Youngstown Begins NAHL Play After Impressive Preseason
September 16, 2004 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
BOARDMAN, OH (Thursday, September 16, 2004) -- After winning all five of their exhibition games, the Youngstown Phantoms will begin their second season in the Junior-A North American Hockey League this weekend when they travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a pair of games against the USA 18-and-Under National Team. The series opener is scheduled for tomorrow -- Friday, September 17 -- at 7:00 p.m. and the two teams will go head-to-head again at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 19 as the 56-game NAHL regular season gets underway.
Youngstown Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt has a total of nine players returning from a club that compiled a 28-21-7 mark last season and finished tied for fourth in the NAHL North Division. Included in that group of returnees are the top three scorers from a year ago -- center Rob Rassey (53 points -- 19 goals, 34 assists), left wing Aaron Rhyner (45 points -- 29 goals, 16 assists) and right wing Anthony Canzoneri (40 points -- 15 goals, 25 assists).
"That group is very important to us," Mainhardt said. "You can look at each one of them and see that they're all good hockey players. Plus they're experienced, they're hard workers and they're good people. Having them back is a huge plus."
The Phantoms opened exhibition play by registering back-to-back victories over the Cleveland Barons on September 4&5 by scores of 6-5 and 5-2. Youngstown notched three more victories up in Boston last weekend, defeating the New England Huskies (4-0), Boston Junior Bruins (3-0) and New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (2-1 in an overtime shootout). Mainhardt is optimistic that the success his club enjoyed during the preseason will carry over into the regular season.
"Any time you step on the ice you play to win, so it was good to get those victories under our belts," Mainhardt said. "We were pretty sure we would be able to score enough goals, but we also wanted to play well defensively because that was a huge part of our success last season. I believe we have the depth and a style that should enable us to take care of both ends of the ice.
"The USA 18-and-Under Team is probably the most skilled team in the country. They're the 17-and-Under Team that we had such great battles with last season (Phantoms went 6-2-1 against them). Ninety percent of that team is still together, so it will be a great way for us to open the regular season."
For more information about the Youngstown Phantoms, members of the media should contact Jim Lachimia at (412) 708-9301 or jlatch@zoominternet.net.
North American Hockey League Stories from September 16, 2004
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