Posts Tagged ‘Youngstown Phantoms’

The Youngstown Phantoms fell behind early Friday night and could not maintain enough momentum to battle back against Team USA in their regular season opener. A slew of penalties kept many of the Phantoms’ offensive weapons off the ice for large portions of the game and Team USA was able to capitalize on their power-play opportunities to come away with the 10-3 win.

“We never really reached a level of cohesion between our lines tonight because we didn’t play very long five-on-five,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “It’s was a hard lesson that we had to learn.”

The first period started out slowly with neither team able to get an edge. That changed with less than five minutes left when Team USA broke the deadlock. The Phantoms found themselves down two men for 1:22 and were able to kill off the one penalty to make it a five-on-four, but could not finish off the other and Evan Allen beat goaltender Matthew O’Connor to put USA up 1-0. Then with 1:49 left in the period Team USA struck again when Trevor Hamilton was able to string a pass to Tyler Motte in the high slot and he put a wrist shot past O’Connor make it a 2-0 game.

Team USA opened up the second period on the power play and did not take long to capitalize. Luke Voltin put one past O’Connor just 19 seconds in. Tyler Kelleher added another power-play tally a little more than two minutes later and JT Compher tapped in a rebound to put Team USA up 5-0 with 13:00 still left in the second.

The Phantoms refused to back down and that was personified by Mike Ambrosia who put his team on the board when he simply outworked the Team USA defense and muscled it past goaltender Hunter Miska off an assist from Ryan Belonger. Ambrosia wasn’t done yet and he found linemate Austin Cangelosi open – short-handed no less – and the Boston College commit tickled the twine to make it a 5-2 game with 8:41 remaining in the period. But with Team USA back on the power play with 1:34left, Voltin added his second of the period to make it a 6-2 game heading into the second intermission.

The third period opened and once again Team USA caught the Phantoms off guard early when Compher beat Sean Romeo, who came on in relief of O’Connor in the second period. Anthony Louis added the fourth power-play goal of the night for Team USA a little more than four minutes later to stretch the lead out to 8-2. Belonger temporarily took the momentum back for the Phantoms with 7:59 remaining when he sniped a wrist shot from the top of the right circle, sending it through traffic to beat Miska high. But in the end, Team USA had built an insurmountable lead and Clint Lewis and Kelleher added late goals to secure a comfortable win.

“The biggest positive that comes out of all of this is it’s just one game,” Noreen said. “We’ve got 59 games to get better. We’re going to go back to work on Monday and be ready to play on Friday [against Chicago].”

The Youngstown Phantoms take great pride in announcing that Head Coach Curtis Carr has accepted an assistant coaching position with the Warriors of Merrimack College. Merrimack competes in Hockey East with the likes of Boston College, Boston University and the University of Maine.

The Phantoms and the BJ Alan Corporation continue to pride themselves on both the development of their players and their coaching professionals that have called Youngstown home. For the Phantoms, this summer has been one for the memories as Scott Mayfield was drafted into the National Hockey League, the organization’s first ever NHL selection, 34^th over by the New York Islanders, seven players attended NHL rookie developmental camps and now the organization will proudly watch as Curtis Carr becomes the first Phantoms coach to coach NCAA Division-I hockey.

“The promotion of our head coach continues to validate the program that we continue to build here in Youngstown,” said BJ Alan President and CEO Bruce J. Zoldan. “Curtis is a solid character coach and he exemplifies what we and the other members of our organization look for in both our players and coaches. We have been proud to have a person like Curtis acting as a role model for the players that we continue to develop in our system.”

Carr was named the head coach and general manager of the Phantoms on April 2, 2010 after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach within the organization. As a coach in the Phantoms system, Carr assembled a coaching record of 170-100-20 after 290 games behind the bench. Carr and the Phantoms also found post season success as they made three National Championship appearances in the North American Hockey League (2006, 2007 and 2008). Carr also found success on the college recruiting trail as 90 players under his guidance have gone on to play collegiate hockey.

“My time here in Youngstown has been outstanding,” said Carr. “I am very grateful to have worked for the Zoldan family and the entire Phantoms organization. I also want to thank Bob Mainhardt for giving me the opportunity to work as an assistant coach underneath him in both the North American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League. I was very fortunate to move into the USHL and receive the promotion to head coach in such a prominent league. For me and my family we felt like this was the right time to move on and pursue my goal of coaching Division-I hockey.”

The Phantoms now former head coach will be headed to a Merrimack program that saw great success during the 2010-11 season. Not only did the Warriors finish the season ranked tenth in the nation, they put together a 25 win season, a new Division-I school record, reached the final game of the Hockey East postseason tournament for the first time in school history and Merrimack clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998. Ranking second in Hockey East in goals, goals against and power play, Merrimack defeated every Hockey East team for the second straight season and second time ever and was ranked nationally for the final seventeen weeks of the season, reaching #4 nationally in February. The Warriors finished the season ranked tenth by both United States College Hockey Online and USA Today. Adding to the success the Warriors have seen on the ice, this past season, ten Merrimack players were named to the Hockey East All-Academic team, while the program as a whole was named a finalist for the top GPA among all Merrimack male programs.

“I am very thankful and I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to join the Merrimack program,” said Carr. ”Coach [Mark] Dennehy has done a great job over the past seven seasons and Glen Stewart has done a phenomenal job scouting the right players for their program. I am looking forward to learning from both of them as I further my coaching career.”

Youngstown Phantoms Defenseman Scott Mayfield has been drafted by the New York Islanders in the Second Round of the 2011 NHL Draft.  Mayfield was the 34th overall player selected.  The St. Louis, MO. native has spent the last two seasons playing for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.  he also won a Gold Medal at the World Junior Championships in the last year.

Mayfield is an extremely good skater for a defenseman and once he hits the weights a little harder to fill out his large frame, he is going to be a dynamic defenseman at the big level.

Jonathan “JT” Miller, of East Palestine, was also drafted in the First Round.  Miller who spent the last couple of seasons with Team USA in the USHL was drafted 15th overall by the New York Rangers.

The very best of luck to both players!

Scott Mayfield will be headed to Toronto at the end of May to participate in the National Hockey League’s draft combine.  Mayfield is the first Phantom and one of twelve current USHL players making the trip across the border.

The trip to the combine is not Mayfield’s first trip to an NHL event held in Toronto. Last season he took part in the NHL’s Research, Development and Orientation Camp (RDO) where he had the opportunity to skate in front of both NHL scouts and general managers.

“I am very excited to head back up to Toronto,” said Mayfield. “It will be a great opportunity to work out with the players I skated with at the RDO camp. It will also be an opportunity to see how I compare off the ice with these players.”

Mayfield dressed in 52 games and tallied seven goals and nine assists (16pts) in his second season with the Phantoms. Half of his point production came when the Phantoms were on a man advantage, three goals and five assists on the power play. Mayfield also finished the season ranked twenty-fourth out of all North American skaters by NHL’s Central Scouting.

“I set a lot of goals for myself this year,” said Mayfield. “Competing at the combine was one of them and I am honored that I was able to reach my goal with this invite. I have watched the combine before and now I am excited to be a part of it.”

The NHL combine is conducted by NHL Central Scouting and it is a series of tests that will provide the NHL teams with more information on the players. There will not be any on-ice sessions, but the players will take part in intense off-ice workouts, be interviewed by NHL teams and undergo medical examinations by independent doctors. Since the end of the season, Mayfield has been back at home in St. Louis preparing for the combine both physically and mentally.

“I have been working out with my trainer Dave Reddy,” said Mayfield, “and we have been working on all of the tests that I will take at the combine. I am trying to get stronger in those specific areas so I can make sure I perform well. I think everyone is going to be nervous with all the teams and media there, but you have to be able to look at it as just another workout. Scouts watched me during my games and I had to block them out so I am going to try and do the same in Toronto.”

Phantoms head coach Curtis Carr is proud of the accomplishment made by his second year defenseman.  He was also quick to credit the hard work Mayfield put in during his two seasons in Youngstown.

“We are extremely proud of Scott,” said Carr. “This invitation is a proud moment for both Scott and the organization. Scott is a great player and an even better person who has worked hard both on and off the ice to make himself better. He deserves this opportunity.”

In the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, Animal Kingdom took home the roses with an impressive performance at Churchill Downs. This win marks the first Kentucky Derby win for President of Phantom Fireworks Bruce Zoldan.

Zoldan and the other members of Team Valor International entered Animal Kingdom, the first horse from this group to compete in the derby since Visionaire three years ago, after a qualifying win in the Vinery Racing Spiral on March 26 at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Animal Kingdom’s trainer, Graham Motion, has captured over 1,000 races and his most accomplished horse was Better Talk Now in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Turf and Shared Account in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Last week, there was speculation that Animal Kingdom would not run in the derby thanks to torrential downpours in the Louisville area. The status of Animal Kingdom was up in the air until last Saturday after trainer Graham Motion and team leader Barry Irwin determined the track conditions would not put the horse in any danger. Animal Kingdom tested at Churchill Downs and the colt ran six furlongs in 1:13.17, which was a time that surprised the clocker’s. Animal Kingdom was steady in the middle of the pack and jockey John Velazquez made his move down the home stretch. Animal Kingdom has won the first leg of horse racing’s coveted Triple Crown.

The Youngstown Phantoms (23-30-7,53 pts) did their part by winning their last two games of the season, but unfortunately Waterloo also picked up a win which has eliminated the Phantoms from the playoff picture. On Fan Appreciation Night, the Phantoms defeated the Chicago Steel (9-43-8,26 pts) 8-2 and they were led by Ryan Belonger who recorded the second Phantoms hat trick in as many nights.

Danny Mattson and the Phantoms got on the board first with ten minutes left in the first period after Mattson put a rebound shot past Chicago netminder Connor Wilson to give the Phantoms the early lead. It did not take the Steel long to answer when Joel Benson put a wrist shot in the back of the net to tie the game up at one just two minutes later. After the Benson goal, the Phantoms took control of the game for good. Dylan Margonari scored once and Belonger scored twice for the Phantoms to close out the first period. Youngstown took a 4-1 lead into the first intermission.

“Our guys played well and it was nice to see them get rewarded for their hard work,” said Phantoms head coach Curtis Carr. “We said the whole way that we need to win these two games to give ourselves a chance and unfortunately it just did not work out for us.”

In the second period, only two goals would find the back of the net.  Ben Paulides, who has been pushing for a goal this whole season, found the back of the net with a slap shot from the point that beat Wilson low on his glove side.  The Steel would come back :44 later and cut the lead back down to three goals as Aiden Cavallini scored on a rebound in front of the Phantoms crease. The Phantoms went into the second intermission leading Chicago 5-2.

In the third period, the Phantoms would add three more goals to bring their total to eight.  Chris Bradley scored his first of the night with a slap shot from the point and Margonari would score the Phantoms third power play goal of the game but both would be out done by number 16. Belonger tipped a Justin Stevens slap shot past Colin Brennan to secure his first career hat trick and the Phantoms second trick in as many nights.

“I felt like I was one uped by Ambrosia last night,” said Belonger. “I felt like I had to get him back, he had his three, so I felt like I needed to get my three.”

Unfortunately for the Phantoms, their hard work and scoring prowess will still leave them just shy of the playoff after Waterloo defeated the Dubuque Fighting Saints 2-1. Even in defeat there are still positive lessons for both the returning and graduating Phantoms to take with them as they depart for the summer.

In baseball, there are prospects sometimes called five-tool players, simply meaning they have all of the weaponry to dominate their sport if they get hot.  Scott Mayfield would be the closest thing to that caliber of a prospect, but only on the ice instead of the diamond.  Few defensemen not already on NHL teams can skate as fast as Mayfield.  When you go to a Phantoms game, watch him control the puck and weave through what appears to be cardboard cutouts.  He has the size of an NHL defenseman standing at 6’4″, the speed of a good wing, and the puck controlling skills of a center.  There should be little doubt that Mayfield could well end up playing hockey in the NHL very soon.

Paneech: What got you interested in hockey at a young age?

Mayfield: My mom actually just wanted to have a family skating night, so she would take us out to the local rink in St. Louis and we would skate.  I started when I was around four and when I got better, they wanted me to try hockey.

Paneech: You are a big boy, being from St. Louis, are you a Cardinals fan or a Rams fan, and did you consider baseball and football?

Mayfield: I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.  We actually have season tickets about a section over from home plate and I always go to the games, I love them.  I’m not too worried about Albert Pujols not signing yet, but I hope he doesn’t wait too long.  [Adam] Wainwright going down was a tough break.

Paneech: Who is the NHL defenseman you strive to be like?

Mayfield: I would have to say Eric Johnson, he is my favorite player in the NHL.  He played in St. Louis and then got moved to Colorado, but he is definitely who I try to play my game like.  I like Chris Pronger as well.  I grew up a Blues fan with my family always watching.  Brett Hull, Adam Oates — all of the big names go through there.

Paneech: Let’s talk about your success at the World Junior Challenge and being named a USHL All-Star this season.

Mayfield: I have had a lot of personal success and it’s been great.  Being named the MVP at the World Junior Challenge was a big honor.  Winning a gold medal for my country was probably the most rewarding hockey experience that I have had so far.  I feel a lot of my personal success has come from playing in the USHL.  Being on this team has really helped me.

Paneech: How fired up are you about going to school and continuing your hockey career at Denver?

Mayfield: I’m really excited about that, it is always where I wanted to go.  It is the right fit for me and I have some family connections there and everything.  It’s a great hockey program.

Paneech: Who is your closest friend on this hockey team and why?

Mayfield: Probably Chris Bradley. We were paired together early in the year and we have been hanging out quite a bit lately.  We share a lot of the same interests.

Paneech: I have read and heard some stories of these long bus trips you guys take.  What is the craziest thing that has happened so far?

Mayfield: The craziest thing was definitely New Years Eve night.  We had a bus trip and somehow there were noisemakers planted in all of our bunks.  (laughs) Then we started going crazy with them, and Coach Patterson came back because he was trying to sleep and started taking all of the noisemakers from us.  We were blowing them in his face, it was a classic moment and a really good time.

Paneech: What USHL team do you look forward to playing against the most, and why?

Mayfield: I definitely like playing against Muskegon.  We had a big stretch with them where we had like six games against them, I think.  Each game was really intense, and that is the kind of game I like to play in.  Waterloo is also one of my favorite teams to go against.

Paneech: In 20 years, do you see yourself more like Charlie Sheen or Alex Zoldan?

Mayfield: (laughs) I don’t even know how to answer that one.  In 20 years, I just hope that I am successful and surrounded with a family.  I want to go as far as I can with hockey, and my dream is to play in the NHL.

One Word Answers:

Favorite iphone Ap: Angry Birds.

Toppings On A Pizza: Just pepperoni and sausage.

Greatest Cartoon Character Ever: Bart Simpson.

Favorite Music: Country and Rap.

Biggest Phobia: Getting Injured.

Worst Habit: Procrastination.

Favorite Holiday: Christmas.

Favorite TV Show: Sportscenter.

Favorite Drink: Purple Gatorade.

Song No One Would Believe Is On Your ipod: Allright by Darius Rucker.

Favorite Thing To Do: Hang out with my family, I don’t see them enough.

The Youngstown Phantoms (18-24-4, 40pts) scored two goals in the first and two in the third on their way to a 4-1 victory over Team USA.  Ty Loney extended his goal scoring streak to four games and Ben Paulides earned his second multi-point game of the season with two assists.

The Phantoms held Team USA to just four shots on goal in the first period and they were able to find the back of the net twice on 12 shots of their own.  At 7:53 of the first period, Dylan Margonari skated the puck into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot from the left circle that went over the glove hand of Jared Rutledge and into the back of the net.  Margonari’s goal was his fourth of the season and his first since December 10 against Green Bay.  Just three minutes later, Scott Mayfield intercepted a pass at center ice and like Margonari, he put the puck past Rutledge on the glove hand side.  Like last night, the Phantoms continued to press Team USA in the neutral zone as they generated turnover after turnover.

“We talked about it before the game,” said Carr. “We knew they would come out pressing on offensive, we knew if we played like we did last night that we could shut them down in the neutral zone. We smothered them at times, forcing the turnovers and generating chances off of them.”

The Phantoms came out in the second period looking to feed off of their momentum from the first but neither team was unable to generate those five-on-five chances because of the six different penalties in the frame. In the middle frame, neither team could capitalize on their power play chances and with a shot total of, 10-8 in favor of Youngstown, there was a clear sense of how the style of the game had changed.

“We told our guys between periods to stay within our systems,” said Carr. “With Team USA trailing by two we knew they would need to change their style in order to climb back into the game. It was very important for us to keep playing our game.”

Going into the third period the game had the same special teams style like the one seen in the second period. A total of seven penalties were issued, but one in particular swung the game further away from Team USA. Austin Wuthrich, was issued a five minute major and a game misconduct for his hit from behind on Margonari. On the ensuing five minute power play, Danny Mattson found the back of the net for his first goal as a Phantom. The power play goal put the Phantoms up 3-0 and five minutes later Loney scored on a feed fromAdam Berkle to put the Phantoms up by four. Team USA would deny Jordan Tibbett his second shutout of the season when Frankie Vatrano scored with just 1:49 left on the clock. The Phantoms 4-1 win was their third straight over Team USA. Paulides tallied his second multi-point game of the season with two assist during tonight’s game.

“Getting the points are great,” said Paulides. “What is even more important is that we picked up two more points in the standings. Tomorrow I will go back to playing my defensive style of hockey and we will hopefully pick up two more points.”

 

The USHL has announced the 2010-11 USHL All-Star team and Phantoms defenseman Scott Mayfield and forward Cody Strang have been named Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Both Mayfield and Strang are in their final season with the Phantoms and their hard work on the ice has been recognized by the general managers and head coaches of the USHL.   Even though this is an individual accomplishment, Strang was quick to credit his teammates for this award.  “It’s a great honor,” said Strang. “It takes a lot of hard work but I have to give a lot of thanks and credit to my teammates. Without the hard work they put in on the ice we would not have been able to succeed like we have.”

 Mayfield, a first time all-star, was quick to say that this award would mean a lot less if the Phantoms do not qualify for the post season.  “It feels really good, but I know my teammates are focused on the games ahead,” said Mayfield.  “This accomplishment ranks up there with all of my other personal awards but what means the most is how well the team does.  If we do not make the playoffs, no disrespect, this award does not mean nearly as much.”

Assistant Coach Anthony Noreen gave credit to both players for the accomplishment, but like his two assistant captains, he was also quick to give credit to the entire team.  “It’s a great accomplishment for both of our guys, said Noreen.  “This is also a testament to all the guys in our locker room. What they said is exactly why they are two of our captains. It shows their leadership on and off the ice and this award just gives them the gratification for their hard work.”

For Mayfield this has been a season where the all-star award is just one of a few personal accomplishments that he has earned since this summer.  Over the summer Mayfield competed at the NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp and back in November,  he also played for Team USA at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge.   At the Junior ‘A’ Challenge Mayfield won a gold medal and was named the tournament MVP.   With all of these accomplishments Noreen pointed out that the 6’4 defenseman has not changed one bit since he arrived in Youngstown last season.  “If you know Scottie and how humble he is this does not mean much to him,” said Noreen. “The way he comes to the rink would not change even if was not named an all-star. This is great for him and his family but since day one he has not changed who he is or what kind of player he is.”

The Youngstown Phantoms (16-23-4, 36pts) beat the Chicago Steel 6-0 behind an 18 save performance by Jordan Tibbett on Friday night at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms had six players record a multiple point game and they were lead by a three point (1g,2a) performance by Stu Higgins.

The Phantoms got on the board four minutes into the game during their first power play of the night. Jiri Sekac was able to beat Chicago netminder Connor Wilson, on the glove hand side after a pass by Ty Loney found Sekac wide open on the near post. Sekac tallied his fourteenth goal of the season and Loney and Cody Strang were credited with the assists. The Phantoms would add their second goal of the opening frame, as Scott Mayfield found the back of the net over the right shoulder of Wilson to increase the Phantoms lead to two.Mayfield recorded his fifth goal of the season and Strang tallied his second assist of the game.

The Phantoms would increase their lead five minutes into the second period after Adam Berkle deked out Wilson and put a wrist shot in the net to give the Phantoms their third consecutive goal. Berkle recorded his sixth goal of the season and Stu Higgins and Nilan Nagy were credited with the assists. The Phantoms continued to dominate on the power play when Loney found the back of the net on a deflection that put the Phantoms up by four. Loney’s goal was his seventeenth of the season and Sekac tallied the assist, his second point of the game. A minute later, the Phantoms scored on their third consecutive power play as Ryan Belonger put a slap shot past Wilson right off the face off win by Higgins. Higgins was given the assist on the play giving him two points with six minutes left in the middle frame. With three power play goals, the Phantoms headed into the intermission up 5-0.

“It was uncertainty, a feeling we have not had much this season,” said Phantoms Head Coach Curtis Carr. “We have played so many close games this season and going into the last period up by five goals was something new. I was very happy the way we responded in that last period.”

The Phantoms scored their fourth power play goal of the contest at 10:48 of the third period when Higgins put a wrist shot past the blocker hand of Wilson to go up 6-0. Higgins’ goal gave him three points on the night and he was one of five other Phantoms with a multi-point game, Berkle (1g,1a), Sekac (1g,1a), Loney (1g,1a), Mayfield (1g,1a) and Strang (2a). The 18 save shutout by Tibbett was the Phantoms first of the season and their first since entering the USHL.

“We played a good, team game,” said Tibbett. “Getting the zero on the board was really the icing on the cake. I got a lot of help from my forwards and defenseman and all I had to do was make my routine saves.”

The Phantoms take on the visiting Muskegon Lumberjacks (17-18-8,42pts) tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms and Lumberjacks will once again face off in what has become an intense rivalry this season. The Phantoms will meet the Lumberjacks for the seventh and final time this season tomorrow night. Youngstown and Muskegon have split the previous six meetings 3-3 with one of the Phantoms wins coming in overtime. Loney (4g,2a) and Jordan Young (6a) are each tied with a team leading six points against the Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks come into tomorrow winless in their last four games.

“Tonight we learned that we can be very successful when we stick to our game plan for a full sixty minutes,” said Carr. “Even when we got up by two or three goals we stayed within the system and played our team game. Tonight can be a turning point to reinforce how important it is to play within our system.”