Phantoms Topple North Stars in Shootout for First Place
November 28, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
YOUNGSTOWN, OH - The Mahoning Valley Phantoms grabbed their fifth straight win, downing the Traverse City North Stars 3-2 on Friday night to surge into first place atop the NAHL's North Division.
After giving up two second-period goals to the North Stars (13-3-3, 29 pts), the Phantoms (14-4-2, 30 pts) rallied defensively to shut out Traverse City over the final 35-plus minutes of the game, including overtime.
For the second straight game, Phantoms goaltender Jordan Tibbett (11-2-0) kept a clean net in overtime and the shootout, turning away four North Stars shot in the extra frame. He then shut down shooters Jarrod LaBelle, David Johnstone and Kyle Bonis in the shootout to pull Mahoning Valley to the top spot in the division.
Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt said that Tibbett has excelled in pressure situations this season.
"He's been âJohnny on the Spot' for us all year," said Mainhardt, "and he continued to do that tonight. It's great for us to have him playing so consistently."
The line of Erik Higby, Stefan Salituro and Jordy Trottier combined for both regulation goals for the Phantoms and all three shootout goals on Friday. Trottier opened the scoring with 15:51 left in the first period and Higby later added his 6th goal of the year to put the Phantoms up 2-0.
Salituro, who assisted on both goals and scored in the shootout, said his line hit a nice groove on Friday.
"We really started clicking tonight," said the Toronto, ONT, native. "We've been playing together for a couple weeks and it seemed that everything fell into place here. Now we hope we can carry it through for the next few games."
The North Stars tied the game in the second period on goals from Nathan Urbaniak and Marc Thompson, but were not able to find the net for the rest of the night.
The shootout thriller played out in front of an announced crowd of 3,981 at the Chevrolet Centre as fans filled the seats for the "Rev Up America" rally in support of the local automotive industry.
UAW Local 1112 President Jim Graham, US Representatives Tim Ryan and Charlie Wilson, US Representative-elect John Boccieri and Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams all spoke as part of the rally, urging everyone in attendance to support the Mahoning Valley economy by buying American-made automobiles.
The game was also part of the six-team NAHL North Division Showcase, hosted by the Phantoms. In other Showcase action, the Alpena IceDiggers blanked the Motor City Machine 1-0 and the St. Louis Bandits snapped a five-game losing streak as they shut out the Marquette Rangers 4-0.
The Phantoms host the Rangers in the nightcap Saturday night at 7:15 PM at the Ice Zone in Boardman. The game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 1240, WBBW, with the pregame show starting at 7:00 PM.
Phantoms season tickets and individual game tickets are on sale now at the Phantom Box Office at the Ice Zone in Boardman. Call (330) 965-7500 for more information.
The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.
North American Hockey League Stories from November 28, 2008
- RoadRunners Win in Shootout - Topeka Pilots
- Mahoning claims shootout win - Traverse City North Stars
- Phantoms Topple North Stars in Shootout for First Place - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Rangers Fall on Friday - Marquette Rangers
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