Weekend Proves Phantoms are Among NAHL Elite
November 9, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
BOARDMAN, OHIO (Monday, November 5, 2007) - Earning three of a possible four points this weekend, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms exhibited why they are among the best in the league, going 1-0-1 against the NAHL North Division leading St. Louis Bandits at the Ice Zone.
The Phantoms home opener on Friday night proved to be another offensive clinic. Mahoning Valley notched three goals in a 2 minute, 46 second span of the second period, to pull ahead 5-0 before the halfway point in the game.
"The first game at home you're always going to have a lot of adrenaline pumping," said Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt on the team's quick start. "We just had to make sure we didn't get too emotional and kept our heads about us. I thought we did a pretty good job of that."
Led by rookie forward Nick Kenney's two goals - and two-point efforts from Johnny Meo, Kurt Washnock, and Chad Boeckman - the Phantoms were able to open up enough of a lead to hang on for a 5-3 win.
"He has been working real hard," Mainhardt said about Kenney. "We're really proud of him, he deserved that. I was just real happy to see his hard work come to fruition."
Fans were treated to some physicality as well. Eight fighting majors were handed out on Friday, highlighted by three separate scraps during the same stoppage in play. Although the Phantoms won the fights, it was St. Louis that made a run afterwards.
"We made some questionable decisions late in the game," Mainhardt says. "It got us in trouble and they got a couple of late ones.
"It's part of the learning curve to learn how to play with the lead," Mainhardt went on. "In hindsight, it is probably a good thing that we were able to learn that lesson and still salvage the game."
Saturday's game was played with an entirely different tone. After a scoreless first period, Bandits forward Sam Bozoian netted a wrister from the right circle at 7:34 of the second, giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead.
Phantoms forward Derek Graham then tied the game up at 5:14 of the third period, converting a 2-on-1. With the goal, Graham has now scored in seven consecutive games - an all-time Phantoms record.
Goaltenders Garrett Bartus and Mike Johnson, then traded big saves for the next 20 minutes of regulation and overtime, before the Bandits outscored the Phantoms 3-1 in the shoot-out, taking home a 2-1 win.
"We have played five games now in eight days," said Phantoms assistant coach Curtis Carr after Saturday's shoot-out loss. "I think we looked a little tired for 40 minutes. The home crowd got us going there for the last 20 though, and we were able to get a point out of it."
Bartus stopped 61 of the 65 shots he faced this weekend, moving his record to 6-1-2. He is now third in the league in save percentage (.926).
"Garrett Bartus played a great game in net for us," Carr said. "He showed again tonight that he can come up big for us."
On the whole, the second place Phantoms (10-5-2, 22 pts.) moved one point closer to the Bandits (14-3-0, 28 pts.) in the NAHL North standings. Mahoning Valley is now three points clear of the Ice Diggers (9-6-1, 19 pts.) in third place, as the teams face-off again this weekend for a two-game series in Alpena.
Game time on Friday and Saturday night against the Ice Diggers is set for 7 p.m. at Northern Lights Arena. Catch all the action live at www.mvpphantoms.com.
Notes
Third-year Phantom Brent Dexter played in his 139th game in a Mahoning Valley uniform on Saturday, further surpassing the previous all-time mark of 136 held by Anthony Ciraulo. Dexter broke the record last Tuesday in a 10-2 win at Team USA.
The Phantoms home opening weekend was a great success. The nearly 1400 fans that packed the Ice Zone in Boardman were treated to some of the best hockey of the season, between two of the top organizations in the NAHL.
"The fans here at the Ice Zone are great," Carr said about the atmosphere the hometown crowd provided in the team's home opening weekend. "The energy was real good. The noise really gave our players a lot of motivation."
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 9, 2007
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- Weekend Proves Phantoms are Among NAHL Elite - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
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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.
