Archive for November, 2009

In a season where the expectations were high so high at the start, the ending somewhat lived up to its advertised billing.  Youngstown State rallied from an 11 point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat North Dakota State, 39-35, at the Fargodome.

Youngstown State scored first as Marc Kanetsky, who started the game at quarterback for Brandon Summers due to shoulder soreness, connected with Donald Jones from five yards away staking the Penguins to a 7-0 lead at the 10:59 mark of the opening quarter. 

Pat Paschall, the leading rusher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference coming into the game, tied things up when he went over from one yard out.  Paschall will be an NFL back next year and finished the day with 140 yards on 27 carries.  Hard to believe, but the 140 was below his season average of 150+ per game.  The touchdown came at the 12:33 mark of the second quarter and John Obarski’s extra-point attempt was good for the Bison, 7-7 at the dome.

On their next drive, Youngstown State reclaimed the lead when Summers found Dominique Barnes for a 6-yard touchdown.  Stephen Blose split the uprights for the extra-point with 7:14 left in the first half to give the Penguins a 14-7 lead.

Paschall scored from a yard out for the second time in the game with just under five minutes remaining in the opening half to again knot the contest at 14. 

Youngstown State finally got a big play on special teams as Lenny Wicks returned a blocked field goal attempt 79 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute left in the half.  The Penguins, however, would yield a game-tying touchdown when Bison QB Jose Mohler found Warren Holloway for a 21-yard scoring connection.  At the half, this one was all tied up at 21 apiece.

The Bison struck first in the second half at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter.  Matt Veldman hauled in a 27-yard toss from Mohler.  With the PAT successful, the Penguins were on the wrong end of a 28-21 score.

The Penguins managed to get three points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter as a red-hot Stephen Blose nailed a 28-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-24.

Paschall would give the Bison a seemingly comfortable cushion as he scored his third touchdown on the afternoon, this one a three yarder.  With just under eight minutes, Youngstown State began their unforgettable march to vicory.

The three amigos, Aaron Pitts (#83, left), Dominique Barnes (#29, middle), and Donald Jones (#81, right) have been awesome all year.  Summers has found these three receivers and the offense seemed to be at its best when the ball was headed their way. 

On this particular Saturday, the trio would show their value as they (along with Summers) spearheaded an amazing comeback.  With 5:13 left in the game, Pitts would be the first to step up as he caught a fourth down, four-yard touchdown pass from Summers.  The touchdown made the score 35-30 in favor of North Dakota State.  YSU lined up for the two-point conversion, which was a success when Summers hit another essential cog in the machine, Kevin Smith, for a two-point completion making the score 35-32.

The YSU defense was on fire as they forced the Bison to run three plays and punt.  YSU then started a fantastic drive to really exclamate what could have been.  Summers had several tosses to Jones to move the ball at a rapid rate on both of the last two scoring drives.  Barnes then got to relish in the glory when Summers found him for the go-ahead points with just 22 seconds left in a wild finish.  Blose kicked the extra point to give YSU a four point lead.

North Dakota State had a shot at the end zone on the last play of the game , but YSU’s Scott Sentner picked off the Bison scoring effort to end the game.

Youngstown State was paced by Kevin Smith who had 101 yards on the ground.  Summers finished the game with 259 yards and three touchdowns.  Jones caught 10 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

North Dakota State got 238 passing yards out of Mohler along with a couple of touchdowns, as well as a pair of interceptions.  Paschall finished with 140 rushing yards and a 5.2 average on 27 carries.  Holloway caught three Mohler passes for 88 yards and a TD.

Youngstown State (6-5, 4-4) completed the season in unbelievable fashion.  North Dakota State (3-8, 2-6) Coach Craig Bohl will surely want to put this season behind him.  It must be noted that Youngstown State took several more chances and opened up the playbook in the last couple of weeks.  The result of those two games were 63 offensive points (the six by Lenny Wicks on the blocked FG don’t count).  

Congratulations Senior Penguins!  I salute you for not throwing in the towel and exhibiting class under the worst of times.  No fingerpointing, no excuses, and no bickering really made this bunch special to cover all season.  The positions you are leaving will be tough to fill in the future.  All twelve of you are competitive winners, you had the respect of the players under you, the coaching staff, and at least one sports journalist.  Good luck with your futures and thanks for the good memories this season!

Jerry Olsavsky has been at Youngstown State University since 2003.  Over that span, he has worked with many young men teaching them his craft, being a good linebacker.  Olsavsky was a standout at Youngstown Chaney and later had success at Pitt.  Olsavsky spent nine years in the NFL as a Pittsburgh Steeler after being selected in the 10th round by the Rooney family.  He retired in 1998 while with the Baltimore Ravens.  To talk with Olsavsky is like talking to your neighbor about anything.  He is still a very humble and quiet guy yet has the respect of those he coaches.  I recently caught up with Olsavsky and enjoyed hearing his take on everything from linebacker terminology to aspirations of being a head coach someday.

Paneech:  Growing up on Youngstown’s West Side, you did well at Chaney.  Why can’t that school field a competitive team anymore?

Olsavsky:  I think it is because alot of people have left the city.  The population just isn’t what it was and when you have fewer families, you have fewer good athletes.  I was on the tail end coming up, when you have names like Cavanaugh and Calcagni, you had four kids in a family who could play.  I don’t know how important athletics in the city are anymore.

Paneech:  It seems real important at Mooney and Ursuline.  Do you think these Catholic Schools should have their own division come playoff time?

Olsavsky:  I think that those schools have a great tradition.  One of the reasons why we were successful at Chaney was because we had Mooney first on our schedule and that drove me.  I believe that if they are good that they are doing something right over there.  I commend everything that they accomplish and as far as some of the rumors about what goes on in the Catholic Schools go, I don’t have anything to do with it.  I know in bigger cities like Philadelphia, they have a Catholic League, but you have got alot more people.  Ursuline is Division Five, so that is really a smaller school.

Paneech:  Talk to me about the transition from Chaney to Pitt.

Olsavsky:  Chaney to Pitt was about a two day transition.  My second day at Pitt, I got blocked by a guy who would later go on to play in the NFL for 12 years.  So at that point you either had to improve and get better or go home. 

Paneech:  How different was it playing for the Steelers than the Pitt Panthers ?

Olsavsky:  That was more of a quicker thing.  It was not as big of an adjustment of going from high school to college.  The speed factor was the difference in going from college to the NFL where you are going against nine guys who were all really good college players.  That’s a big difference, you start to think, man, all of these guys are fast.  In college we would play Notre Dame, and they would have six really good players, on a lesser team, you would have two or one, then when you get to the NFL, its like, wow, there are nine guys that are really good. 

Paneech:  Do you stay in contact with any of the guys you played with at any of the three levels?

Olsavsky:  I see some of the guys from Chaney once in the while.  I’m coaching and I have three kids, so it is tough.  I have a couple of friends from Pitt that I try to keep in touch with also.  It is a little easier with the Steelers because I will go to camp and see a couple of guys there.  I was there for nine years, and that is longer than both of the other places combined.  I try to keep in touch with Coach Berdis and Mr. Matte once in the while, as they were both great role models and teachers for me.

Paneech:  How have you enjoyed coaching at Youngstown State and who was the best linebacker here that you got to work with?

Olsavsky:  I enjoy coaching here.  My players listen to everything that I say, so I have their respect and we try to have fun.  I think football is fun regardless, whether it be doubles, running sprints, in the weight room, or in the classroom, it is just fun to compete.  I think my guys do that for me.  Sometimes they slip up, sometimes I slip up and make mistakes, but it is a great learning process that has helped to become a better father and husband and I love it.  I love being here in Youngstown because it is a mecca of football.  People come to the games and may not know what defense is called, but they do know if it is good or bad.  It is a high standard, but when you have 20,000 people holding you to it, you feel the presure and also the desire to be a great team.  My best linebacker was probably James Terry.  Na’eem Outler can be a great one.  Another one, a local kid, was Marty Hutchinson from Newton Falls.  That’s two kids from Virginia and one just up the street from Newton Falls.  You are a local guy and you get around these people from other areas and you learn that you can still compete, that’s why Youngstown is such a special area.

Paneech:  Try to explain why linebacker terminology has changed from simplistic as Middle LB and Outside LB to the more confusing Mike, Will and Sam.

Olsavsky:  It all comes down to players.  What can the players do?  If you have three guys, a Mike, Will and Sam, and run a 4-3 and they play well off of the line, then you call them Mike, Will, and Sam or Middle, Weak, and Strong.  When you have a fourth linebacker like we did in Pittsburgh, what do you call that other guy?  Are you going to call him Willis?  It’s just football always evolving but it still all comes down to who blocks and who tackles the best.

Paneech:  Explain what this year has been like with Coach Heacock running the defense.

Olsavsky:  The best thing about coach [Heacock] is that he keeps it simple for the kids.  The kids, in turn, can focus on execution because they don’t have so many jobs to do.  Last year, as guys got hurt, you had to keep put younger guys in.  It really got to be difficult for the kids to handle all of that.  So this year, we sat down and shot at keeping it simple.  We would sit down on Tuesday and it was like, okay, what don’t you like, what do you like.  That is what it is about, keeping it simple and letting your players play.

Paneech:  Do you ever see YSU on a larger, grander scale someday, perhaps Division-I?

Olsavsky:  I really don’t get caught up in those levels.  I felt like when we went on the field with Pitt, that we could compete against them.  We have 22 less scholarships, and that is their [Pitt’s] whole first team.  As far as facilities, administration, and fan base, we are right up there.  I haven’t seen a game at Kent or a MAC School, but we feel we are comparable to them.  They play in bowl games and are on TV week in and week out.  Here, you will always have fans who appreciate what they have here, we will always have a good fan base.

Paneech:  Do you have plans to someday branch out and try your hand at being a head coach?

Olsavsky:  Right now I want to be a head coach at the family level.  That’s the most important thing to me right now – my wife and kids.  To be a head coach and have 63 kids in addition to what you have at home is something that I can’t envision right now.  Down the road, I would love to.  In any good organization, it always comes down to the leadership.  When I was with the Steelers, there was great leadership and they still have it, and that is where you get to be a great organization.

Paneech:  Do you regret not accomplishing anything as a player or coach?

Olsavsky:  I regret not winning a Super Bowl, and maybe I could have been a better player in the NFL.  I think I was satisfied with my accomplishments in high school.  In college, I did what alot of people didn’t think I could do.  In the NFL, it’s a little different, it’s a business, and I thought I could have been a better NFL player.

One Word Answers

Favorite Flavor Of Handel’s Ice Cream:  Chocoholic Chunk. 

Biggest Phobia:  Snakes.

Worst Habit:  Too bossy sometimes.

Favorite Flavor of Chicken Wings:  Belleria Ranch.

Nicest Thing About Youngstown:  The people.

Favorite TV Show:  NFL Football.

The One Toy You Cherished As A Child:  My train.

Favorite Color:  Blue.

Favorite Holiday:  Christmas.

Who Is Weirder ~ Punters or Kickers?  (long pause)  Kickers.

Favorite Current NFL Player:  Adrian Peterson.

Sport To Watch When Football Isn’t On:  Basketball.

Big time basketball atmosphere on Wednesday night at the Beeghly Center. Youngstown State was challenging their second 2008-09 NCAA Tournament qualifying team in three games, Kent State.  The Golden Flashes took advantage of poor YSU free throw opportunities and walked away 70-61 winners in front of 4,000 plus fans.

Kent State looked powerful in the early going and held an eight point lead just 1:50 into the contest. YSU roared back to take a lead of their own, going up by a point with eight minutes left in the half. Eleven first half turnovers were probably a big difference in the six point deficit. With one half in the books, Kent State was ahead, 30-26.

The Penguins shot 39% on 9-23 from the field. Kent shot 44% on 12-27 attempts. Tyree Evans had 10 points at the half for Kent, and Sirlester Martin tallied eight points for YSU. With YSU only down six at the break, could a big crowd and some momentum give this team the second half boost they needed to get over the hump and win a big game?

With 15:49 left in the game, Kent State had a 36-31 lead. Eddie D’Haiti drew a foul and hit one of his two free throws and YSU forced a five second violation to get the ball back. After Vytas Sulskis sunk a pair of free throws, the Golden Flashes lead was cut to a mere two points. Sulskis then hit a layup with 14:24 left in the game to tie things up at 36.

With 9:25 remaining, Kent State took a five point lead on a big Anthony Simpson baseline jumper from 12 feet. From there, the Golden Flashes started to pour it on taking advantage of a poor Youngstown State shot selection and a couple of turnovers. Youngstown State finally ended the Kent State run at 13-0 when Sulskis hit a pair of free throws to make it 53-42.

YSU flirted with cutting into the lead, but hustle fouls on D’Haiti and Sulskis, their fifth each, kept the Penguins at bay. At the 2:49 mark, Kent held a 58-49 lead. YSU had one tactic that proved effective with about two minutes left in the game – a full court press.  However, the Penguins really struggled from the free throw line in the second half and ended the game just 19-28 from the charity stripe, many the front end of one-and-one situations.

Evans headed the Kent offense with 18 points.  Justin Greene tallied 17 and Rodriguez Sherman chipped in with 15 for the Golden Flashes.

Youngstown State got 15 points each out of Sirlester Martin and Sulskis and DeAndre Mays added 14.

Youngstown State Coach Jerry Slocum was vocal about the blown opportunities.  “19 turnovers and you give up 14 offensive rebounds and you are not going to beat a good team.  When you miss the front end of three or four one-and-ones, we count that as a turnover and you are not going to beat a good basketball team like they are when you do those kinds of things.”

Youngstown State travels to New Jersey for a Saturday meeting with Saint Peter’s at 2 p.m.  You can catch all of te action on AM-570 with Robb Schmidt.

Coach Cindy Martin knows that her 2009-10 Lady Penguins team has the potential to win more than the three games last year’s squad walked away with.  Marked improvement over last year against Kent State is proof to the naysayers.  The scrappy YSU women are playing shorthanded with really only seven able bodies right now and fought until the end.  The result was respectable, albeit a loss, as Kent State came away with a 71-55 victory at the Beeghly Center.

The Lady Penguins held the lead for the majority of the first half.  Kent State nabbed the lead at the 13:10 mark, taking a 14-13 lead.  A pair of Rachael Manuel free throws ended a long Youngstown State drought and put an end to the Golden Flashes run.  Macey Nortey hit a nice underhand running layup when she was fouled and hit the bonus toss to pull YSU to within two, a 20-18 deficit.   Kent closed out the half on an 11-4 run and took a 31-22 lead into the break. 

YSU was only 6-29 from the field in the half combined with 11 turnovers and was having an issue with fouls.  Dressing only eight players and having a couple of them with three fouls has to cut back on the aggression YSU would be able to play with defensively in the second half.  Kent’s bench outscored YSU’s 15-0 in the opening half. 

Youngstown State battled to keep things close in the second half, but Kent would not yield any ground.  At the 11:50 mark, the Golden Flashes extended their halftime lead by a point to a 46-36 advantage. 

Kent State would start to pull away, but YSU would show some fight and battle back from trailing by 18 to just 13 on a Nortey three.  Nortey, who finished with a career high 20 points for the Penguins,  then connected on a pair of free throws to chop the lead back to 11.  The lack of numbers and fatigue factor were both seemingly working against YSU with about five minutes left in the game.  Kent State had five offensive rebounds and six shots on one trip down the floor.

When all of the remaining time elapsed, Kent State claimed the victory with a 70-55 verdict.  Give the Lady Penguins some credit for hanging in there against Kent when they could have easily thrown in the towel several times earlier in the game.

Nortey collected her 20 points for YSU on 7-15 shooting and 5-6 on her free throws.    Kent State was paced by Jamilah Humes who tallied 14 for the Golden Flashes.

Coach Martin was not completely disappointed with the effort.  “I am not satisfied, I won’t be satisfied until we cut down the nets here at Youngstown State.  I am happy and proud.  The ladies have alot of fiestiness and we did well with our late game situations.  Last year we lost 95-58 to Kent State, they have a great program over there, so yes, I am happy with the effort tonight.”

Youngstown State (0-3) hosts Canisius this Sunday at 2 p.m. in hopes of getting that elusive first win on the year.  Hang in there Coach Martin, your hard work will pay off eventually.

Money must be really tight in Hulk Hogan’s world these days.  I know his ex-wife took him for a ride.  I also know that the civil suit against Nick Hogan was costly.  I also comprehend that Florida is not a cheap state to live in.  Add all of those negatives, and you get another Hulk Hogan comeback.  This time Hogan is on TNA, where most of the stars are his own age, in the 50-60 year old range.

Here are some stories from elsewhere:

• Zoner Sports takes a look at eight NFL guys who are probably killing your fantasy football team.  (Lee Evans is not on the list).
• NESW Sports analyzes how awful it must be to play for the Kansas City Royals in lieu of Zack Greinke being awarded some lofty hardware.
• Style Points finds John Daly driving golf balls from the top of his tour bus.
• Outside The Boxscore pokes fun at Elizabeth Lambert, the New Mexico State Soccer girl who punched, pulled hair and kicked every chance she got.
• Hugging Harold Reynolds has audio of Magic Johnson addressing his strained relationship with Isiah Thomas and gives reasons why he opposed Thomas’ inclusion to the famed 1992 Dream Team.
• Sports Untapped takes a look at the ten crappiest sports movies of all-time.
• Major League Jerk supplies the college football hit of the week.
• Global Sports Fraternity warns that Manny Pacquiao will kick your ass then sing you a Filipino love song.
• Detroit4Lyfe has Bill Belichick cranky after the loss and unveils his bodyguard who promptly tossed a cameraman out of the way after the genius went for it on fourth and two from his own 28.
• Gunaxin lists the Top 10 jobs in football.
• Josh Q. Public has the video of Ric Flair suckering Hulk Hogan when the two traded barbs about their failed love lives.

Even though this game can not aid either team to win a conference championship or vault into the playoffs, it somehow holds meaning.  Youngstown State University (5-5, 3-4) heads to Fargo, North Dakota in hopes of ending the season with a winning record.  The Penguins will have no easy task facing the North Dakota State Bison (3-7, 2-5).

This only marks the fourth time these two teams will square off.  The last time YSU played at NDSU was in 1972 when Ron Jaworski was the Penguins QB.  Last season Youngstown State took a 32-24 victory over the Bison.  North Dakota State was ranked #2 before dropping last year’s contest at Stambaugh Stadium.

The game is also significant because it marks the final chance for twelve special players wearing a Penguin uniform to leave one last impression.  The seniors want to win badly to recoup some sense of salvation to a season which started with so much promise and hope and finish with a winning record.

Coach Heacock stressed that this game will be prepared for just like any other.  “We rebounded in this last one.  We are 5-5 and have an opportunity to get our sixth win.  We will just keep grinding.”

On North Dakota State, Heacock stated stopping the run, in particular Pat Paschall, is paramount to this weeks success.  “They have a running back [Paschall] who is real good and they like to line up and run the football.  They do a nice job setting up play-action off of their runs.  Their tailback is something, he can take it the distance at any time.  I would guess that he is a pro prospect.  We have to match-up and try to stop them.” Paschall has 1,257 yards in 9 games and is averaging 7 yards per carry.  His 139.7 yards per game average is the best in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Penguin kicker Stephen Blose is coming off of his best week of the season with three field goals in the 30-18 win over Illinois State last week.  Blose commented on the mood of the team.  “The team is positive and it feels great coming off of a win.  We get down on ourselves after a loss, but we always had to prepare.  After a win, this week is no different.  We need to take advantage of opportunities when we get them.”

The Penguins and Bison kickoff at 2 p.m.  Tune in to AM-570 with Bob Hannon and Dick Hartzell at 1:30 as they preview the game and provide the call on all of the action.  The weather does not matter this week as the game will be played indoors at the Fargodome.

Penguin Facts

• WR Dominique Barnes has caught a pass in 22 straight games.  Donald Jones has a reception in 20 consecutive games.
• LB Draye Ersery made 11 tackles against Illinois State.  In the 17 games prior to that one, he had a total of 10.
• The last time YSU had two players rush for 100 yards in a game was aginst North Dakota State last season.  Kamryn Keys had 146 yards, and Jabari Scott added 120.
• North Dakota State MLB Preston Evans leads the Bison in tackles with 88, 43 of which are unassisted.

Youngstown State University had their way on Sunday afternoon with an outmanned Hiram team.  YSU (1-1) used a balanced attack and executed the way they practiced it in trurning back the Division III Terriers, 81-41 in their home opener at Beeghly Center.

After losing 83-57 at Xavier to open the season, it was Youngstown’s turn to take on the role of playground bully.  The Penguins used everyone on the roster by the end of the game, and 11 of the 12 players in the first half.

If Xavier were a circle on the left and Hiram were a circle on the right and this was a Venn Diagram, YSU would be shaded pretty equally into the first two opponents circles by being the overlapping middle circle.  Logically, YSU is somewhere right between Xavier and Hiram on the scale.

Vance Cooksey led a balanced Penguins scoring attack with 18 points and eight rebounds.  The junior guard had some good looks and was the beneficiary of some nice passing.  Redshirt freshman Eddie D’Haiti posted a double double with 12 points and ten rebounds.  DeAndre Mays knocked in ten points and had a couple of steals.

Slocum was pretty workmanlike after the game, not in a state of panic from Xavier, nor elated about the Hiram victory.  “We got a chance to play and get a good look at everybody.  We took some bad shots early, but we played well over the final nine minutes of the first half.”

The one area concern for Slocum was the three-point shooting of the Penguins who went 3-18 from long distance.  “I won’t lie to you, it is an area of concern.  I would like to shoot 14 to 16 threes a game, that is a good number for us.  We just need to knock them down and I feel we will improve.”

Eddie D’Haiti who made a couple of beautiful passes to put the exclamation point on his double-double was hard on his own performance.  “I would give myself a C.  I wasn’t too happy with my game tonight.  I could have got more rebounds.”

The Penguins host Kent State at Beeghly Center Wednesday night.  The men’s game will start after the women’s game in the first of four co-ed doubleheaders at home this year.  The Lady Penguins tip off at 5:15.

Brett Gensler scored his 9th goal of the season Friday night.  Gensler really seems to be developing a knack for scoring when the Phantoms are in need of a goal.  The Missouri native is a good dude.  He was the #2 Star of The Game Friday, In a reflection of his true character, when Gensler was announced, he skated out waived his stick to the fans that stuck around to applaud him, turned to go back to the locker room, stopped in mid-stride, and helped a young overloaded Phantoms waterboy with equipment and a helmet.  How many hockey players would give up their moment in the sun to help a struggling lad with someone’s smelly helmet and equipment?  I know one now — Brett Gensler.

Paneech:  With 8 goals and 10 points, you sit amongst the league leaders.  Did you see it that way coming into this year?

Gensler:  I hoped for it.  Being a second-year player, coming into this year I knew if I worked hard I could be a leading point guy. 

Paneech:  What strides have you made to improve your game since you got here ?

Gensler:  I really focused on being more of an all-around player, not just offense, but also defense, killing penalties, power plays, whatever the coach asks me to do.  I just have to work hard everyday, and hopefully things will keep improving.

Paneech:  Being a Missouri native, I am guessing you are a Blues fan.  How closely do you follow the NHL?

Gensler:  I follow  the Blues pretty much every night.  I follow the boxscores on STLBlues.com to keep up, they are struggling right now, but I think they are going to be good.

Paneech:  Walk me through a practice day from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to sleep at night.

Gensler:  On Mondays and Wednesdays we have workouts.  I work out at 11:30, so I will wake up at about 9, make some eggs, toast, and bacon if I get up early enough.  Then me and David Donnellan, he is my roommate, will drive to the rink to pick up our workout clothes, and then we head to the House of Speed downtown.  We get there and stretch and then work out for about an hour-and-a-half.  Then we usually head to Subway on campus.  After we eat, we head to the rink and hang out with the guys, tape my stick.  Then we get ready, we stretch, and get ready for practice.  We are on the ice for about an hour, hour-and-a-half each day.  Then I shower up and go home to eat.  I’ll call home and then hang out with some of the guys.

Paneech:  How have you adapted to Youngstown so far?

Gensler:  It’s been pretty easy.  I played at Cedar Rapids, Iowa last year and in some ways it seems like a harder, working-class type of people here.  It’s been pretty easy.  My host family has shown me around town, it’s been really good.

Paneech:  Tell me something about Brett Gensler that nobody knows.

Gensler:  I like to watch alot of TV on my computer right now.  I am really getting into a series called Californication. 

Paneech:  What do you attribute the quick turnaround and winning ways to?

Gensler:  Just the little things is basically what it comes down to.  We have improved on getting the puck out of the zone to take away scoring opportunities.  Buying in to the coaches gameplan, we can’t try to do our own thing.  Forechecking, getting guys to stay on their own sides, little things like that are the difference between wins and losses.

Paneech:  What goes through your mind when you are awarded a penalty shot and how much do you think ahead about what you will try to do.

Gensler:  For me, I would say it is pretty much premeditated.  I will get up there, and most guys have a couple of moves, and when you get up there, you are like OK, am I going to deke or am I going to shoot.  It comes down to when you are skating the puck down to the goal, all of the options are going through your head and you say, OK, I am going to deke, and then when you get there, you see the goalee playing the post bad you change up and take a quick shot.  For the most part, it is premeditated and I know what I want to do ahead of time.

Paneech:  Talk about Coach Bob Mainhardt.

Gensler:  He has been a great influence and I love playing for him.  He pushes us every day, and all he asks for is a little bit of hard work and trust.  He would do anything for us.  I love his philosophy, all of the different forechecks and things he teaches us. 

Paneech:  What’s next after this season?

Gensler:  I have a couple of schools I am talking to right now.  My first choice would be to hopefully get a scholarship and go to school next year.  If not, I would be more than happy to play for the Phantoms again next season.  You never want to count out being drafted, it is every little kids dream.  I think I would have to get 50 or 60 points to receive consideration because I am a smaller guy.

One Word Answers

Favorite NHL Team:  St. Louis Blues.

Favorite NHL Coach:  Andy Murray.

Toppings On A Pizza:  Pepperoni.

Favorite Holiday:  Thanksgiving, because it falls on my birthday every seven years.

Best Musical Group Ever:  Dave Matthews Band.

I Watch ____ On TV:  Entourage.

Favorite Soft Drink:  Mountain Dew.

The Thing I Hate Doing:  Reading.

Biggest Phobia:  Spiders.

Worst Habit:  Chewing Skoal Mint.

The Chicago Steel rolled into town for a one game battle with the Youngstown Phantoms.  With only one first period goal scored, it looked to be a defensive struggle with a mistake proving to be a difference either way.  All hell broke loose in the second period as the two teams combined to score eight goals.  The game even was extended, tied at the end of regulation, in a true battle of wills.  Tom Serratore (pictured) broke the tie with an OT game-winner vaulting the home team to victory in a 7-6 battle for the ages. 

The Steel hit the scoreboard first at the 14:51 mark of the first period. Alex Carpenter knocked home his fourth goal of the season and was assisted by Andrew Schmit. Phantoms Goaltender Matt Mahalak had turned away two previous attempts before giving up the goal that he probably never saw.

The first period was filled with hard-hitting action and no penalties. Chicago shot more than twice as much as the Phantoms, holding a 15-7 edge in attempts for the period. The first period lead for Chicago was a welcome omen as the Steel were undefeated when ahead after one period (5-0-1), but that very omen was broken in Youngstown.

The Phantoms had the first power play of the evening but surrendered the second Chicago goal shorthanded. Greg Wolfe knocked one in off of the pipe to Matt Mahalak’s left to increase the Steel lead to 2-0.

Seconds later, on the same power play, the Phantoms retaliated with a goal of their own. Tom Serratore connected on the power play chance, assisted by David Donnellan. For Serratore, it marked the third time he found the net this season and the Phantoms cut the lead to 2-1.

Before the music was even done playing, Chicago cashed in on another shorthanded chance. This time Mark Anthoine took a pass from Andrei Kuchin to increase the Steel lead to 3-1.

The offensive fireworks continued as Ryan Jasinsky got in on the action. Jasinsky’s third goal of the year came at the 6:30 mark of the second period on a beautiful pass from Brian Dowd.

A minute later the Phantoms tied the game at three goals apiece when Donnellan connected from just inside the blue line. For Donnellan, it marked his first goal of the season and he was assisted by Jefferson Dahl. It was another shorthanded goal, this one for the Phantoms.

The crazy pace continued as the two goaltenders were getting beat like swiss cheese. The Phantoms went ahead at the 9:44 mark of the second on a Nick Czinder power play goal. Czinder was assisted by Dowd and Donnellan on a couple of pretty passes.

Chicago responded quickly as Mark Adams connected on a power play to tie the game back up. Adams second goal of the season was assisted by Alex Carpenter and Wolfe at the 10:33 mark.

Another power play chance paid dividends for Chicago as Adams connected for the second time on the evening putting the Steel back on top, 5-4. On the goal, Greg Wolfe picked up his third point of the night with an assist.

At the 5:40 mark of the final period, Carpenter picked up his second goal of the game for Chicago. Jay Camper racked up an assist on the Steel goal which extended their lead to 6-4.

At the 9:04 mark in the third, Andrew Lamont picked up his third of the year to bring the Phantoms within one at 6-5. The assists on the goal went to Scott Mayfield and Taylor Holstrom.

Youngstown tied the game at the 11:14 mark on a breakaway headed by Holstrom who fed Czinder. The goal tied the game at 6 and the Covelli Centre was jumping and loud with the resiliency of this young Phantoms team.

Regulation came to an end with the score tied at 6-6. Give the Phantoms credit for biting and clawing their way back to tie the first-place Steel. Three weeks ago, being down two goals that late in the game would have resulted in doom. Coach Mainhardt and Coach Carr deserve credit as these young men are really buying into a system that has been paying off.

In the overtime, the Phantoms connected at the 1:16 mark as Serratore connected from the left face-off circle. What a win for the Phantoms! Serratore was assisted by Holstrom on the game-winner.

Coach Mainhardt said the win did not come the way he would have expected. “It was a great game for the fans, but you had two coaches pulling what little hair we have left out. It’s baby steps, but the group is really starting to pull together and treat each other like family.”

Tom Serratore, who got his first-ever OT game-winner was elated. “It was great. I got my first USHL overtime goal and I was just happy that we could pull out this win.”

New Feature. Introducing The Richard Young tilt-o-meter

Tilt-o-Meter for 11/14 game vs Chicago: 7

On a scale of 1-10, Richard Young can be gauged of being on tilt every night. To what degree? Check the Paneech.com Richard Young tilt-o-meter for a nightly ranking. Young leads the USHL in penalty minutes with 70. He added to his total with 5 more for fighting in the second period. He also picked up a two-minute minor for hooking in the third.

New total: 77 minutes.

On Senior Day, the weather and general atmosphere on the sidelines was warm. It was nice to see the Senior Penguins with their parents before kickoff as they were recognized for their outstanding efforts as Youngstown State athletes.  Coach Heacock stressed all week that it was about this Senior class to succeed in this game, to find ways to involve them into the gameplan in a positive fashion.  They all seemed to contribute.  Pictured are two of the Seniors, Aaron Pitts (left) and Mychal Savage (right).

In what looked to be an even match on paper, Youngstown State and Illinois State were not playing for a championship or a postseason berth, but rather for pride.  The Penguins dug into the cupboard of forgotten plays and tried some new wrinkles on offense. Some of the results were good, others needed to stay in the cupboard. The result was a 30-18 Youngstown State victory.

Youngstown State took their opening possession on their own 14-yard line. The Penguins marched 45 yards in 12 plays to allow Stephen Blose a 45-yard FG attempt. Blose was successful on the attempt, and at the 4:37 mark, YSU held a 3-0 lead.

Coach Heacock rolled the dice and tried an onside kick that the Penguins recovered and the Penguin offense went back to work. Brandon Summers hooked up with Donald Jones for a 30-yard completion, but the Penguin drive stalled and Senior Ben Nowicki buried the Redbirds on their own 5.

The first quarter would come to an end with Youngstown State ahead 3-0 and driving. The Penguins stalled around the Illinois State 19 and were forced to take another Blose field goal to increase their lead to 6-0.

YSU tried a second consecutive onside kick that the Redbirds recovered. The Illinois State offense cashed in on the good field position as Zach Kutch connected from 41 yards out to cut the Penguin lead to 6-3 with 11:11 remaining in the first half.

A scenario the Penguins have become accustomed to this year came back to haunt them. The Redbirds Bert Whigham came up the middle almost untouched and blocked Nowicki’s punt. The ball rolled right into the end zone but the converging Redbirds were unable to come up with the recovery for a touchdown and YSU was lucky to give up a two-point safety. Weird score as YSU still lead 6-5.

The free kick following the safety further exposed the kryptonic special teams play of Youngstown State as Illinois State’s Ben Erickson returned the kick all the way to the YSU 40. Four plays later, with 8:03 left in the half, Cliffton Gordon scampered four yards to paydirt and just like that YSU was behind 12-6.

Southern Illinois caught the onside kick fever and tried their own, unsuccessfully. When the YSU drive appeared to stall and Blose kicked a field goal of 22 yards, a penalty of roughing the snapper set the Penguins up on the three. On the next play Kevin Smith got into the end zone for a 3-yard score and Blose knocked in the extra point to give YSU the lead back at 13-12.

Zach Kutch connected on a career-long 49-yard field goal to give the Redbirds a 15-13 lead with just over a minute left in the first half.

Blose tried to give YSU the lead back on a 42-yard attempt to end the opening half. The kick was blocked and the special teams hamster race continued. Halftime at the Ice Castle, Redbirds 15, Penguins 13.

Youngstown State finally got a big play. Dominique Barnes hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Summers. Youngstown State held a 20-15 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Redbirds effective kicker, Zach Kutch was again clutch, this time from 42 yards. The field goal shaved the Youngstown State lead to two points as they clung to a 20-18 lead.

Not to be outdone, Stephen Blose connected from 37 yards away to vault YSU to a 23-18 lead. For Blose, his third field goal capped his most productive day on the season.

At the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter, Donald Jones caught a Brandon Summers pass from 8 yards away. YSU moved the ball 56 yards in 2:35 in increasing their lead to 30-18. Summers was 2-2 on the drive for 25 yards and a 3-yard run.

The Redbirds had a little left in the tank, but YSU was able to keep them out of scoring range and kept the score where it was to seal the victory.  Final score, YSU 30, Illinois State 18.  With the win, the Penguins improved to 5-5 and 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  Illinois State fell to 5-5 and 4-3 in the conference.

YSU was paced by Brandon Summers who finished the game one yard short of a career-high with 346 passing yards on 25-38 passing.  Kevin Smith (pictured) had his third one hundred yard game of the season and finished with 136 all-purpose yards.  The deadly duo on the sides clicked again as Donald Jones caught 7 balls for 105 yards and Dominique Barnes hauled in 8 for 122 with each scoring a touchdown.  Aaron Pitts chipped in with 68 receiving yards on three catches.

The Redbirds Freshman Quarterback, Matt Brown, finished the game 32-49 for 328 yards.  Cliffton Gordon carried 18 times for 58 yards, and TE Cody White had a career-high day with 6 receptions and 76 yards.

After the game, Coach Heacock again praised this Senior class.  “It was a special day for them.  We had a nice breakfast with the parents and loved ones this morning.  They came out and played hard and it was great to see so many of them play their hearts out.  Of all the Senior plays today, none was bigger then Ben Nowicki preventing Illinois State from scoring a touchdown on the blocked punt.”