For the second time in three weeks, the Youngstown Phantoms will face a three-games-in-three-nights gauntlet on the road, this time all within the East Division. The journey begins in Cedar Rapids Friday night before heading north to Waterloo, Iowa and Green Bay, Wisc., the team’s final such stretch of the season. The RoughRiders have claimed both meetings in the season series with Youngstown, winning 5-1 Dec. 31 and 3-2 Jan. 23.
Last weekend at Covelli Centre, the Phantoms (15-29-2, 32 points / T-6TH in East) held the powerful Omaha Lancers under their season average for goals per game but only scored twice in dropping a pair of close contests. Youngstown has scored just one goal in eight of nine games this month, with Adam Berkle and Jefferson Dahl leading the charge with three points apiece in February. Brett Gensler ended a 10-game goalless drought Saturday, scoring his 13th.
While the RoughRiders (28-15-3, 59 points / 2ND in East) aren’t likely to catch East-leading Green Bay by the end of the season (they’re 12 points behind), they’ve all but locked up their 10th consecutive playoff berth by being 20 points clear of the fifth-place Chicago Steel. Since falling to 12-12-2 with a loss to Team USA Dec. 18, Cedar Rapids is 16-3-3 and is unbeaten in its last 12 games, going 11-0-1 and outscoring its opponents 57-26.
Courtesy: Youngstown Phantoms
