After conquering the road in October, going 4-1-1 away from the Covelli Centre, last weekend the Youngstown Phantoms turned their attention to righting a few wrongs at home, namely their 0-3 record downtown in the season’s first month.
Now, in the aftermath of a pair of one-goal victories over the Des Moines Buccaneers, the Phantoms (6-4-1, 13 points) are winners of four in a row overall and aiming at higher goals.
“Our next pursuit is getting over .500 at home,” said Head Coach/GM Bob Mainhardt. “We have a good road record because our young group has reacted well to some tough opponents and environments, but the next step is becoming a dominant home team.”
The Phantoms overpowered the Bucs for long stretches of play, outscoring the visitors 4-1 over the final 40 minutes of play in Thursday’s 4-3 win and then leaping out to a 5-1 lead midway through Friday’s 5-4 result. Those bursts were enough to sweep Des Moines out of town, but Mainhardt warned that may not always be the case.
“The holy grail in hockey coaching is achieving that complete 60-minute effort,” he said. “We can save coach’s heart over the course of the season if we are able to do that. The experiences we’ve had over the course of the season should reinforce our need to play a consistent game.”
With a three-game week looming, all at home and including a rare Wednesday evening faceoff, the Phantoms’ coaching staff is taking precautions to keep the players’ energy at workable levels. According to Mainhardt, that means toning down the intensity of practices and off-ice training sessions in anticipation of this Wednesday-Friday-Saturday gauntlet against two of the teams fourth-place Youngstown is chasing in the East Division standings.
The first of this week’s trio of tilts is tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. against the first-place Green Bay Gamblers, a Veterans Day matchup in which $3 from each ticket purchased goes to the USO of Northern Ohio. For Phantoms players and staff, it’s an opportunity to pay respect to those who have served America past and present, as well as appreciate the freedom protected by that service.
“We talk with [the players] all the time about how privileged and lucky they are,” Mainhardt said. “These guys are at the age where they could very well be fighting for our country overseas. We take the sport of hockey seriously and it’s a commitment, but to be able to pursue a career in athletics is a luxury afforded to us by our soldiers and veterans.”
The Phantoms and the Gamblers will enjoy a day off Thursday and then conclude their two-game set Friday night at the Covelli Center, also at 7:15 p.m. National celebrities Joey Fatone (of *NSYNC and “Dancing with the Stars” fame) and the Food Network’s Guy Fieri will be taking pictures and signing autographs throughout the game, and the first 2,000 fans will receive a free T-shirt courtesy of Callos.
Saturday’s game will feature the second-place Chicago Steel making their first visit to Youngstown for a single 7:15 p.m. showdown. Kids Club Night will be the main attraction, as any young fan who joins Saturday will receive a free ticket to the game. After the game, all members are invited to a special postgame skate with Phantoms players on the Covelli Centre ice.
Courtesy of the Youngstown Phantoms
