Phantoms split against U-17 players

The effect of player injuries finally caught up with Mahoning Valley.

BOARDMAN — Thirteen days removed from their last showdown, it was a tale of two nights, as the Mahoning Valley Phantoms split a pair of games against the U.S. National Under-17 Team this weekend at the Ice Zone.

Despite a three-assist performance from leading scorer Derek Graham, and a four-goal middle period, the Phantoms fell 7-4 on Friday night. Jeremy Morin led the way for the U.S., collecting two assists in addition to scoring the eventual game-winner to close out a second period scoring frenzy.

The absences of defensemen Eric Ringel, Denny Kramarz, Adam Snead and John Houston seemed to finally catch up with the Phantoms, as they were outshot 44-33 for the game.

“I don’t know if their absence played a part in our loss, but they are here for a reason, and we’re obviously a weaker team without those guys,” said Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt. “It definitely hurts not to have them in the lineup, but we are not in the situation to start making excuses.”

Mahoning Valley rebounded on Saturday night, as Kyle Verbeek got things started just 4:16 into the opening period. U.S. forward Kenny Ryan was able to even the game up with a power play goal at 14:40 of the first, but it was all Phantoms from there.

Goals by Trent Bonnett, Chad Boeckman and Johnny Meo, all within a 1:16 span of the second period, catapulted the Phantoms out to a 4-1 lead midway through the game. Brent Dexter’s shorthanded goal and Meo’s second of the night, late in the final stanza, earned the Phantoms a 6-1 win.

“I thought Johnny stepped up and played with a lot of energy and had two very nice goals for us,” Mainhardt said. “His line as a whole played outstanding.”

Phantoms goaltender Garrett Bartus notched his 12th win of the year, stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced. The Phantoms are 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

“Garrett played really well,” Phantoms assistant coach Curtis Carr said. “Every time he has been in the net this year he has given us an opportunity to win. He just competes so hard and never gives up on the play. Obviously, with Garrett in the net, the team feels like they have an excellent opportunity to win.”

The line of Graham, Alden Hirschfeld, and Grant Blakey continued to impress, totaling nine points in the two games. Graham notched four assists on the weekend to remain in second place among all NAHL scorers — his 23 goals are still tops in the league.

Equally impressive, was the contribution from the line of Dexter, Verbeek, and Kyle Bailey. The trio combined for five points in Saturday’s win.

Through the season’s first 31 games, the Phantoms have amassed a 19-9-3 record — good for 41 points. The St. Louis Bandits (23-5-1, 47 points) swept a home-and-home series with Springfield over the weekend, drawing six points clear of Mahoning Valley for the division lead in the NAHL North.

The Phantoms players will spend 10 at home before getting back to practice Jan 2. The team’s next game is not until Jan 11, however, when they will host the first of another two game series against the U.S. Under-17s.

“We’re going to get a chance to heal up,” Mainhardt said. “We obviously still have a lot of injuries and this will really give the guys some time to get some mental rest more than anything — and then we’ll just take it from there.”