HOCKEY Opportunity knocks for the Phantoms

A good weekend could land the hockey team in first place.
BOARDMAN -- The Youngstown Phantoms haven't played their best hockey of late, but they've still won 10 of their last 12 games after a 1-3 start.
Included in that 12-game stretch is a pair of five-game winning streaks, the most recent of which was snapped last Sunday when Youngstown suffered a 6-1 setback on the road against the Cleveland Barons.
The loss came on the heels of narrow victories over Toledo (3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 6) and Cleveland (5-4 in overtime on Nov. 13). Phantoms' coach and general manager Bob Mainhardt will be looking for his team to regain top form this weekend when it plays at Cleveland on Saturday and plays host to the USA National Team at The Ice Zone on Sunday. Opening face-off for both contests is set for 7 p.m.
Records
Youngstown (11-5-0, 22 points) is in second place in the North American Hockey League's North Division, just two points behind the USA National Team (12-5-0, 24 points). A pair of victories in regulation play this weekend would give the Phantoms sole possession of first place. Mainhardt hopes Sunday's disappointing loss to the Barons will serve as a wake-up call.
"Cleveland put an exclamation point on that victory by beating us so badly on Sunday, but in the long run, I think it's something we can turn into a positive," Mainhardt said. "The last three games, we really haven't played the way we need to play. We had been getting by on our talent, but it [the loss] was something that was overdue, and it came to a head on Sunday. Hopefully, we learned our lesson and we'll get back on the right page. All the motivation should definitely be there this weekend."
Youngstown opened the 2004-05 season with a pair of alarming losses to the USA 18-and-Under National Team in Ann Arbor, Mich., in mid-September. The scores were 9-4 and 10-4. However, the Team USA squad that will visit Boardman on Sunday is the 17-and-Under version, which as the name suggests, is younger and less experienced. Nonetheless, it is still loaded with talent.
"There's no doubt the two most skilled teams in the division will be going head to head at The Ice Zone on Sunday night," Mainhardt said. "It will be a great match-up for our fans to watch."
Tickets for Sunday's game are available by calling (330) 965-7500 or visiting The Ice Zone, located at 360 McClurg Road. Tickets are also available at the door on game nights.