Phantoms Rally, Improve to 2-0 at Robertson Cup

4/29/2009 11:01:13 PM

MASON CITY, IA (Wednesday, April 29^th, 2009) – The Mahoning Valley Phantoms rebounded from an early deficit to prevail 2-1 over the host North Iowa Outlaws in Game Two of the Robertson Cup Tournament Wednesday.

Jordan Tibbett made 36 saves as the Phantoms became the first team with two wins in the five-day round robin preliminary round.

The hometown Outlaws took an early lead on the power play when it appeared that North Iowa’s leading playoff scorer, Brandon Brodhag, kicked a puck past Phantoms netminder to put the hosts ahead 1-0 with 7:02 remaining in the first period.

Mahoning Valley responded just two minutes later, though, when captain Johnny Meo took a centering feed from Stefan Salituro and slid it through the five-hole of North Iowa goalie Keegan Asmundson to tie the game at one with 4:57 left in the opening stanza.

“It was good to get that goal so fast after they scored,” said Meo, the Phantoms’ second-leading playoff scorer. “It really took all their momentum away and we were able to settle in defensively after that.”

After a 1-1 first period with only three combined power plays, the two sides combined to take ten total penalties in the middle frame, including eight total power plays—all of which were killed off.

The Phantoms scored the lone goal of the period off a 4-on-4 faceoff in the North Iowa zone when Erik Higby won the draw to himself and sent a low shot under Asmundson for a 2-1 Phantoms lead 12:15 into the second.

“Erik has a knack for scoring big goals,” said Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt, “and none bigger than the one he got [Wednesday]. He’s a tremendous two-way player and he’s been great for us in the playoffs.”

Tibbett stole the show the rest of the way, turning aside 14 Outlaw shots in the third period, including a huge save on North Iowa forward Joe Harcharik’s point-blank 2-on-1 chance mid-way through the final frame.

“I saw [lead forward Brodhag] looking for the pass on that 2-on-1,” said Tibbett, “so I was able to get an early start on getting over and got some luck to make that stop and keep us ahead.”

The Outlaws tried to gain the equalizer by pulling Asmundson in the final two minutes of the third, but a late checking-from-behind minor on North Iowa’s Matt Leer ended the home team’s comeback bid.

Asmundson made 25 saves but saw his Robertson Cup record drop to 0-2 with the loss.

The win gives the Phantoms (2-0, 4 pts) sole possession of first place in the round robin standings ahead of St. Louis (1-0, 2 pts) and Wenatchee (1-1, 2 pts). The Bandits whitewashed the Wild 6-0 in Wednesday’s afternoon contest.

The two teams with the best round robin records will advance to Sunday’s Robertson Cup Finals, representing USA Hockey’s Tier II Junior A National Championship.

Mahoning Valley continues round robin play on Thursday with a 4:00 PM start at North Iowa Ice Arena against the West Division champion Wild.

The game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 1240, WBBW-AM, and worldwide at MVPPhantoms.com via B2 Networks. The pregame show will begin at 3:45 PM

All Phantoms merchandise is on sale for 40% off at the Phantoms Team Shop at both the Chevrolet Centre and the Ice Zone while the Phantoms are in the playoffs. Call (330) 965-7500 for more information.

The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

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Saad Notches Two as Phantoms Win Robertson Cup Opener

4/28/2009 7:20:06 PM

MASON CITY, IA (Tuesday, April 28^th, 2009) – The North Division champion Mahoning Valley Phantoms opened the 2009 Robertson Cup Tournament with a 4-2 win over the Central Division champion Bismarck Bobcats at the North Iowa Ice Arena on Tuesday.

Brandon Saad notched a pair of power play goals while Stefan Salituro recorded a goal and two assists in the tournament lid-lifter to give the Phantoms a 1-0 record in the round-robin preliminary round.

“Game One was a really important one to win,” said Salituro, whose three points tied him for the team playoff lead with Cole Schneider at nine, “it gets our momentum going in the right direction and really gets the load off our back.”

The Bobcats came out firing against the Phantoms, outshooting Mahoning Valley 7-2 in the first seven minutes of the first period before the Phantoms were able to turn the tide back at Bismarck, outshooting the Bobcats 9-4 over the remainder of the opening frame.

“Bismarck came out with a great start,” said Mahoning Valley goalie Jordan Tibbett, “and our emotions were pretty high. Once we were able to get those in check we started our run against them.”

That run began when Saad opened the scoring on the Phantoms’ first power play of the game, snapping a low liner through the legs of Bismarck goalie David Bosner to put Mahoning Valley up 1-0 with 4:57 remaining in the first period.

The Phantoms would strike again just 31 seconds later when Nick Kenney grabbed a Michael Pateras rebound and stuffed it past Bosner for a 2-0 edge.

Bismarck head coach Byron Pool lifted Bosner after Kenney’s tally, replacing the All-Central Division goalie with backup Matt Grogan.

Mahoning Valley wasted no time testing Grogan when Salituro raced into the Bobcats’ zone on a rink-wide feed from David Chaney and lifted a wrist shot over the blocker of Grogan for a 3-0 Phantoms lead with 3:01 left in the opening frame.

The Bobcats would cut into the Phantoms lead over halfway through the second when Derek Kimbro notched a power play goal, rocketing a transition wrist shot over Tibbett’s glove to bring Bismarck to within 3-1 with 7:49 remaining in the middle frame.

Saad put the Mahoning Valley advantage back to three goals with his second power play tally 4:09 into the third, taking a feed from Chaney and ripping a wrister past Grogan, off the post and in.

Chaney finished with three assists for Mahoning Valley.

Bismarck cut the Phantoms’ lead back to two when Isaiah Bennis rolled a shot past a screened-out Tibbett with 13:57 left in the third period for a 4-2 Mahoning Valley edge.

The Bobcats, however, were unable to draw any closer as the Phantoms closed the game by creating good offensive pressure in the Bismarck zone.

Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt said the team’s success stemmed from a pair of postseason essentials.

“Two big things you need in the playoffs are goaltending and special teams,” said Mainhardt, “and I thought we did a good job on both. Our power play was very strong and Jordan’s goaltending when Bismarck took it to us early set the tone for the whole game.”

Tibbett finished with 25 saves, improving his postseason record to 6-3; Grogan was saddled with the loss, dropping him to 1-3 in the playoffs, making 11 saves for Bismarck.

The Phantoms continue round robin play on Wednesday with an 8:30 PM contest against the host North Iowa Outlaws. In their only meeting of the season, Mahoning Valley topped North Iowa in each team’s second game of the season by a 4-1 final on September 18^th.

“I don’t think that win means much at all,” said Mainhardt of the early-season triumph, “I don’t even think our guys really remember that game. It was a long time ago and both teams have gotten a lot better since then.

“North Iowa is a heck of a hockey team, so we’re going to have that game early in the year out of our minds and focus on [Wednesday].”

The game will be broadcast live from North Iowa Ice Arena on ESPN Raido 1240, WBBW-AM, locally and worldwide at MVPPhantoms.com via B2 Networks. The pregame show will begin at 8:15 PM.

The two teams with the best record after the preliminary round robin will advance to the Robertson Cup Finals, representing USA Hockey’s Tier II Junior A National Championship game.

All Phantoms merchandise is on sale for 40% off at the Phantoms Team Shop at both the Chevrolet Centre and the Ice Zone while the Phantoms are in the playoffs. Call (330) 965-7500 for more information.

The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

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Phantoms Set for Fourth Consecutive Robertson Cup Tournament

4/27/2009 6:28:32 PM

MASON CITY, IA – The North Division champion Mahoning Valley Phantoms are back in the Robertson Cup Tournament for the fourth straight year after defeating Team USA three games to two in the 2009 North Division Finals.

“It’s really exciting to be here at Nationals again,” says Phantoms second-year defenseman and assistant captain Carl Nielsen, “it’s what we’ve worked for all year: coming to Mason City and bringing home a Robertson Cup.

“Everyone’s spirits are high and we’re ready to get this thing underway.”

Joining the Phantoms at the ’09 national tournament will be the South Division champion St. Louis Bandits, the Central Division champion Bismarck Bobcats, the West Division champion Wenatchee Wild and the host North Iowa Outlaws.

Mahoning Valley goaltender Jordan Tibbett says that while getting to nationals was a goal the team had, it wasn’t the Phantoms’ main goal.

“While we’re proud of the accomplishment,” says Tibbett, “we also realize that we haven’t won anything yet. We’re here in Mason City to win a championship.”

The tournament, representing USA Hockey’s Tier II Junior A National Championship, will once again have a round robin format in the preliminary round, with each team playing the other four finalists once between Tuesday and Saturday; the top two finishers in the round robin will advance to Sunday’s National Championship contest.

The Phantoms have played in the last two title games—both against St. Louis—falling to the Bandits in Fairbanks, AK, in 2007 by an 8-4 final and then by a 5-2 decision when the Bandits hosted the 2008 tournament in St. Louis.

Ten players from the 2008 national runner up team remain on the 2009 tournament qualifiers.

“The guys that were here last year definitely feel like there’s some unfinished business,” says Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Bob Mainhardt.

Mahoning Valley forward Brandon Saad says the veteran presence from last year’s national finalist team is making a difference for this year’s tournament.

“With those guys having the experience of last year, they’ve been really helpful for the younger guys,” says the 2009 NAHL Rookie of the Year recipient, “telling us what we need to do and how we need to be prepared for a championship run; it’s helped us a lot.”

The Phantoms open the tournament on Tuesday with a 4:00 PM start against the Bobcats, whom they defeated 5-1 on September 20^th at the Sherwood NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN.

In that contest, Cole Schneider had a goal and two assists while Tibbett made 35 saves for the win to give the Phantoms a 3-0-1 record for the first week of the season.

Game two for Mahoning Valley will be an 8:30 PM contest on Wednesday against the host Outlaws, who the Phantoms defeated 4-1 on September 18^th—also at the NAHL Showcase; Tibbett made 20 saves in the win.

2008 National Runner-up holdover John Houston doesn’t put much stock in the early-season wins over the Phantoms’ first two opponents.

“The Showcase was so long ago, so plenty has changed since then for all the teams that were involved,” says Houston, “with adds, cuts and trades all factored in, every team has changed quite a bit from what we saw in September. We’re expecting totally different games against Bismarck and North Iowa this time around.”

Mahoning Valley will close out round robin play on Thursday with a 4:00 PM game against tournament newcomer Wenatchee and a 4:00 PM Friday rematch of the last two National Championship games against the Bandits.

The Phantoms finished 2-2-0 in four games against the Bandits during the regular season.

Should the Phantoms finish with one of the two best records in the round robin, they will advance to Sunday’s 3:00 PM title game.

All Phantoms Robertson Cup Tournament games will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 1240, WBBW-AM, and worldwide at MVPPhantoms.com via B2 Networks. Each contest’s pregame show will begin 15 minutes before puck drop.

All Phantoms merchandise is on sale for 40% off at the Phantoms Team Shop at both the Chevrolet Centre and the Ice Zone while the Phantoms are in the playoffs. Call (330) 965-7500 for more information.

The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

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