Sweep Gives Phantoms Room To Breathe
March 3, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
BOARDMAN, Ohio - Knowing that the Alpena Ice Diggers sat just a point behind them in the race for second place in the North American Hockey League North Division, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms grasped the importance of their weekend series against their rivals before they even laced up their skates.
Due in large part to a 3-6-1 record in their previous 10 games, the Phantoms found themselves fighting not only for playoff positioning when they took the ice on Friday night, but also for their playoff lives.
The Phantoms answered the call right out of the gates, however, when Chad Boeckman scored midway through the first period. Boeckman's teammates also found their offensive grooves again, rolling off four second period tallies en route to a 6-3 win.
"The guys really just took care of the little things," said Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt after Friday's game. "Guys were finishing hits, going hard to the net, and outworking (Alpena's) defensemen down low. This is what we were missing the past few weeks, and it was really nice to see the guys dig deep and play the way they can play."
Three unlikely contributors stepped up on Friday night to help lead the Phantoms. Veteran defenseman Eric Ringel slotted a pair of powerplay goals, while forwards Stefan Salituro and Brian McGinty collected a goal and an assist each to help the team end its three-game losing streak.
Phantoms goaltender Garrett Bartus turned aside 37 of 40 Alpena shots to notch his 19th win of the season, while holding the NAHL's second-best powerplay unit to just one goal on six opportunities.
Saturday night's affair was played much to the same tune. The Phantoms dominated the early going, scoring three goals in the first frame, and two more in the second, before Alpena could even answer.
After establishing a 5-0 lead for the second straight night, the Phantoms cruised to the 6-2 victory - their seventh win in 10 games against Alpena this year. The teams will play twice more before the end of the regular season.
"I thought that was the best 60 minutes we've played this half, if not maybe the entire season," said Phantoms assistant coach Curtis Carr about the win. "Everyone was working hard, playing as a team and staying pretty focused, and I think it showed in the score."
Jordan Tibbett fought off 38 of 40 Ice Diggers shots to secure his eighth win of the season. Tibbett and the Phantoms held Alpena without a single powerplay goal on 11 chances.
Derek Graham, the Phantoms' top scorer, paced the team, scoring twice and adding a helper in Saturday's win. Centering Grant Blakey and the recently healthy Alden Hirschfeld, Graham helped lead the team's top line to a combined seven points.
"Graham is a dynamic offensive player that came up big this weekend when we needed him to," said Mainhardt. "Not only did he produce offensively, but his defense and penalty killing was a huge part of our success this weekend."
When combined with his two assists on Friday, Graham totaled five points on the weekend, bumping his season output to 62 - seventh among league scorers.
"It is just good to see Graham put two games together statistically," says Carr. "But regardless if he's putting points up, he's been playing well for us every single night on penalty kill, face-offs, and he is creating offense, even if he isn't putting up the numbers."
Further adding to the success of the weekend, the Phantoms auctioned off special edition purple and pink, Relay for Life jerseys after Saturday's game. The event helped put thousands of dollars towards the fight against cancer.
Following Saturday's game, the Ice Diggers (27-19-5, 59 points) headed up to Ann Arbor, Mich. for a matinee on Sunday against the U.S. National Team. Alpena walked away with a 4-2 win, gained two points back in the standings, and are now just three points behind the Phantoms.
With only nine games left in the regular season, the second place Phantoms (29-16-4, 62 points) can clinch a playoff spot with another sweep this coming weekend at the Marquette Rangers (24-23-3, 51 points) - currently tied for fourth with Traverse City. The North Stars have used an 8-0-1 record in their last nine games to climb back into contention for a playoff spot.
The top four teams in each of the NAHL's three divisions will make the playoffs. The first round of best-of-five series will commence the first week of April.
The opening face-offs between the Rangers and the Phantoms are set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights at Lakeview Arena. Catch all the action broadcast live on the web at www.mvpphantoms.com. The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2008
- Jr. Blues Greco, Larke and Patterson shine at Top Prospect Showcase - Springfield Jr. Blues
- It's business as usual for Bandits - NAHL
- IceDiggers To Honor Housing Parents - Alpena IceDiggers
- Bantam Phantoms Crowned Playoff Champions - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- U.S. National U-17 Team To Play At Traverse City Tuesday And Two Contests At Alpena This Weekend - U.S. National Team
- Sweep Gives Phantoms Room To Breathe - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Wildcats on 11-game Winning Streak - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Jet's player of the week - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Fargo-Moorhead Jets Weekly - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
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