Phantoms streak into playoffs

Published on April 3, 2007 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release

It took until the final weekend, but the Mahoning Valley Phantoms were finally crowned champions of the NAHL's regular season, finishing with a sterling 47-14-1 record.

"We've tried to improve each year as an organization," said Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt, whose team finished four points ahead of second-place St. Louis overall. "We felt as though it was important to develop hockey in this area, so it's been a very important season for hockey as a whole in Mahoning Valley."

The Phantoms wrapped up the regular season with a pair of wins over the U.S. Under-17 Team last weekend, starting with a 6-2 victory on Friday behind two-goal efforts from both Miles Winter (pictured left) and Mike Fillinger. Drew Satterley, Eric Ringel and Nathan Longpre each added two assists, while goaltender Ryan Zapolski turned aside 28 shots.

Dustin Cloutier tallied the game-winning goal and an assist as Mahoning Valley skated to a 3-1 win over the U-17's in the season finale on Saturday. Denny Kramarz and Winter scored the other Phantom goals, while Zapolski made 33 saves to pick up his 42nd win, an NAHL single-season record.

"We've had great leadership in the locker room and that, more than anything, has helped individual players fit into the game plan," said Mainhardt. "We picked up new players in the offseason and periodically throughout the season and it's been the commitment of our leaders that's made each guy's transition and willingness to buy into the team goals successful. The players have held each other accountable all season, win or lose."

The Phantoms finished with only 14 losses all season, with four of them coming in their first 10 games.

"When we started like that, we obviously weren't ecstatic, but we knew there was no reason to push the panic button," said Mainhardt. "With a young team like we had, it would take time for them to understand the system and more importantly adjust to the speed, and, from my experience, that usually takes about 15 games."

An early-season turning point came on Oct. 21, when Mahoning Valley came up on the short end of a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the U.S. Under-18 Team. After that game, the Phantoms ran off an NAHL season-high 19 straight wins.

"We knew as individuals we were much, much better than that, but it emphasized to everyone how important it was to play as a team," said Mainhardt. "This group is very competitive and didn't want that type of feeling again. This group is not motivated by the fruits of victory, but by the fear of defeat; they hate to lose.

"They've accepted the fact that team success translates to individual success," Mainhardt added. "Many of these guys could have had more impressive individual statistics if they didn't put the team first, but they believe, as a group, that coaches at the next level want winners and that's what we're striving to become."

And that team success has translated into recruiting success on the college front. Entering April, eight Phantoms have committed to Division I schools for either the 2007-08 or 2008-09 seasons.

"We felt as though we had a number of young players that had obvious Division I potential, but knew it was going to depend on how hard they worked and accepted their roles," said Mainhardt. "They've ended up being the hardest-working team that I've ever coached and the tightest, chemistry-wise, also."

But there's still a long ways to go for the Phantoms to reach their ultimate goal: a Robertson Cup championship. Regardless of regular-season success, Mainhardt realizes that an invite to Fairbanks, hosts of this year's tournament, won't be a walk in the park.

"This is going to be a hard-fought playoffs in every division," said Mainhardt, whose team faces Marquette in its best-of-five first-round series. "The depth of the league this year is the best I've seen and no one can take anyone for granted. This is when the real season begins and all of the other stats go out the window."

And a Robertson Cup would not only complete a near-perfect season for the Phantoms on the ice, but it would also help validate the goodness of the sport in the emerging hockey region of Youngstown, Ohio.

"For me, it would just be the best way to thank all of our supporters and, most importantly, Bruce Zoldan, our owner, who has given us every resource to succeed in a non-traditional hockey market," said Mainhardt.

"He's been losing money on hockey for the past nine years, but believes in the game and what a positive effect it can have on kids. It would be great to be able to win for him and to generate more interest for our game in a region that'll support it if we give them more reasons to do so."

FINAL STANDINGS/LEADERS

North Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

zMahoning Valley 62 47-14-1 95 .766 283 168

xAlpena 62 37-20-5 79 .637 232 194

xUSNTDP 62 28-30-4 60 .484 211 215

xMarquette 62 25-32-5 55 .444 187 226

Traverse City 62 19-38-5 43 .347 176 274

South Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

ySt. Louis 62 43-14-5 91 .734 228 153

xSanta Fe 62 41-17-4 86 .694 221 154

xTexas 62 38-18-6 82 .661 211 174

xFairbank s 62 34-24-4 72 .581 223 203

Wichita Falls 62 22-34-6 50 .403 175 227

Alaska 62 16-39-7 39 .315 148 242

Central Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

yFargo-Moorhead 62 37-19-6 80 .645 216 192

xSo. Minnesota 62 35-23-4 74 .597 206 177

xAlexandria 62 28-29-5 61 .492 165 193

xNorth Iowa 62 27-29-6 60 .484 174 198

Bismarck 62 26-30-6 58 .468 193 221

Springfield 62 26-31-5 57 .460 188 203

z - clinched league title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff berth

LEADING SCORERS

PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS

Maroon, Pat STL F 57 40 55 95

Rudasill, Todd ALP F 59 33 54 87

Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 52 43 40 83

Echternach, Jesse FMH F 61 36 45 81

Shean, Joe FBX F 62 23 57 80

Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 62 46 33 79

Pierson, Drew ALP F 62 35 42 77

Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 60 43 33 76

Connolly, Chris FMH F 62 20 56 76

(two players tied with 65)

LEADING GOALTENDERS

PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT

Hopper, Nick SFE 48 2746:25 30-12-3 2.16 .912

Nagle, Pat STL 36 2136:12 24-8-4 2.28 .920

Zapolski, Ryan MVY 51 3002:02 42-8-1 2.32 .929

Clark, Jay NIO 29 1636:39 13-12-3 2.49 .916

Tragust, Thomas TXS 46 2586:22 27-11-5 2.53 .904

GOALS

PLAYER TEAM P GP G

Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 62 46

Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 52 43

Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 60 43

ASSISTS

PLAYER TEAM POS GP A

Shean, Joe FBX F 62 57

Connolly, Chris FMH F 62 56

Maroon, Pat STL F 57 55

Winter, Krispel, Ruff named Sherwood Players of the Week

NORTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mahoning Valley forward Miles Winter tallied three goals last weekend as the Phantoms closed out their regular season with two wins over the U.S. Under-17 team. On Friday, the 19-year-old scored two goals, including the game-winner, in a 6-2 victory. The next day, the Horsham, Pa., native scored an empty-net marker to seal Mahoning Valley's 3-1 win over the U-17's.

SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Santa Fe forward Jason Krispel registered four goals and three assists last week as the RoadRunners fashioned a 2-1 record in Alaska. On Thursday, the 19-year-old scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added two assists in a 12-5 win. The next night, the Cypress, Calif., native again netted the game-winner and an assist in a 7-2 triumph. Krispel added a goal in Santa Fe's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche on Saturday.

CENTRAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Southern Minnesota forward Jamie Ruff struck for four goals and an assist last weekend as the Express skated to a pair of wins over Springfield. On Friday, the 20-year-old assisted on Jesse Junkermeir's game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory. The next night, the Rochester, Minn., native tallied four goals, including the game-winner, in Southern Minnesota's 6-4 triumph over the Jr. Blues.

HONORABLE MENTION: Alpena forwards Todd Rudasill and Ricardo Yesue; Alexandria forward Rylan Galiardi and goaltender Dustin Carlson; Mahoning Valley goaltender Ryan Zapolski; Texas forward Julian Mikola and defenseman Lyon Messier

LAST WEEK'S SCORES/HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, March 29

Santa Fe 12 @ Alaska 5 (SF: Kappers, 2G, 3A)

Friday, March 30

North Iowa 2 @ Fargo-Moorhead 4 (FM: Becker, G, 2A)

Santa Fe 7 @ Alaska 2 (SF: Omilusik, 3A)

St. Louis 4 @ Texas 5 (SO) (TEX: Da Costa, 2G)

Alexandria 2 @ Bismarck 3 (SO) (BIS: Hooker, G, SOG)

Springfield 1 @ Southern Minnesota 4 (SM: Jackson, 2G)

USNTDP 2 @ Mahoning Valley 6 (MV: Winter, G, GWG)

Traverse City 4 @ Marquette 3 (TC: Von Bokern, G, A)

Saturday, March 31

Santa Fe 2 @ Alaska 3 (ALA: Shiferaw, GWG)

St. Louis 2 @ Texas 3 (SO) (TEX: Cifelli, 2G)

Alexandria 3 @ Bismarck 2 (ALX: Galiardi, 2G)

North Iowa 0 @ Fargo-Moorhead 1 (FM: Lee, 36 saves)

Springfield 4 @ Southern Minnesota 6 (SM: 3G, GWG)

USNTDP 1 @ Mahoning Valley 3 (MV: Cloutier, GWG, A)

Traverse City 2 @ Marquette 4 (MAR: Macari, 2G)

Sunday, April 1

Alpena 6 @ Marquette 3 (ALP: Yesue, 3G)

AROUND THE NAHL

MIDGET SHOWCASE DETAILS FINALIZED: The NAHL has finalized details for the third annual NAHL Midget Showcase Tournament to be held Sept. 20-24, 2007 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. Visit www.nahl.com for more information, including the application and schedule.

ROBERTSON CUP SITE LAUNCHED: The NAHL has announced the launch of the official Web site of the 2007 Robertson Cup National Championship, www.robertsoncup.com.

KUTALEK TO ALASKA-FAIRBANKS: Santa Fe forward Tibor Kutalek, 20, has committed to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (CCHA) for next season. The Skilca, Slovakia native finished the regular season with 43 goals for 76 points in 60 games.

SMITH TABBED AS AVS' NEW COACH: Alaska has named Jamie Smith as its new head coach and general manager. He replaces Keith Morris, who was promoted as the Avalanche's director of hockey operations.

NORTH STARS RAISE MONEY FOR MDA: Traverse City's "Spaghetti on Ice" charity event, in which over 200 people were served an Olive Garden pasta dinner by the skating North Stars wait staff, raised over $5,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

PAIR OF ICE DOGS COMMIT: Two Fairbanks players committed to Division I programs for next season, with defenseman Craig Johnson heading to the University of Wisconsin (WCHA) and goaltender Kenny Reiter off to the University of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA).

ICEDIGGERS' STADLER TO ADRIAN: Alpena forward Justin Stadler, 19, has committed to Adrian College (MCHA) for the 2007-08 season. The Livonia, Mich., native finished the regular season with 20 goals for 46 points in 51 games.

ALUM NAMED HOBEY FINALIST: Air Force junior forward Eric Ehn (Capital Centre Pride, 2002-03) has been named one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I college hockey.

MEISNER'S CONTRACT NOT RENEWED: Wichita Falls announced that head coach Brian Meisner's contract will not be renewed for the 2007-08 season. The Wildcats have begun an immediate search for his replacement.

FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

North Iowa Outlaws vs. Fargo-Moorhead Jets

Friday, April 6 @ Fargo-Moorhead, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 7 @ Fargo-Moorhead, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 13 @ North Iowa, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, April 14 @ North Iowa, 7:05 p.m.*

Monday, April 16 @ Fargo-Moorhead, 7:35 p.m.*

Alexandria Blizzard vs. Southern Minnnesota Express

Friday, April 6 @ Southern Minnesota, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, April 7 @ Southern Minnesota, 7:05 p.m.

Friday, April 13 @ Alexandria, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 14 @ Alexandria, 7:00 p.m.*

Sunday, April 15 @ Southern Minnesota, 5:05 p.m.*

Marquette Rangers vs. Mahoning Valley Phantoms

Thursday, April 5 @ Mahoning Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 6 @ Mahoning Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, April 9 @ Marquette, 7:35 p.m.

Tuesday, April 10 @ Marquette, 7:35 p.m.*

Saturday, April 14 @ Mahoning Valley, 7:30 p.m.*

USNTDP vs Alpena IceDiggers

Saturday, April 7 @ Alpena, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 8 @ Alpena, 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 12 @ USNTDP, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 13 @ USNTDP, 7:00 p.m.*

Saturday, April 14 @ Alpena, 7:00 p.m.*

Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. St. Louis Bandits

Saturday, April 7 @ Fairbanks, 7:30 p.m.

Sununday, April 8 @ Fairbanks, 5:00 p.m.

Friday, April 13 @ St. Louis, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 14 @ St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.*

Sunday, April 15 @ St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.*

Texas Tornado vs. Santa Fe RoadRunners

Friday, April 6 @ Santa Fe, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, April 7 @ Santa Fe, 7:05 p.m.

Friday, April 13 @ Texas, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 14 @ Texas, 7:30 p.m. *

Monday, April 16 @ Santa Fe 7:05 p.m.*

* if necessary

(all times local)

North American Hockey League Stories from April 3, 2007

• IceDiggers to honor host families - Alpena IceDiggers
• Phantoms' championship run begins Thursday - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
• Phantoms streak into playoffs - NAHL

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