The inaugural season of the Youngstown Phantoms USHL membership came to a close on Saturday.  The Phantoms came out on the short end of the stick, losing to Cedar Rapids, 4-1.  Cedar Rapids is a strong team already locked in as a #2 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.  The Phantoms played hard and have nothing to be ashamed of in losing to the Roughriders (38-19-3).  In fact, I am sure Cedar Rapids is happy to be leaving Youngstown.

The first period did not produce a score for either team and the Roughriders outshot the Phantoms 11-5.  Both teams had powerplay opportunities, but the man advantage would yield no goals either way.  Hits were plentiful and the refs were busy in a physical game picking up right where it left off Friday night.

At the 8:10 mark of the second period, the Roughriders took a 1-0 lead.  Michael Parks knocked in the puck to record his 11th score of the season.  Derek DeBlois recorded an assist on the only even-strength goal of the night.

Stu Wilson, who scored his second goal of the year on Friday, connected again Saturday.  Wilson’s goal was assisted by Thomas Fallen and helped the Roughriders capitalize on the two-man advantage powerplay chance.  Tibbett could not have done much to stop this goal as he was shielded and leaning the wrong way when Wilson let it rip.

With just 14 seconds elapsed on the goal that made it 2-0 in favor of the visitors, Cedar Rapids connected again to increase their lead to 3-0.   Max Bennett tallied at the 12:32 mark from close range.  The Roughriders were still on a powerplay, it just turned into a one-man advantage after the Wilson goal.

Jordan Tibbett stepped up and made a diving save, perhaps the save of the year, for the Phantoms.  Tibbett was blocked away by a crease camper and picked up on a flying puck coming his way.  The reaction to dive across the crease to glove the biscuit and rob Jeff Costello was brilliant.

Ty Loney, in his 17th game for the Phantoms, cut the Cedar Rapids lead to 3-1 with 3:25 left in a busy second period.  Dylan Margonari and Nick Czinder picked up assists on the Phantoms powerplay goal.

Cedar Rapids held the attacking Phantoms at bay in the final period.  Bryce Aneloski dumped an empty-netter in with ten seconds remaining in the contest to close out the scoring and insure a 4-1 victory for the playoff-bound Roughriders.

After the game, Phantoms Coach Curt Carr reflected on the team’s strong finish.  “We will be getting alot of these guys back next year, and these last ten games have shown people what they are capable of.  I would give them a grade of B+ over that span.”

The Phantoms finished the season with a 20-36-4 record.  After the game, which was donned “Fan Appreciation Night“, a jersey auction was held.  As I shook hands with many of the players, some of which will return to Youngstown next season, I realized how it is possible to take young men from all walks of life and geographically distant locations and assimilate their focus to a common goal. 

Some, like Jefferson Dahl, will play college hockey next season and will not be back.  Dahl enjoyed Youngstown and reflected on the up-and-down season.  “It is looking pretty positive here for next season.  There is a real good core of guys who will be back next year and there are some leaders, they will do some damage.”  Dahl is off to Wisconsin to continue playing hockey while he attends college.

Over a six month stretch, I was never bored at a Phantoms game, not once.  The staff and management worked hard to provide wholesome family entertainment.  The one complaint was that the attendance was not what I envisioned.  Dollar beer night at a Scrappers game packs the house.  At a Phantoms ‘bargain beer night’, attendance numbers stayed steady but never exploded.  With a beautiful facility to play in, I would only hope for increased attendance next season. 

With that being said, thank you to the Zoldans for the access and hospitality.  Thank you Bob Mainhardt for all of the great quotes and insight on what to expect at his level.  Thank you Curt Carr and good luck with the baby.  Thank you Matt Gajtka for being the ultimate professional and a friend at all times.  Thank you Richard Young for reminding me that there are consequences when you go on tilt.  A big thank you to all of the players and the very best wishes as you pursue your dream.

Friday, The Curtis Carr Era was officially kicked into ‘go‘ mode.  Unfortunately for the Youngstown Phantoms, the opponent was the Western Conference leading Omaha Lancers.  The Lancers beat the Phantoms earlier in the week, 6-1, in Omaha.  Much had changed since that game.  Bob Mainhardt was out, Carr was in, and Troy Loney’s son was now a Phantom. 

All of the changes were not a factor as Youngstown dropped their sixth consecutive home game, 4-1.  Matt White had a pair of goals for the Lancers and Jeff Teglia turned away 24 of 25 Phantoms shots to garner the win between the pipes. 

Carr thought that Youngstown played better than they have in awhile.  “We had opportunities to win the game and that is all you can ask for.  I’m very happy with the effort of the guys and they battled until the end.”  In reality, a goal was taken away and a couple of bad breaks were the difference in a very hard-fought game.

Action was fast in the first period.  It seemed like most of the opening stanza was played between the blue lines near center ice.  Matt White, tied for the league lead in goals scored in the USHL coming in, missed a wide open net, but about three minutes later, at the 18:12 mark of the first period, White made up for it.  Erik Haula picked up the assist, his 38th of the season.  For White, it was goal 27 on the season.  At the end of one, the Lancers were ahead of the Phantoms 1-0.

Jiri Sekac appeared to tie the contest after a controversial goal chance at the 9:20 mark of the second period.  Sekac was just on the border of the goal crease and Lancer Goaltender Jeff Teglia was close to having possession of the puck when Sekac knocked it barely over the line.  The goal was not allowed after a five-minute delay and discussion as the referee, Boone Bruggman, ruled the play was dead before Sekac got the puck over the line.

Dan Senkbeil couldn’t handle a puck cleared to center with 4:56 left in the second period, and as a result White had his second goal of the game, a beautiful breakaway that beat Jordan Tibbett.  Seth Ambroz picked up the assist on White’s 28th of the season which put Omaha up 2-0.  The pair of goals by White broke a tie atop the USHL Goal Leaders with Green Bay’s Anders Lee and in all probability was enough to claim the top spot in that category.

Omaha’s Teglia opened the third period looking for his fourth shutout of the season having stymied the Phantoms to this point of the game.  With 11:42 left in the game, the former Pittsburgh Hornet, Dylan Margonari, collected his first Phantoms goal to cut the lead to 2-1, breaking up Teglia’s shutout bid.  Cody Strang got an assist on the goal.

A minute later, the Lancers reclaimed the two-goal lead and went up 3-1 when Tom Craig snuck a short drive past Tibbett off of a faceoff.  Camden Wojtala was credited with an assist.

With 6:03 left in the game, Omaha pushed their lead to 4-1 as Seth Ambroz’s wrist shot snuck in just under the crossbar.  Dakota Eveland and Greg Wolfe were given assists on the score, an even-strength tally.

The Phantoms (15-28-2) were outshot by the Lancers (31-12-3), 30-25.  The two teams will reset the scoeboard and face off again on Saturday.

Richard Yound Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming into 2-19 game vs Omaha:  149 penalty minutes (USHL leader).

After 2-19 game vs Omaha:  151 penalty minutes.

Richard Young barely played Friday night, but still managed to head to his Summer home for a couple of minutes.  Young picked up a two-minute minor for boarding in the second period.

The Youngstown Phantoms went into their crucial matchup with Waterloo in an unfamiliar place, last. For the first time all season, the Phantoms were in the basement, trailing Team USA by two points. The Phantoms are 1-10-0 in 2010 and if they lost one or even both games to Waterloo, the postseason could be very hard to reach.  The time was perfect to make a push.

Waterloo was in playoff position before this one started and did nothing to hurt their standing. The Black Hawks earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory to send the reeling Phantoms to their sixth consecutive loss.

The Phantoms and Black Hawks skated a scoreless first period. Waterloo took ten shots against Jordan Tibbett and Youngstown had nine stopped by CJ Motte.  The play was physical as both teams were hitting hard.

In the second period, Taylor Holstrom put the Phantoms in front 1-0 with his eleventh of the season.  The goal came at the 9:43 mark as Holstrom connected at even-strength.

Tyler Barnes picked up an unassisted powerplay goal that tied the contest.  For Barnes, it was goal number 20 on the year.  The Phantoms had just finished wiping out a two-man Black Hawks advantage and yielded the goal down one skater.

With 9:57 left in the game, Derek Arnold slid a shot through the crease and into the twine past Tibbett whose momentum was taking him away from the direction the puck was headed.  Brock Montpetit made the cross-crease pass and was awarded an assist on the beautiful feed that gave Waterloo a 2-1 lead.

Arnold got an empty netter, officially his second of the game, with 30 seconds left in the game to close the scoring with Waterloo ahead 3-1.  The Phantoms took 33 shots as compared to Waterloo’s 31.

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Into Waterloo 2/5 Game: 126 Penalty Minutes (USHL Leader).

After 2/5 Waterloo Game: 130 Penalty Minutes.

Young had a couple of games he missed due to injury.  He pretty much was not allowed to fight against Team USA 17 & Under and had not played many minutes in recent contests.  Young snagged a two-minute minor for elbowing in the second.  In the third period, Young got another minor for a delay of game penalty.  Four minutes, modest night.

The Youngstown Phantoms returned to action following a ten-day layoff, a mandatory break that the USHL takes each year for the Christmas Holiday.  The Phanoms unwrapped a 4-3 win over the visiting Waterloo Black Hawks before a good crowd at the Covelli Centre as Jordan Tibbett made 41 saves and Jefferson Dahl was a kneepad shy of a hat trick.

The return to the ice was without Coach Bob Mainhardt who drew a one-game suspension from league headquarters for his outburst in a 9-3 loss against Team USA.  Associate Coach and Director of Player Personnel, Curt Carr, played top banana for an evening, a role he is quite capable of.

Mainhardt spoke of his brief vacation.  “I got three days off, seemed like an eternity.  It was very nice to get some time in with the family, but it’s a little bit painful to watch the game and not have much input as to what is going on.  It reinforces some thoughts and brings up other things I may not have seen before. I’ll be back on the bench for the next game.”

The Phantoms struck first as Jefferson Dahl collected a shorthanded goal at the 8:40 mark of the first period. The goal was Dahl’s tenth of the season and eighth time the Phantoms connected with the other team holding a numbers advantage on the season.  Dahl stayed hot as this goal marked the fifth game in a row he has hit the back of the opponents netting.

Dahl’s shorthanded score would stand as the lone goal of the first period. The Phantoms were outshot 13-9 in the opening period thanks in part to Waterloo drawing four penalties against the Phantoms. Despite the penalties, Youngstown, behind Jordan Tibbett, was able to keep the Black Hawks off of the scoreboard.

The Phantoms would tally again at the 10:41 mark of the second period courtesy of Tom Serratore. Serratore’s goal was assisted by Dahl and David Donnellan and was a successful powerplay conversion. Serratore beat Waterloo goaltender CJ Motte with a short-range blast for his eighth goal of the season.

At the 16:30 mark of the second period, Dahl collected his second goal of the evening. Dahl was assisted by Stuart Higgins and Richard Young on the even-strength score, which put Youngstown up 3-0.

Waterloo managed to score at the 18:39 mark of the second period on their own powerplay goal to cut the lead to 3-1. Brock Monpetit capitalized for Waterloo with assistes from Nick Sorkin and Soren Jonzzon.

Scott Mayfield connected on another powerplay goal for the Phantoms at the 9:01 mark of the third period to regain the three goal lead. Goalee Jordan Tibbett picked up the rare offensive assist on Mayfield’s fifth of the year.

Jonzzon cut the lead to 4-2 at the 10:12 mark of the third with an even-strength goal. The assists went to Nick Ebert and Jamie Hill as the Black Hawks showed no signs of throwing in the towel.

The Black Hawks again scored to cut the fast-evaporating lead to 4-3. Ebert connected from 10 feet as Tibbett had already stopped over 40 shots in the game but could not stop the rocket fired by Ebert.

The Phantoms held on to improve to 13-11-2 on the season. Waterloo dipped to 9-15-1. Tibbett stopped 44 shots in garnering the win between the pipes. Goodness, nothing is easy.

Jefferson Dahl, who will play hockey for Wisconsin next season, is on a roll.  “Before Christmas break, we kind of went into a slump, so it felt real good to win the first game back after the break.  I am on a great line and have had good chances.  It just felt great to help get a win.”

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming Into 12/29 Game: 118 Penalty Minutes (Leads USHL)

Following 12/29 Game: 120 Penalty Minutes

Young was a jovial host during warmups as he chatted it up with members of the visiting Waterloo Black Hawks.  He was almost surely filled with some leftover Christmas spirit.

The peaceful and festive Richard Young that we are unaccustomed to was gone by the time the third period began as Young picked up a two-minute minor at the 5:02 mark.  However, that would be it.  Merry Christmas, Waterloo.

It was a rematch of opening night and the first meeting since for the two competing squads.  The Youngstown Phantoms were leading that game 2-0 before the Indiana Ice overpowered the expansion hosts, who ended up losing 6-2.  Thursday, there had to be revenge on the minds of the Phantoms.

Revenge would have to wait as Indiana shut out Youngstown, 3-0.  Goaltender Cab Morris was on his game and held the Phantoms scoreless to earn his third shutout of the season.  The Phantoms actually outshot the Ice, but Jordan Tibbett came out on the short end of the stick despite one of his best efforts of the year for the Phantoms. 

Each team had a couple of powerplay chances in the first period, but no one managed to score a goal.  It marked only the third time that Youngstown played a scoreless first period this season. 

At the 7:43 mark of the second period, Bryon Paulazzo scored his sixth of the season to put the Ice up 1-0.  Picking up assists on the goal were Nic Dowd and Max Cook.  The Paulazzo goal would end up being the lone score of the game after two periods. 

Paulazzo connected again in the third period, this time on the powerplay.  Paulazzo was assisted by Cook in scoring his second goal of the game at the 6:45 mark of the third period.

For the Ice, Cab Morris was trying for his third shutout of the season between the pipes.  At the 17:22 mark, John Parker  took a pass from Alexander Kuqali to put the Ice ahead 3-0.   All that was left to determine at this point in the game was whether or not Morris could blank the Phantoms.

Morris turned away 22 Phantoms shots to earn his third shutout of the season.  Tibbett faced 20 Ice shots and stopped 17.

With the victory, the Ice climbed to 13-8-1 and the Phantoms fell to 10-9-2.  The Phantoms take to the road and head to Michigan to play Team USA on Friday and Saturday.  All of the action from both games can be heard on AM-1240 with Matt Gajtka calling ‘em like he sees ‘em.

This was not the way Coach Bob Mainhardt wanted to start the three-day stretch of games.  “We lost too many one-on-one battles tonight and they [Indiana] just wanted it more.  It’s obviously not how we wanted to start this stretch, but we will have to bounce back and show some maturity.  We know we will have to play better if we are going to het a couple of wins against Team USA”.

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming into 12/10 game vs Indiana:  114 Penalty Minutes (USHL Leader).

After 12/10 game vs Indiana:  116 Minutes.

In the first period, Young actually drew a penalty against the visiting Ice and almost blew his stack, but was restrained before the gloves could fly.  Indiana had the second lowest penalty minute total in the league coming into Youngstown.  Young picked up a two minute minor in the third period for roughing, but no takers on scrapping.

The Youngstown Phantoms stretched their regular season record to 4-0 against the Chicago Steel.  Matt Mahalak gave up one late goal which spoiled his shutout bid, but the offense had enough to get him the win in taking down the Steel 3-1 in a game marred by a mele for the ages in the third period. Tom Serratore (pictured), the #1 Star of The Game had a goal and an assist.

The Phantoms got on the scoreboard first at the 16:35 mark of the first period as Taylor Holstrom connected just to Chicago Goaltender Nick Pisellini’s stick side.  Holstrom’s sixth on the season was assisted by Brett Gensler and Ben Paulides.  The goal would be the only score by either team in the first period and the Phantoms would take a 1-0 lead to the locker room for intermission.  The 16 shots on goal that the Phantoms took in the first period tied their season-high, an accomplishment met twice earlier this season.

There was no scoring in the second period.  Chicago had two powerplay chances and Youngstown had one, but nobody could find the nets.  The Steel outshot the Phantoms 11-5 in the period as Matt Mahalak was stellar between the pipes for Youngstown.

At exactly the 10 minute mark, Adam Berkle got his second goal in as many nights.  The goal by Berkle, which extended the Phantoms lead to 2-0, was assisted by Tom Serratore and Brian Dowd. 

All hell broke loose when Stuart Higgins and Alex Simonson were set to draw at the right faceoff circle in the Phantoms zone and  Simonson opted to sucker punch Higgins instead of trying to win the draw which prompted a pier six brawl with 9:01 left in the game.  Ryan Jasinsky was sent off for a ten-minute major minute fighting penalty.    Richard Young picked up another five for fighting penalty, an automatic ejection because it was his second fight on the evening.  Newcomer Jiri Sekac even got tossed but surely gained the respect of his new Phantoms mates.

At the 15:24 mark of the third, Mark Anthione broke up the Mahalak shutout bid with a goal.  Jake Chelios and Andrei Kuchin picked up assists on the goal that cut the Phantoms lead to just a 2-1 margin.

With 3:26 left in the game, the Phantoms Tom Serratore answered off of a nice pass from Nick Czinder.  For Serratore, it was his fifth on the year and Czinder picked up his fifth assist of the season to reclaim a two goal lead for the Youngstown Phantoms which is how this one would end.

Coach Bob Mainhardt was very satisfied.  “These last two nights were probably the best 120 minutes of hockey we played.  Give credit to Matt Mahalak, the kid will be an NHL goaltender someday.  I was happy with the complete effort we got tonight.”

Mahalak praised his defense.  “They were diving and blocking shots, I was able to see everything that I stopped and that is a credit to the team.  We are really starting to pick it up.  We knew who their shooters were with Anthione and Wolfe, and what our defense wasn’t blocking I was able to stop for the most part.” 

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming into 12/5 Chicago game:  94 Penalty Minutes (USHL Leader)

After the 12/5 Chicago game:  104 Penalty Minutes

A trend with Richard Young has been developing over the past few games.  Behave for the first two periods and go nuts in the third.  Tonight was no exception as Young and Charlie Thauwald dropped the gloves for a second consecutive night.  There were no cheap WWE takedowns in this one as Young and Thauwald traded punches with Young landing the big blow in the end.  The result was five more minutes in the box for the USHL leader in penalty minutes.  Young was ejected for a second fight giving him ten minutes on the evening.  Young spoke after the game saying, “Gotta give the people what they want.  They want to see a fight, they like the hitting, and we delivered tonight with both.”

For some reason, the Chicago Steel (10-8-3)are ahead of the Youngstown Phantoms (9-8-2) in the standings but can never seem to get by them on the ice. The Phantoms used timely third period heroics to take the verdict, 6-4. Luke Eibler (pictured) hit a game winner and Jefferson Dahl put it away with an empty netter.

The Steel did not take long, 1:30 into the first period to be exact, to put a goal on the board. Mark Anthione beat Jordan Tibbett with a wrist shot. Anthione was assisted by Sahir Gill and Patrick Raley on the quick goal.

The first period ended with Chicago ahead 1-0. Both teams had three powerplay chances each but neither could capitalize. Chicago outshot Youngstown 11-7 and both goalies, Tibbett for Youngstown and Nick Pisellini for Chicago, made a couple of nice saves to keep the scoring down.

Adam Berkle took less than a minute to score the tying goal on a nice feed from Tom Serratore. The goal, scored at the 19:02 mark of the second period was Berkle’s fifth of the year.

David Donnellan gave the Phantoms a short-lived 2-1 lead at 2:55 into the second period. Donnellan was assisted by Dan Senkbeil on the go-ahead score.

Jake Chelios, son of future NHL Hall of Famer  Chris Chelios, scored from about 50 feet away as the puck was curving and bouncing and somehow got past Tibbett to tie the game at two apiece at the 16:33 mark of the second period. Zack Rall picked up the cheap assist for the Steel.

Gill put the Steel back in front, 3-2, as he beat Tibbett on a nice pass from Patrick Raley. The goal was a powerplay at the 15:32 mark of the second period, Chicago’s first successful conversion after five previous advantages that failed.

The Phantoms tied the game with a powerplay goal of their own with less than a second left in the second period. Ryan Jasinsky connected off of a shot that hit the crossbar of the Chicago goal and slid out of the crease where Jasinsky was able to knock it home.

Just 1:24 into the third period, and five seconds into a powerplay, Gill scored again for the Steel. The goal gave Chicago a 4-3 lead. Gill’s second goal of the game was assisted by Andrei Kuchin.

Scott Mayfield, who earlier in the week drew praise from Bob Mainhardt for his efforts, tied the game at 4-4 on a shorthanded goal. Mayfield was assisted by Donnellan at the 14:19 mark of the final period. It was Mayfield’s fifth goal of the year.

With 3:05 left in the game, the Phantoms took a 5-4 lead when Luke Eibler made a beautiful move after receiving a pass from Taylor Holstrom. For Eibler, it was his sixth goal of the year. Eibler skated from the right faceoff circle toward the left side of the crease to beat Pisellini.

Jefferson Dahl put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal giving the Phantoms a 6-4 lead with just 46 seconds remaining in the game. Mayfield picked up the assist on the free chance.

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Penalty Minutes Entering 12/4 game: 89

Penalty Minutes After 12/4 game: 94

Young was on his best behavior until the very beginning of the third period. Chicago Forward Charlie Thauwald dropped the gloves to fight with Young and just landed on top of him. Young went to his second home, the penalty box, feeling cheated as he was taken down with a cheap WWE move.

Coach Mainhardt was happy with his team.  “That was the best 60 minutes of hockey we have played so far this year.  Chicago is a great team and near the top of the standings for a reason.  They will show up ready tomorrow.”

Luke Eibler was elated he got to help the team make a difference, as just a couple of weeks ago he was a medical scratch with a bad shoulder.  “Coach told me not to pinch because they would run and gun if we collapsed in the zone.  Holstrom made a great pass between the defenders legs and I was in position to make a good shot.  It felt great to be on the ice.  Seems like we are clicking on all cylinders and Cody [Strang] and I are happy to be out there with the guys helping to get a win.”

These Chicago – Youngstown games have been very entertaining and Saturday will mark the regular season finale in Youngstown.  The two teams do play again in Chicago on March 31, but treat yourself to guaranteed good hockey Saturday night, December 5, at the Covelli Centre.

The Youngstown Phantoms have shown bursts of greatness and breakdowns of unthinkable proportion, sometimes in the same game.  Bob Mainhardt, the Phantoms GM and Coach, never holds back after a game when giving quotes to the media, win or lose.  Alex Zoldan, the Phantoms President has opinions too, but in a much quieter demeanor.  I recently caught up with both of them to assess the team after one third of the season has been played.

Mainhardt gives his team the letter grade of a ‘C’ to this point.  He feels that many of the individuals on the team are striving toward becoming better hockey players.  However, sometimes the team loses focus and leaves the coach scratching his head.  “These guys know that every day they must show up and earn their spot.”

We discussed the progress of some Phantoms players.  Fan-favorite Richard Young was first to be discussed.  Mainhardt said that Young is maturing and getting better at picking the opportunities where a fight may lift the team a notch.  “He is maturing and starting to understand his role, Rich is a very good hockey player.  He is not a guy that we are just looking to tade off for five minutes at a time.  He is doing a real good job so far.”

In the first third of the season, Mainhardt cited Taylor Holstrom as the biggest surprise.  “Holstrom has exceeded my expectations and has shown that he belongs night in and night out.  It’s no fluke, he is one of the few ‘A’s’ I would give out so far.”

Jordan Tibbett, coming off of a hand injury, and Matt Mahalak have both done good work between the pipes for the Phantoms.  “We set it up where these two guys would push one another.  We are definitely nearing a point where we are going to hand the reigns over to one of the two guys and let them steer us the rest of the way home.  They are still battling it out, and I couldn’t be happier than having these two guys playing well.”

The return of Luke Eibler was something Mainhardt was quick to praise.  “Luke is good for about four or five big hits a game.  If a guy gets one big hit a game, he is considered a big hitter.  Luke brings a physical presence and a competitive spirit, he hates to lose.  He is completely in a routine and wants to do whatever he has to so that we win.”

Ryan Jasinsky is not putting up the numbers yet, but Mainhardt commented on his recent play.  “Ryan has been productive enough, would we like him to be more productive? Yeah.  We are comitted to developing these guys into what they can be and he has really taken some big strides to get going.”

Brett Gensler was lighting it up but has been quiet on the scoring end lately.  Mainhardt feels Gensler will get it going again soon.  “He [Gensler] is a guy that needs to be in the right combination.  He has been getting opportunities but has been coming up a little unlucky.  He had good luck with a couple of his goals early on, but lately he has been snakebitten.”

Andrej Sustr (SHOE’ stir), the Czech Republic Defenseman who recently garnered USHL honors as Defenseman of The Week is doing what he should.  “He [Sustr] is right where he should be.  Big guys like that get worn down with this sort of training regimin, but he is holding up real well and will coninue to improve as he gets bigger and stronger.  He is an NHL Defenseman for sure if he makes the right decisions from here on out.”

On who may be in danger of losing a spot, Mainhardt had this to say, “Nobody is really in jeopardy of being sent away.  It is all baby steps and maximizing what you can get, and we knew that going in.  A guy can score 50 goals on a losing team, or a guy can score 20 goals on a winning team, and the one who succeeds around here will be the guy whose team wins and I am trying to get that across to them and they understand it.”

I asked Mainhardt if I were an NHL Scout and approached him before the game and asked ‘Which three guys should I keep an eye on tonight?’ who he would offer.  “I’ll give you five.  [Matt] Mahalak, [Scott] Mayfield, [Andrej] Sustr, [Luke] Eibler, and [Nick] Czinder.  If you asked me tomorrow that list could change.  It’s all about who is making the right decisions combined with the raw talent.”

On the business and promotional end of things, Mainhardt and Zoldan know that there are more steps to take to increase the interest locally.  Mainhardt commented on attendance and seeing repeat customers.  “The shock and awe of having a hockey team in this building have already been used up by previous teams.  What we have is the chore of educating the fans.  What we are seeing is that the people who come, are coming back.  We are promoting as much as we can by being a part of the community.  Mr. Zoldan is comitted to building something that is going to last, and that is why he brought this franchise here.”

Alex Zoldan discussed the business end of things.  “Eric Ryan and The Covelli Centre have worked with us a great deal to promote the team.  I have already seen an increase in attendance, and I understand that alot of the early crowds were in direct conflict with high school football. You hope to have 5,000 or 3,500 at every game, but realistically I envisioned what we are drawing and expect increases, it is a process.  By getting the people involved and getting their hearts behind us, the city can claim ownership of the team.  Being a sports fan, when you follow a team and that team leaves, it is real hard to jump back in.  The people that have given it a chance notice that it is better hockey.  The fans that are coming are into the game.  People are waving towels and t-shirts and screaming their support.”

The ride has been a fun one so far.  I think Zoldan and Mainhardt have a winner.  It is nice to have Eric Ryan in your corner, but believe me, this hockey will sell itself sooner than later.  To this point, the games have been fun to watch, easy to write about, and very well played.  I agree 100% with Zoldan that this process will steadily improve over time.  If you have not been to a Phantoms game yet, they play on Friday and Saturday this week against one of the better USHL teams, Chicago. 

Give this product a shot.  It is cheaper than going to the movies and the fact that you are watching players who will definitely be in the NHL in a few years adds to the exciting atmosphere.  I even enjoy listening to the road games.  Matt Gajtka is phenomenal on the air and could probably do play-by-play in the NHL if he had to.  Look for this team to break out this month.  Wins are going to happen more often than not.