Posts Tagged ‘Youngstown Phantoms’

When an outsider meets a guy like Curtis Carr, they usually scratch their head and wonder what exactly he does for the Youngstown Phantoms.  His official title in the media guide is Associate Coach / Director of Player Development.  To actually talk with him about his role with the team unveils so much more about what it is that prompts this blog to say that Carr is underpaid.

For as open and forthright as Bob Mainhardt is, you would think he would pick someone with the verbage to alleviate his public headaches.  Coach Carr is the first to admit that he is not a talker, especially to the public sector.  Yet, to have a conversation with Carr was surprisingly refreshing and not at all what I expected.  He hides his intelligence and his emotions but came off as very articulate and passionate about hockey.

Paneech:  As the Director of Player Development for a team in a developmental league, what exactly do you do?

Carr: I help out with the scouting in the offseason. As far as the guys that are here, I work with them before and after practice on their individual skills. I also monitor their off time as far as weight training, dealing with the kids that are in school as far as their academics, and keep track of their transcripts to send to recruiting colleges.  I also maintain profiles for the players for pro scouts.  I also review videotape with the team and players individually so they can pinpoint the things they need to work on.

Paneech:  What is the best thing so far about this year as well as the worst thing.

Carr: The best thing about this year is being in this league [USHL].  It’s been pretty impressive to work with kids at this talent level.  We have a great bunch of guys in our locker room that want to make something of themselves and they really work hard.  The most negative thing about this year is the current losing streak that we are on, but I think we are close to getting it turned around.

Paneech:  Being a married man, how does this all play out with the wife at home?

Carr:  I’m really fortunate, my wife met me when I was already doing this so she knew what she was getting into.  She is a teacher and very passionate about her job so she understands my passion for this.  When I go home, I try my hardest to shut this off and focus on my life away from hockey.  Usually, I will come home three nights a week and concentrate on the things I should at home.  I go to dinners and the movies, you know, just things to let her know that I care about her.

Paneech:  Talk about your one-game suspension.

Carr:  It was my first penalty as a coach. We were in Waterloo and the refs made a couple of questionable calls late in the game that I disagreed with.  I let my opinion be known after the game and got penalized for it.

Paneech: I know Coach Mainhardt wears his heart on his sleeve.  You seem much more reserved, how is the chemistry between the two of you?

Carr: I’ve worked with Bob [Mainhardt] for four years and consider him a very good friend.  We do have alot of the same opinions and similar feelings on things, but you are right he does wear his heart on his sleeve and can be a little more animated than I am.  He is very emotional and uses that to get the players going.  I hide in the back and take a couple of deep breaths before I speak, and I just say things in a different matter.  Good cop, bad cop would be a good way to put it.

Whatever the method, and regardless of the record, Carr and Mainhardt make a very strong tandem that will hopefully anchor this franchise for years to come.

Matt Gajtka, the Director of Media Relations for the Phantoms also speaks highly of Coach Carr.  “Curt is a very quiet guy until you get to know him.  Once you break through that exterior, you meet a quality individual who is genuine and concerned with the players in all phases of their lives, as well as hockey.  He does a great job on helping them as they try to get to the next level.”

The Youngstown Phantoms got embarrassed on their home ice Friday in dropping an 8-1 decision to Sioux Falls.  The Stampede beat the Phantoms in every phase of that game.  As Classic Rock legends Foreigner once sang, That Was Yesterday, and Sunday offered fresh zeroes on the scoreboard.

Unfortunately for the home team, the zeroes turned into bad numbers again.  The goals scored section read Sioux Falls 8, Youngstown 3.  The shots on goal column for Sioux Falls had a 38 underneath it, too many quality attempts for the Phantoms to give to a high-powered juggernaut like the Stampede.

The Phantoms got a goal from Taylor Holstrom (above) at the 9:35 mark of the first period.  Both teams had a man in the penalty box, so it was an even-strength chance.  Brett Gensler picked up an assist as the Phantoms took the 1-0 lead, quite a contrast from Friday when they were down 3-0 at this point.

Sioux Falls tied it up as Michael Voran connected when Matt Lindblad’s shot deflected off of Phantoms Goalkeeper Matt Mahalak.  Voran was in the right place at the right time as he picked up the easy goal.

Matt Zarbo gave Sioux Falls the lead when he connected on an assist from Voran just about a half-minute later handing Sioux Falls a 2-1 lead.

Matt Farris connected just 18 seconds later, and just like that, the Phantoms had dug themselves a hole at the end of the first period and trailed 3-1 at the intermission.  Sioux Falls took the big lead scoring three quick goals in the last 1:19 of the frame.

At the 9:09 mark of the second period, the Phantoms broke into the Sioux Falls zone with a three-on-two advantage.  Jefferson Dahl unloaded the puck to Ryan Jasinsky who nailed the shot from in between the faceoff circles, beating Stampede netminder Clay Witt (top photo).  The goal shrunk the Sioux Falls lead to 3-2.

Conor Allen pushed the Stampede margin back to two goals when he scored from in between the circles. The goal came with 5:38 left in the second period and anytime the Phantoms seemed to gain a little momentum it was yanked away.

Linblad got his second point of the game when he took a rebound and stuffed it past Mahalak.  For Linblad, it was his twelfth goal of the season.  The powerplay goal was scored with 1:19 left in the second. Voran and Anthony Day picked up assists.  After two periods, Youngstown trailed Sioux Falls, 5-2.

Clark Cristofoli drilled a slapshot past Mahalk from the farthest part of the right faceoff circle.  The goal came at the 2:34 mark of the final period.  Jacob Johnstone was credited with an assist on Cristofoli’s second goal of the season.  Sioux Falls seemed to be having all of the fun again as they opened the lead to four goals at 6-2, their largest margin on the afternoon.

With 15:18 left in the game, the Stampede struck again as Josh Holmstrom let loose at an empty net. Mahalak dove right to stop a shot seconds earlier and Holmstrom was able to buzz it by before the Phantoms goaltender could reload to make it 7-2.  With 11:31 left, Holmstrom again hit the twine to push the lead to 8-2, and the route was on.

Scott Mayfield picked up his seventh goal of the season at the 11:14 mark of the third to ease the sting and make the score 8-3.  Stuart Higgins tallied an assist, his sixth of the year.  Unfortunately, it was the last murmur of the game and when the horn sounded signifying the end, the Phantoms were on the short end of the stick.

Goaltender Clay Witt may want to call Howard Hanna Real Estate to see if there are any homes for sale because he plays well when he hears the word Youngstown.  Witt has only give up four goals in three starts against the Phantoms (14-21-2) this season.

The Phantoms return to the ice Wednesday morning to play defending champion Indiana with a special early start time of 10 AM. 

Cody Strang was named the Reebok USHL Offensive Player of The Week.  Strang recorded the first hat trick in Youngstown Phantoms history against Team USA in a 7-3 triumph.  More impressively, the three goals were scored consecutively. 

Strang has already signed the magic letter to play at The University of Wisconsin following the season.  Strang was dominant in high school and scored 39 goals in his senior year.  Strang is only 19-years-old and seems to have a bright future in the sport of hockey.

Wrist injuries plagued Strang for the early part of the Youngstown Phantoms season and he could be found running video equipment in the pressbox.  Once the wrist started to heal, Strang started resuming his normal practice routines and after a week he was dressed and playing again.  “The wrirst still hurts sometimes.  I am playing through it and it is getting better”, remarked Strang after a recent game.

Look for Strang to continue his offensive run if the Phantoms will be able to make any kind of push down the stretch.

Congratulations Cody Strang!

The Harlem Globetrotters were set to share their magic with Youngstown at The Covelli Centre  on Saturday.  Somehow the script was flipped and the Youngstown Phantoms took on the role of the Washington Generals, the team that was the patsy forced to play the Globetrotters and look foolish in losing badly.  Sioux Falls and Youngstown did their absolute best to provide a Globetrotters vs Generals matchup a night early as the Stampede pounded the Phantoms, 8-1, in front of a large crowd. 

The pregame fireworks left plenty of smoke.  Before the smoke could even clear, Sioux Falls scored a goal. Jacob Johnstone beat Matt Mahalak (see top picture) to a rebound and knocked the puck home to give the visitors the lead at the 16:52 mark.  The Stampede’s Michael Voran and Matt Zarbo picked up assists.

With a small cloud still lingering over the ice, like something from a Charlie Brown Halloween Special, Sioux Falls picked up a second goal. At 14:19 of the first, Voran connected with assists from Matt Linblad and Clark Cristofoli, and the fireworks were just starting.

With 9:39 left in the first period, Johnstone scored his eleventh goal of the season to put the Stampede up 3-0.  Matt Bailey picked up the assist.

Just 29 seconds later, the Stampede continued the offensive onslaught.  The larger-than-usual crowd was silenced as their hometown Phantoms looked totally outclassed in the early going and trailed this one 4-0. Coach Bob Mainhardt tried a switch between the pipes, switching to Jordan Tibbet, as Mahalak was ineffective.  The fourth goal was scored by Anthony Day with assists from Ryan Misiak and George Michalke.

Sioux Falls connected for a powerplay goal with 2:47 remaining.  Conor Allen connected on a nice pass from Johnstone who recorded his third point of the first period.  The five goals scored against the Phantoms were a season high.

The first period would mercifully come to a close with Youngstown trailing Sioux Falls, 5-0. The Phantoms were outshot 14-5 and of the 14 Sioux Falls shots, better than 33% resulted in goals.

Sioux Falls picked up where they left off to start the second period as Day picked up his second goal of the game, a powerplay chance.  The goal was scored with 16:43 left in the second period and Michalke and Chad Ruhwedel gathered a point each for assists.  With 5:26 the Stampede got their seventh unanswered goal.   Jamie Oleksiak recorded his first of the season, assisted by Linblad.

Another powerplay goal came with 7:24 left in the game.  Sioux Falls used only five seconds of a man advantage to find the net.  Linblad and Voran piled up their stats with an assist each. 8-0 Stampede.

Luke Eibler got the Phantoms on the scoreboard and broke up the shutout bid of Stampete Goaltender Clay Witt with 2:22 left in the game.  Adam Berkle nabbed an assist on the goal which made the score 8-1.  The Phantoms were outshot 27-21 but the shots on goal were not the difference, the pace and play went the way of Sioux Falls.

After the game, a dejected Coach Mainhardt said this one hurt.  “There will be some changes.  I did not have these guys prepared tonight.  I have been cutting corners as I coach and try to make exceptions and that never works out well, so I have learned a pretty important lesson here this season.”

The Phantoms get another crack at Sioux Falls on Sunday, the puck drops at 3:00 PM, see you there!

The Youngstown Phantoms don’t want to come off as an unpatriotic group of people, but they broke a six-game winless streak and set records of a positive nature in their destruction of Team USA, 7-3.  Cody Strang (pictured) collected the first hat trick in Phantoms history as the home team scored seven unanswered goals to post their first win of 2010.

The Phantoms had lost to the 18 & under version of Team USA, 6-1, two nights earlier.  The trend looked to continue as the Michigan-based Team USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead. 

Monday, the 17 & under version of Team USA got their shot at the struggling Phantoms who had not yet posted a win in the year 2010 (0-5). 

Rocco Grimaldi (pictured) connected at the 10:50 mark to put Team USA up 1-0.  For Grimaldi, it marked his sixth point of the season against the Phantoms.  Grimaldi’s goal was unassisted and came on a Team USA powerplay chance.

It didn’t take long for Grimaldi to find the net again as he connected at the 16:19 mark of the first period.  Austin Wuthrich picked up an assist on Grimaldi’s second goal of the night and seventh of the season.

Tom Serratore got Youngstown on the scoreboard at the 17:27 mark, still in the first period.  Serratore was assisted by Ryan Jasinsky on the even-strength chance.

As the first period closed, the Phantoms had 15 shots on goal compared to Team USA’s nine, yet trailed the Under-17 USA group 2-1. 

With 9:15 left in the second priod, Adam Berkle tied the game with a powerplay goal, his eighth of the season.  Berkle took his shot from the left faceoff circle and beat Matt McGee.  Assists on Berkle’s goal went to Taylor Holstrom and David Donnellan.

Three minutes later,  Holstrom connected as Team USA goaltender McGee was laying on his stomach in the crease.  Holstrom fired from about 15 feet away and grazed the top bar of the goal as his shot hit twine and gave the Phantoms a 3-2 lead.

The onslaught continued as Cody Strang snuck the puck past McGee at the 14:27 mark of the second.  Jefferson Dahl and Luke Eibler snagged assists on the beautiful shot that Strang had from a tough angle.  The Phantoms stayed  hot as they picked up another goal a few moments later to go up 5-2.  Strang redirected a Luke Eibler slapshot and picked up the powerplay goal with an assist from Dahl.  It was the Phantoms third powerplay goal of the period and fifth in a row.

Strang, who was hurt for a good part of the season with wrist problems, knocked home his third goal of the game, a hat trick.  When asked about the wrist, Strang replied, “It felt pretty good tonight.  Some nights it gets sore, other nights it feels good.  It was a month ago I last got a goal, so I was really happy to get three.” 

The hat trick was the first in Phantoms history.  Strang was assisted by Dahl, his third helper of the game.  Mercifully, the second period would close with Youngstown ahead of Team USA, 6-2.

After two periods the shots on goal heavily favored Youngstown 37-13.  The 22 shots on goal in the second period were the most by the Phantoms this season.  The five goals scored in the period were also a new franchise record. 

Jiri Sekac, a Czech Republican Phantom, scored his first career USHL goal.  The goal pushed the lead to 7-2 in favor of the Phantoms.  Brett Gensler collected an assist, and the  Phantoms had their seventh unanswered goal.  The seventh goal was the highest output on offense for Youngstown since November 19.  The Phantoms also set a season-high for shots on goal in a game with 44, breaking the old mark of 42.

JT Miller, of nearby East Palestine, scored a goal for Team USA to close out the scoring at 7-3.  Robbie Russo snagged an assist to close out the game scoring.

Coach Bob Mainhardt was happy to get back on the winning track.  “I thought we played pretty good in the last few games but we still drifted from the gameplan.  Tonight showed that when we play 60 minutes, we are a really good team.”

Mainhardt also sang the praises of Cody Strang.  “He is a natural goal scorer.  He is headed to the University of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin doesn’t take too many slouches.  We had very high hopes for him coming in and he has done a great job.” 

The Phantoms hit the road for a Friday game with Waterloo.  The puck drops at 7:05 and you can catch all of the action on AM-1240 with Matt Gajtka, the best in the USHL – give him a listen.

The Youngstown Phantoms have struggled to find consistency this season.  Two individuals who have been good night in and night out have been rewarded for their efforts.  Nick Czinder and Taylor Holstrom have been named to represent Youngstown at the USHL All-Star Game to be held in Indianapolis on January 26.

Taylor Holstrom has appeared in all 31 Phantoms games so far this season.  Over that span of games, he has racked up some pretty impressive numbers.  Holstrom leads the team in scoring with 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) and impressive plus/minus ratio of +11.  Beyond the numbers is the intangible bursts of speed that Holstrom flashes.  The guy is a hustler and is very deservant of the honor.

Nick Czinder has put up numbers to be proud of.  Czinder has nine goals and five assists and a plus/minus ratio of +10.  Czinder is a highly-touted prospect who also plays hard every single game.  He is one of the few guys Coach Bob Mainhardt has praised consistently all season.

Congratulations Nick and Taylor!!

The Youngstown Phantoms seem to have lost their mojo over the last couple of weeks.  Friday, they did little to regain the promise shown in December as Fargo rolled into town and captured a 4-2 victory.  The loss was the fourth in a row for the slumping Phantoms.

The Phantoms wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Tom Serratore put the rebound of an Adam Berkle shot into the opponents net.  Dan Senkbeil also picked up an assist on the goal, scored at the 4:28 mark of the first.

Garrett Allen tied the game when Phantoms Goaltender, Jordan Tibbet, got tangled up with a Force player trying to retreat back through the crease.  Allen’s goal was a rebound off of a Matt Leitner shot.  The goal, which came at the 11:37 mark of the first period was Allen’s 12th of the season.

With 14:37 left in the second period, Force Captain Chase Grant connected on a shorthanded chance.  Grant’s goal was his 15th of the season and was unassisted putting Fargo on top, 2-1.

With 11:27 left in the second period, Fargo took a 3-1 lead when Corey Leivermann  beat Tibbett from close range.  Garnering assists on the goal were Colten St. Clair, and Grant, who scored three minutes earlier.

With 1:13 left in the second, Youngstown sliced the two-goal Fargo lead in half when Brett Gensler connected unassisted.  Gensler had been so close so many times in recent games to scoring a goal.  He finally broke through with his eleventh of the season.

In the third period, Nate Condon extended the Force lead to 4-2.  Chad Demers and Johnnie Searfoss picked up assists on the Condon goal.  Condon snuck the puck past Tibbett who stopped a Demers drive that deflected to the front lip of the right faceoff circle.

Fargo held off a late powerplay chance to preserve the victory and raise their record to 21-9-1.  With the loss the Phantoms fell to 13-15-2.  Fargo outshot the Phantoms 31-27.

After the game, a dejected Coach Mainhardt reflected on the recent problems of his team.  “A couple of bad apples are spoiling the whole bushel.  Most members of each line play well and do their jobs, but there is a guy on each line not sticking to the plan.  We will give them an opportunity to do the job again tomorrow, and if those couple of guys continue to let the team down we will definitely be shortening the bench and giving the ice time to the guys who are on the right page.”

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming Into 1-8-10 Game vs Fargo: 120 penalty minutes (leads USHL).

After Game:  Still 120 penalty minutes.

Young was a scratch from Friday’s game and has missed the last three with concussion symptoms.  He sat next to me in the pressbox during the game and stayed busy videotaping and charting shots for the team.  The injury took place when he was checked simultaneously by two Green Bay defenders on the recent roadtrip. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

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

Following 12/29 Game: 120 Penalty Minutes

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

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

The first conversation I ever had with Luke Eibler took place in the elevator at The Covelli Centre before a Youngstown Phantoms game.  Granted, there are not many things you can talk about with someone you do not know when descending one floor in an elevator.  However, one floor on that elevator is like ten floors on a normal one, it has to be one of the world’s slowest.  I had seen this guy the night before wearing a suit and filming the game.  I assumed he was a paid member of the Phantoms video team.  The next night, as I struck up some matter-of-a-fact conversation, the young man informed me that he couldn’t wait to get back on the ice.  The guy I met that night has always smiled and said hello since, drawn praise from his coaches and fellow Phantoms, and is probably the most humble athlete (with amazing upside) I have ever spoken with.  That young man is Luke Eibler, and here are the highlights of our recent talk.

Paneech:  Talk about how you first got into playing hockey.

Eibler:  My father was never really big, so when I was about two years old he put me on the ice figuring I didn’t have to be huge to skate or play hockey.  I have been playing hockey since, and I really love the sport.

Paneech:  Talk about your future at Northeastern University and beyond.

Eibler:  I’m excited about Northeastern.  They have great coaching and there are alot of guys who can really play the game attending that school.  Three years ago they only won three games and last year they won 25.  If by some chance I got drafted, I would want to go to college for a couple of years.  As an NHL defenseman, I would need to bulk up a bit, I’m just not big enough yet.

Paneech:  How did you end up in a Phantoms uniform?

Eibler:  Last year I played for Victory Honda.  I played in a few tournaments and did well.  In the Futures Draft, Indiana picked me and I got traded to Youngstown six days before training camp.  Me and [Scott] Mayfield got traded to the Phantoms for Nick Madsen. 

Paneech:  Tell me how you injured your shoulder and how you are dealing with returning.

Eibler:  I have hurt it twice.  The first time, Nick Czinder hit me over the bench at practice.  I broke a bone and was out for three weeks.  I came back, played a few games, and my AC joint in the same shoulder got messed up and I missed a couple more weeks.  It really hurt a couple of weeks ago, but it feels 100% now.  I am hitting with my left shoulder more.  I feel like I get more power when I skate off of my right foot and deliver a blow with my left shoulder.

Paneech:  What is a harder skill, checking or digging the puck out of a crowd?

Eibler:  Coming up to a guy, you always want to lead with your stick to poke the puck out and then follow through with your body afterwards. 

Paneech:  Describe the living situation.  Do you guys all stay with a host family?

Eibler:  We all live with host families.  You either live with another player or by yourself.  Some people live with two other guys.  They [host families] have rooms for us.  I live by myself in Poland.  It is a very different experience because I have never lived with another family before.  I am already graduated, so I will go work out and be on the ice until at least 3:30 pretty much every single day.

Paneech:  Coach Mainhardt talks about “sticking to the gameplan” and is awfully frustrated after you guys lose usually saying someone did not follow instructions.  How do these people get sidetracked?

Eibler:  Sometimes guys can get off of the gameplan.  Most of the time we try to stick to what the coaches are telling us.  You have to forecheck and backcheck.  If you stick to the system, you win more than you lose.  When guys do their own thing like skating out of lines or throwing the puck around, it creates turnovers , 2-on-1, and 3-on-2 situations.

 

Paneech:  What are your statistical goals for the year?

Eibler:  If I could put up 20 points I would be happy.  As a defenseman, you are looking to pass more than shoot and my stats are pretty uneven right now.  I have three powerplay goals, but I do not look for shots too often.  All of these guys have pretty good skills, but the forwards are much more skilled than the defenseman are.  If we can hit them with a breakout pass or catch them wide, it lets them do their work.  Sometimes defenseman shoot and the forwards crash the net.

Paneech:  Explain all of the stuff I see going on behind the curtain and before a game.  I have seen people sprinting, throwing Nerf balls around, soccer balls flying,  and playing hackey-sack.  Are these things to keep your mind free or loosen you up before a game?

Eibler:  They are just warmup activities to keep the guys loose.  You have to go into the game loose.  You have to be focused, but you also have to be loose.  You never want to go into a game uptight.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal Of The Day:  Dinner.

Favorite TV Show:  Family Guy.

Favorite NHL Player:  Joe Sakic.

Biggest Phobia:  Feet.

Worst Habit:  Taking a game too seriously.

Favorite Toy As A Child:  My bow and arrow.

Favorite Musician:  Kenny Chesney.

Favorite Holiday:  Christmas.

Favorite Soft Drink:  Arizona Iced Tea (Tropical).

Other Sport You Watch Besides Hockey:  College Football.

A Couple Of Words That Describe Coach Mainhardt:  Good Guy.

*** A note of interest.  Eibler grew up near Ann Arbor, Michigan.  When I asked the one-word answer about a sport besides hockey to which he responded ‘college football’, I was forced to ask, and yes Youngstown, I am sorry to inform you that he is a Michigan fan. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

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

After 12/10 game vs Indiana:  116 Minutes.

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