Cedar Rapids rolled into Youngstown with the #2 seed in their Western Division already locked up.  They had a 3-0 record against the Youngstown Phantoms on the season, and the Phantoms were 1-7 in their vibrant orange jerseys.  Throw all of the statistical logic out the window and ignore the past.  Youngstown physically smacked Cedar Rapids around and did anything but take on the role of a playoff tune-up in beating the Roughriders 4-1.

The game featured everything including a fight at center ice between the two goaltenders, two shorthanded goals on the same two-minute powerplay, seven players who are done for at least the regular season for a fight at the end of the second period, and a new coach, as the “interim” tag was taken away from Curt Carr’s name.

Cedar Rapids struck first as Stu Wilson knocked in his second goal of the year with 5:49 left in the first period.  Wilson got assists on the goal from Casey Hohmann and Andy Simpson.

With 3:46 left in the first, Scott Mayfield poked in his tenth goal on the season to tie the contest at one goal each.  Ryan Jasinsky was credited with an assist on Mayfield’s even-strength chance.

The Phantoms outshot the Roughriders 14-10 in a first period that went fast and had only one penalty, a two-minute minor. 

In the second period, the Phantoms picked up where they left off in Chicago as Adam Berkle scored two consecutive goals.  The first Berkle tally came at even-strength and Ben Paulides picked up an assist with 16:39 to go in the second period.  Berkle’s second goal came while Cedar Rapids was on a powerplay with 13:33 left in the second, Mayfield was given an assist. 

Berkle had a chance for a hat trick but whiffed on a nice centering pass, and he knew it.  “It happens”, declared a joyous Berkle after the game.  “It felt good, our line has really been playing well.  We want to go out the real deal, not an expansion team that is just here to be kicked around.”

Less than a minute later, Paulides connected shorthanded putting Youngstown ahead, 4-1.  The two shorthanded goals were only the sixth and seventh given up all year by Cedar Rapids.  Youngstown scored two shorthanded at Chicago on Wednesday night.  For Ben Paulides, it was goal #3 on the season with an assist from Mayfield, his third point of the game.

As the second period was coming to an end Cody Strang took a cheap shot to the back of the head.  Nobody stood still as a chain reaction of fights broke out everywhere, including center ice where Matt Mahalak and Cody Campbell battled in a rare fight between goaltenders (pictured).  As soon as Mahalak landed on top two more fights broke out with David Donnellan and Andrew Lamont involved.  When the teams were shuffled back to their respective locker rooms, seven players showered and are done for at least the regular season.  The Phantoms ejected for fighting were Mahalak, Donnellan, and Lamont.  Cedar Rapids lost Campbell, Stephen Collins, Jordan DiGiando, and Nick Lappin.

Mahalak talked about his first fight.  “We [he and Campbell]  have known each other throughout the years a little bit.  There really isn’t too much bad blood.  I got knocked into the boards a couple of times, he got rung too.  I was looking at him, and he was looking back and we met at center ice.  It was a decent fight, he had me tied up and I ended up taking him down.”

Donnellan talked about the fight as well.  “At the end of the period, one of their guys hit one of our guys and Mayfield grabbed him.  A kid asked me if I wanted to go, so I did.  We had to stick up for our teammates and showed the deep character of the team right now.”

The Phantoms (20-35-4) were outshot 41-29 but spent most of the third period in their own zone and played a defensive keep away game with a three-goal lead.  Jordan Tibbett did a nice job stepping in and made a few great third period saves to preserve the lead for the rejuvinated Phantoms.

These two teams lock it up in the season finale for Youngstown.  The inaugural Phantoms will not make it to the postseason, so they are treating these two games against the Roughriders as a notice server to the rest of the league to beware next year. 

As these guys have played their hearts out all year, Saturday’s finale deserves a nice crowd.  I encourage all Youngstown hockey fans to come and cheer the Phantoms on because hockey season doesn’t happen again for about six months.  Show support to the local team, they have been very active in the community all season.