, 2008
- U.S. National Team Development Program Weekly - U.S. National Team
- Stars' Greener gets good news - Traverse City North Stars
- Phantoms Start Final 15 Games This Weekend Versus North Stars - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Rangers Take a Rest - Marquette Rangers
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.
