The Youngstown Phantoms return to the road this weekend to complete an opening month that featured six out of nine games away from the Covelli Centre. With a 2-1-1 record thus far as the visitors, Head Coach Bob Mainhardt’s club will look to put an end to a three-game losing streak against the Fargo Force at the Urban Plains Center.
The Phantoms (2-4-1=5 pts, 5th in East) have been downright dangerous on the road, averaging 4.75 goals in hostile environments as opposed to only 2.0 per game at home. Leading point getter Taylor Holstrom must love being cast as the enemy, as he has eight of his nine points (3 G, 6 A) with the crowd rooting against him.
The Force (4-3-0=8 pts, T-4th in East) will play their first home game in exactly three weeks after going 3-1 on a four-game roadie. Although they were blown out at Waterloo last Saturday by a 7-3 count, Fargo defeated Omaha and Tri-City, the two top
teams in the West Division, back-to-back in their buildings Oct. 16-17.
Phantom Phacts- With two more power-play goals last weekend off the stick of D-man Luke Eibler, Youngstown improved its PP conversion rate to 20.6 percent, the sixth-best mark in the 14-team USHL. The Phantoms have netted two man-advantage tallies in three of their seven games, including last Friday against Tri-City.
- In addition to Eibler’s two-goal game last Friday, two other first-year USHL players were positively conspicuous in the two-game home set against Tri-City. Rich Young buried his first league goal Friday and beat the Storm’s Michael Montrose handily in a fight Saturday. Also in Saturday’s tilt, Adam Berkle tossed in his second of the campaign, the Phantoms’ lone goal that night. Both Young and Berkle hail from the Philadelphia area.
- Despite falling 3-1 Saturday to Tri-City, the Phantoms outshot the visiting Storm 32-29 on the strength of a strong third period. It was the first time Youngstown outclassed its opponent in that category since a 5-4 win at Des Moines Oct. 10.
Dark Side of the Force- The Force, along with the Phantoms and five other USHL outfits, have more wins (3) on the road than they do at home (1), although that’s likely a product of their early road-heavy schedule. Fargo has played only twice at the Urban Plains Center, beating Lincoln on opening night Oct. 2 and dropping a 4-3 decision to Sioux Falls one week later.
- Los Alamitos, California’s own Matt Leitner is third in the league in scoring with 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in his third USHL season. Last year, Leitner finished with 57 points, just two behind team leader Andy Taranto as the Force finished third in the West and advanced to the Clark Cup final before falling to Indiana three games to one.
- Fargo’s run to the top of the West occurred in the franchise’s first season in North Dakota, although the Force had the rights to the roster of the defunct Ohio Junior Blue Jackets, who played out of Columbus. Steve Johnson, former USHL Coach of the Year
- for the old Fargo-Moorhead Bears (1995-96) and the Lincoln Stars (1999-2000 and 2000-01), is in his first season with the Force. He also claimed two Clark Cups during his 11-year stint in Lincoln.
Courtesy of the Youngstown Phantoms
