With the season series tied 1-1, the Youngstown Phantoms and Waterloo Black Hawks will cross swords in a two-game weekend series at Covelli Centre. The Hawks possess what the Phantoms want, namely the East Division’s fourth position, which doubles as the final playoff spot. Each team has claimed a one-goal win at home against the other, with Youngstown prevailing 4-3 Dec. 29 as Jefferson Dahl drilled home two goals; Waterloo edged the Phantoms 3-2 two weeks ago.
Since their win over the Hawks in the final days of 2009, the first-year Phantoms (14-22-2, 30 points / 6th in East) have struggled for points, winning once in their last 12 contests. Youngstown dictated the play for long stretches Wednesday against defending champ Indiana, but the Ice got 33 saves from Cab Morris and pulled away for a 5-1 road decision. Rich Young tipped in his third goal of the season late in the first period, assisted by Czech defenseman Andrej Sustr.
Falling to a season-low six games under .500 after their loss to Youngstown Dec. 29, the Black Hawks (17-18-2, 36 points / 4th in East) have strung together an 8-3-1 run that includes last weekend’s 1-1-0 results against Team USA in Ann Arbor, Mich. Brock Montpetit’s two goals boosted the Hawks to a 5-1 triumph last Friday over the Under-17s, but the Under-18s struck back Saturday with a 10-2 stomping powered by a Brandon Saad hat trick.
About the Phantoms:- The Phantoms and Indiana were dead even Wednesday with 34 shots on goal each. It was the first time Youngstown tied an opponent in that category, although the result of the game didn’t reflect the amount of quality offensive chances the Phantoms generated. The Purple and Orange have fired 34 or more shots in seven games, and their record is 3-4-0 with all three wins occurring at home.
- Although the Phantoms have been outscored 159-119 on the season overall, their second-period offense ranks with the best in the USHL. Youngstown has scored 54 times in the middle frame, a total that’s second only to Fargo’s 56. Des Moines and Green Bay are just behind that pace at 52 apiece. The second is also the only stanza in which the Phantoms are outscoring their foes (54-53).
- Eleven different Phantoms have scored at least a point against Waterloo, including goaltender Jordan Tibbett, who picked up the lone assist on Scott Mayfield’s game-winning goal Dec. 29. Mayfield has two tallies vs. the Hawks, as does Dahl, who has thrown in a pair of assists and a plus-three rating for good measure. Andrew Lamont and Tom Serratore also have scored in the season series, which will conclude in Waterloo Feb. 27.
About the Black Hawks
- The Black Hawks have been nothing if not entertaining this season. Their offense, led by Montpetit’s 22 goals and 48 points, averages 3.65 goals scored, the fifth-best mark in the league. But the other side of the coin reveals that Waterloo allows 3.97 goals per game, third from the bottom in the 14-team USHL. All in all, the average Hawks game features 7.62 combined goals; only Des Moines (7.88) can promise more offensive pyrotechnics in a given contest.
- While the Phantoms have proven the ability to come back when behind after two periods, they’d be wise to avoid that scenario against Waterloo. The Hawks are one of four teams to be undefeated in regulation (15-0-1) when leading through 40 minutes; the others are Omaha (25-0-0), Green Bay (21-0-0) and Des Moines (10-0-0).
- Six Black Hawks have registered two points in two matchups with Youngstown, including top-scorer Montpetit (G, A) and 18-goal scorer J.T. Brown, who had a goal and an assist Jan. 22 in a 3-2 win at Waterloo’s Young Arena. Netminder C.J. Motte has started both games in the season series, posting a 3.01 goals-against average and an even .900 save percentage.
Courtesy: Youngstown Phantoms
