Phantoms win from behind

The Ice Diggers, last in the division, scored two in the game's first five minutes.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BOARDMAN -- Brent Dexter scored two goals, including the game-winning tally with 8:39 remaining, as the Mahoning Valley Phantoms posted a 5-4 victory over the Alpena Ice Diggers in a North American Hockey League game Friday night at The Ice Zone.
The Phantoms improved to 13-9-2 (28 points) in the North Division. They are now 4-1 at home, winning for the fourth time in five outings against the Ice Diggers while remaining perfect in three home outings against them.
"We didn't stick to our game plan at the outset of the game, and it really cost us. To our credit, we regained our composure, got back to the game plan in the second period, and it proved to be our turning point," Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt said.
Rough start
"We've started slow too many times this season, and that was the case again tonight," he added. "I am pleased with what we have done in the final two periods of our games, but we need to change some things up to generate a spark the first 20 minutes of play.
"It didn't surprise me that we had 31 more shots on goal than Alpena. When you are patient and go hard to the net like we did, you are going to get your share of goals."
The Ice Diggers, 6-17-3 (15 points), mired in last place in the division and outscored 101-57 through their first 25 contests, looked like anything but a lackluster offensive team at the outset.
Drew Pierson's goal just 2 1/2 minutes into the contest gave Alpena the lead, and when Steve Culbertson added his sixth goal of the year just 2:01 later, a short-handed goal, the Ice Diggers grabbed a 2-0 lead just 4:31 into the contest.
Dexter then scored the first of his two goals at 11:57 of the period to cut the Alpena lead in half, but Todd Rudasill's slap shot at 6:58 gave the Ice Diggers a two-goal advantage once again, 3-1.
Mahoning Valley's Milan Drevenak then added his fourth goal of the season at 3:47 as the Phantoms cut the Alpena lead to 3-2 after the first 20 minutes.
Zach Barron continued the Alpena offensive power surge in the second period, scoring at the 13:58 mark to give his team a 4-2 advantage.
Turning point
It was after that goal that Mainhardt switched goalies, replacing starter Ryan Zapolski with Bryce Merriam.
"Zapolski just wasn't on his game tonight," said Mainhardt, "and while he has come up big for us all season long when in net, we just felt that a change to Merriam would be best at the time."
After the switch, the Phantoms scored two quick goals, the first coming by Owen Meyer (8:52) and the follow-up by Dennis Urban just 2:19 later, as the Phantoms knotted the score at 4-apiece.
"You have to be ready just in case you are called upon at any point during the game. [Ryan] has played great all season long, and I just didn't want to let him or the team down," Merriam said.
Dexter's second goal of the night in the third period, the only score of the frame, proved to be the game-winner for the Phantoms, who outshot the Ice Diggers, 59-28, holding Alpena to just 13 shots over the final two periods.
The teams play again tonight at 7 at The Ice Zone.