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Youngstown Phantoms Head Coach Anthony Noreen is proud to announce that defenseman Eric Sweetman has committed to play collegiate hockey at St. Lawrence University beginning in the fall of 2013. Sweetman, 17, becomes the 13th current Phantoms player, and fourth this season, to commit to play NCAA Division-I hockey.

A native of Woodbine, Md., Sweetman has accumulated a pair of goals and assists for four points along with a plus-5 rating while playing in all 26 of the Phantoms’ games thus far this season. The 6-foot, 165-pound blue liner was selected by the Phantoms in the sixth round of last spring’s USHL Entry Draft and been one of the most team’s most reliable players since the onset of training camp.

“There’s never been a time all year – from the very beginning – when we questioned whether or not Eric has deserved to be in our lineup,” Noreen said. “He’s physical, he’s clean, he plays an in-your-face style, his transition game’s good and he plays our system to a tee.”

“When Eric talked to us about St. Lawrence, he said, ‘Coach Marsh is really good at developing defenseman. I feel like I’m going to become better under him,’” Noreen said. “And if you’re building a college program and looking for a defenseman out of our league to help you to the next level, Eric Sweetman is perfect for that role.”

Youngstown State men’s basketball fans can now vote to see the Guins take on Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 20, on ESPNU at the Beeghly Center.

Simply click on the supplied link :  Click Here

Retweet the link too!  The more votes the better, let’s show the country that we believe in the Penguins!

Posting his second double-double of the year, Youngstown State junior forward Damian Eargle (Youngstown, Ohio/Warren Harding) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, for the week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1. The accolade is the first of Eargle’s career.

Eargle helped Youngstown State (7-6, 2-1 Horizon) snap a four-game losing skid as the Penguins traveled to Cleveland State and knocked off the Vikings, 73-67. The 6-foot-7 junior dominated the post, recording 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Eargle went 8-for-11 from the field and hit 4-of-5 free throws, scoring 14 of his points in the second half to help the Penguins overcome a two-point halftime deficit.

Eargle is the second YSU player to garner the award this season after senior DuShawn Brooks was named player of the week on Dec. 5. It is also the first time since 2009-10 that multiple YSU players earned the accolade.

On the year, Eargle is averaging 10.5 points per game and chipping in 7.3 rebounds. The junior ranks among the top shot blockers in the country, swatting 4.1 shots per contest, good for third in the nation. After going two years without a road win in Horizon League play, Youngstown State has collected two in its first three games in the conference.

The Youngstown State men’s basketball team (7-6, 2-1 Horizon League) searches for the program’s 1000th win when it hosts Loyola(5-9, 0-4 Horizon League), Thursday Jan. 5, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.

Decades of student athletes have contributed to this figure.  It is a nice accomplishment for a school, and it would be even nicer to see some support in the stands for the game.

This is the 26th meeting between Youngstown State and Loyola in a series that dates back to 1956. Loyola leads the all-time series, 14-11, and has won the three contests. Last season, Loyola swept the season series, including an 83-53 victory at the Beeghly Center. The last time YSU defeated Loyola was a 71-67 win on Jan. 9, 2010, at the Beeghly Center.

In the latest NCAA stats released on Jan. 1, YSU can be found throughout several categories. The Penguins rank fifth nationally wiht 9.6 3-pointers made per game, 20th with 6.8 blocks per game and 33rd with a .388 3-point field-goal percentage. Individually, besides Damian Eargle, Blake Allen is ninth with a with 3.2 3-pointers made per game 36th with a .438 3-point percentage.

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The Youngstown Phantoms were battling more than just the Indiana Ice this weekend and it showed. The Phantoms (16-8-2, fourth East) fell 3-0 Saturday – shutout for just the second time all season – while nearly a third of the team was fighting the flu as well.

“We’re not very healthy right now. We had about six or eight guys who were cleared medically, but were probably at about 60 percent,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “Obviously Austin Cangelosiwas one of those. He played last night but was just physically unable to do anything [tonight]. That’s why he was out of the lineup, the same with Zach Tatrn.  But give [the Ice] credit. They had their chances and they put them in the back of the net. We had ours and we didn’t.””

The Ice (17-7-4, second East) jumped out a one-goal lead before the two-minute mark in the first period when Sean Kuraly spun a backhand pass to John Doherty on an odd-man rush and the former Dubuque Fighting Saint put it past Matt O’Connor. Then, after two straight checking from behind calls against the Phantoms, the Ice were given a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:25 and the league’s top-ranked power play capitalized. Robert Polesello got a stick on a Daniil Tarasov one-timer and redirected into the net to stretch the lead to 2-0 at the 14:29 mark.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second, thanks to some terrific goaltending on both ends. About halfway through the period Todd Koritzinsky found Sam Anas undetected in front of the net and the Potomac, Md. native pulled the puck on his forehand and tried to stuff it in, but Ice goaltender Jon Gillies stretched his 6-foot-5 frame to get a glove up and make the save.

“Jon Gillies – if there’s a better goaltender in the league, I’d like to see him,” Noreen said. “He was phenomenal tonight.”

Then after a failed 3-on-1 attempt for the Phantoms, Polesello found Tarasov, who was floating around the Youngstown blue line, with a homerun pass. Tarasov went in on his own and faked backhand before bringing it to his forehand for the shot but O’Connor read him the whole way and denied the reigning USHL goal-scoring leader on the breakaway to give the Phantoms something to build on heading into the final period.

“In no way, shape or form should Matt have any blame tonight,” Noreen said. “He gave us the chance to win.”

Unfortunately, it was not to be. An overaggressive forecheck gave the Ice a 4-on-2 going the other way and Kuraly beat O’Connor with a one-timer from the right circle to stretch the lead to 3-0 with 12:55 left in regulation and it was more than enough.

“That third goal was kind of the way the weekend went for us,” Noreen said. “We made one mistake and it ended up in the back of our net.”

Damian Eargle had 20 points and ten rebounds to lead Youngstown State past Cleveland State, 73-67, on the road.  The Vikings were ranked in the AP Men’s Top-25 last week, so the magnitude of the win for YSU is huge, especially on the road. With the win, the Penguins improved to 7-6 and more importantly, 2-1 in Horizon League play while handing Cleveland State their first Horizon loss.  Cleveland native Ashen Ward scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half.

Senior DuShawn Brooks also reached double figures with 17 points, including 11 in the first half, and as a team, the Guins shot 58.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range.

After a 3-pointer by CSU’s Jeremy Montgomery tied the game at 40-40 at the 13:46 mark, the Penguins, who shot 65 percent (13-for-20) in the second half, used a 15-6 run over the next five minutes to take a 55-46 lead with 8:34 to go and never trailed again.

Ward started a run with a 3-pointer and after a 3-pointer by Blake Allen and jumper by Josh Chojnacki the Guins ahead by eight, 52-44, at 10:47. Allen also made a layup at the 8:34 mark put YSU up by nine.

The Vikings cut the deficit down to one on two occasions – 57-56 at the 5:18 mark and 59-58 with 4:31 to go.

Ward hit his second 3-pointer of the half and then drove the lane for a layup to extend the Guins’ edge to seven, 66-59, with 1:52 remaining.  Ward also made four straight free throws with under a minute to left, including the final two charity tosses with five seconds left to give the Penguins a 73-64 lead.

The Penguins return home to face Loyola, Thursday, Jan. 5, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.

The last time Youngstown State University beat Cleveland State was January 27, 2007.  On the last day of 2011, the Lady Penguins put together a good team effort, defeating the Vikings, 70-48, and headed into 2012 tied for first in the conference at 1-0.  It also marked the first time YSU has won a conference opener since 2008.  It’s a shame that 2011 is almost over, a year that will surely be earmarked as a giant step forward for the Lady Penguins basketball program.

In the first half, the Penguins opened up with a 14-2 run with 11:27 left in the half. Monica Touvelle (below) went 4-4 from three-point range and led all scorers with YSU heading to their locker room ahead comfortably, 35-22.  Brandi Brown had seven rebounds and six points in a half that saw all active members of the Lady Penguins see some minutes.

“It’s nice to get everyone involved”, remarked Coach Bob Boldon after the game. “They have all done the work in practice all week and deserve to be on the floor.”

In the second half, the Penguins started strong and held a 48-34 lead with 10:54 remaining in the contest.  Boldon’s offense looked lethal at times with just a couple of lapses in the second half.  Cleveland State cut the YSU lead to eleven at 50-39 with 9:23 left on a Shalonda Winton drive to the hoop.

An earthquake shuttered the Beeghly Center during the second half but play continued. “Was that an earthquake?” said Brown.  ” I am used to those being from California, I just thought someone fell.”

With the score 51-40, Brown drilled a three from the corner that got nothing but net. The Penguins held a 54-42 lead with five minutes to go.  Brown would extend the lead to 63-42 with just under three minutes left draining a pair of free throws after being fouled driving the length of the court with a steal.  The Vikings nevr got closer than 15 after the six minute mark of the game.

Brown finished the game with 23 points and 12 boards to notch her fifth double-double of the season and the 32nd of her career.  YSU also got an array of statistics from everyone including Touvelle’s four three-pointers, 16 points and five rebounds from Heidi Schlegel, and six assists from Macey Nortey.  The Penguins shot 42.6 from the floor and cashed in 28 more points off of Vikings turnovers.

“It feels good to go into a New Year with a win”, said Brown.  “We really executed well as a team and it was a good win for us.”

Cleveland State got 17 points from Winton and eleven more from Imani Gordon.  The Vikings slipped to 5-7 and 0-1 with the loss.

The Lady Penguins (7-5, 1-0) head West to face Butler on Thursday and Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon.

The Indiana Ice jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first 31 minutes of the game, and the Youngstown Phantoms were unable to chip away in time, falling 5-2 Friday in the Pepsi Coliseum. Dylan Margonari and JT Stenglein scored for the Phantoms (16-7-2, fourth East), but an 0-for-5 night on the power play helped secure the victory for Indiana (16-7-4, second East).

The Phantoms, buoyed by three power plays, outshot Indiana 12-5 in the first period, but the Ice made the most of what few chances they had. At the 10:25 mark, Emil Romig found Justin Bailey sneaking into the slot and he swept the puck past Matt O’Connor to give Indiana a 1-0 lead. The Phantoms had a plethora of opportunities in the remainder of the period, but Jon Gillies turned away them all and the Ice carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Youngstown started the second period short-handed and went two down after a hooking call on

At that point, Noreen replaced O’Connor with Sean Romeo, who shutout the Ice for the remainder of the game.

“We wanted to get Matt some rest – we’re going back to him tomorrow – and we wanted to spark the team a little bit,” Noreen said. “Sean came into a tough situation – coming in cold off the bench against maybe the most explosive team in the league – and he shut them down.”

Margonari put the Phantoms on the board in the final minute of the period. The Minnesota State – Mankato commit intercepted a pass in his own zone, blew past the flat-footed blue liner and roofed the puck on Gillies, knocking the netminder’s water bottle off the top of the net. The goal, scored with 55 seconds left in the period, made it a 4-1 game after 40 minutes.

“We talk about not looking at the scoreboard and that’s something Margo doesn’t do,” Noreen said. “He plays hard start to finish.

Less than five minutes into the third period Stenglein cut the Ice’s lead in half. The Greece, N.Y., native got the puck with speed at center ice, navigated through the Indiana defense and beat Gillies with a low wrist shot on the far post for his team-leading 14th goal of the season. But the Phantoms were unable to capitalize on a pair of late-period power plays, and Tarasov scored an empty-netter to seal win for the Ice.

“Our guys don’t like losing – we’re not going to accept it,” Noreen said. “Hopefully we’re going to learn from it and have a better level of execution tomorrow.”

in the first minute. Daniil Tarasov capitalized on the two-man advantage and put a one-timer past O’Connor to give the Ice the two-goal lead 46 seconds into the period. Sean Kuraly made it 3-0 when he won a foot race and beat O’Connor all alone. Then John Doherty stretched the lead to four goals at the 11:05 mark.

For years, the Jambar has turned out a quality product featuring objective viewpoints from student writers and photographers at Youngstown State University.  Lately, technology has allowed a few of the Jambar student-writers freedom to be more imaginative and try their hand in video-journalism.  Joe Catullo Jr. has spent a whole bunch of time compiling editions of Jack Up The Rev.  Not a conventional name by any means, the video clips are entertaining and the quality is surprisingly good.  All-in-all, it is a well produced minicast of what is going on.  Congratulations to Dustin Livesay, Nick Mancini, and Catullo for taking their vision as far as they can and continued expansion and growth to who comes next.

The name can be amusing to those who have never heard it.  I have watched YSU football coach Eric Wolford make Catullo cue him on what was to be said several times before a take was completed.  I am completely honored to be the featured presenter to Volume #12 (above).  Catullo has chased down Wolford, Bob Boldon, Zach Humphries, Anthony Noreen, Jim Brown, and anyone else they have been able to get to say their catchphrase as a show lead-in.

I recently caught up with Catullo (below) to explain the concept, the purpose, the future, and the past of Jack Up The Rev.

Paneech: Where did you come up with a name like, ‘Jack Up The Rev’?

Catullo: The name Jack Up The Rev came in February.  I was sitting with reporter Patrick Donovan who was telling me about his weekend.  When he finished, I told him it seemed like he was really trying to jack up the… jack up the rev or something.  I don’t know where it came from or how it happened, but it did.  About an hour later, the entire Jambar staff was saying it.

Paneech: Does each episode have a set time limit?

Catullo: We try to keep each episode about four minutes or less.  It only goes over if we have a lot of content we need to use.

Paneech: What goals have been set for the show?

Catullo: My main goal is that this will help me in my future.  I want to show future potential employers what I can offer.  Also, short term, to give the audience a look back at what YSU has done in the past week with some comedy involved.

Paneech: Who are some of the people involved with you in the project?

Catullo: Our online editor, Chris Cotelesse, brought the idea to the table that we could try to produce a sports show.  He is also the creator of the theme song.  He played the guitar and we sang all of the lyrics.  Our editor-in-chief, Josh Stipanovich, gave his blessing to call the show Jack Up The Rev.  Sports reporter Nick Mancini and photographer Dustin Livesay help in filming games.

Paneech: Where do you come up with ideas to keep the content entertaining?

Catullo: Personally, I feel that the sports are entertaining enough.  For other people to think so, I try to present the content in my own entertaining way.  I don’t really know where I come up with the ideas.  It is mostly improvision and the ideas are created and followed through upon on the spot.  I generally don’t write a script.

Paneech: Once you graduate and leave YSU, will you take Jack Up The Rev with you, or is it something you would want future students to expand with?

Catullo: I will still be attending YSU next year, so Jack Up The Rev will definitely continue, even if I am not the sports editor.  Afterwards, I can dream that a company would decide to buy the name and keep me on it.  It would be awesome to see myself on ESPN doing the show.

Paneech: Typically, how long does it take to build a single episode?

Catullo: It takes a long time to build a complete episode.  You first have to take the time to import and export video.  In a good week, there can be three or four hours of video content that would take anywhere from seven to eight hours to import and export.  My segments on camera used to take over an hour, but we have been able to scale that back to about twenty minutes.  Putting the video together is the toughest part and usually takes about six hours to complete.  The theme is the toughest thing because there are so many clips to look at and each one can only last about five seconds to synchronize with the theme song.  A whole episode can take up to two full work days to complete.

Paneech: When you ask someone to do a show intro, how confused are they and how many times can you expect to tell them what to say?

Catullo: Every time I tell a new face the name, they are always stunned and can’t figure out the meaning.  I just tell them that it is the name of my new show and that it is a motivational saying.  They are still usually confused afterwards.  A perfect example is Episode 6 when I had Coach Wolford saying it.  That episode now has the second highest hit total next to the first.

Click the above link and check out the effort that goes into this project by Catullo and staff.  They do fantastic work for having limited resources.