Phantoms’ list for another run

Mahoning Valley has five reasons for another run at the Robertson Cup title.

BOARDMAN — With the year coming to an end and the Mahoning Valley Phantoms season 31 games deep, there are five reasons the team could make another run at the Robertson Cup Championship.

UOffensive prowess

With Derek Graham leading the way, Mahoning Valley is averaging 4.06 goals per game, second-best in the league behind the Bandits’ 4.48 goals per game.

The Phantoms have four players in the top 25 in NAHL scoring: Derek Graham (47 points), Chad Boeckman (34), Miles Winter (31), and Grant Blakey (27). Additionally, Alden Hirschfeld has 26 points, just one point outside of that elite group.

The line of Blakey, Hirschfeld and Graham is one of the top producing lines in the league as well. They have combined for 39 points in the Phantoms last 10 games.

USteady goaltending

In the Phantoms’ nine losses this season, only four have been by more than one goal, and only two by more than two goals. Nearly every time the Phantoms take the ice, they know that Garrett Bartus or Jordan Tibbett is going to play well enough to put them in a position to win.

Bartus has already won one Player of the Week award this year. He has amassed a 12-3-2 record this season, with one shutout — a 44-save performance in a 1-0 win against the U.S. National Under-18 team. That win was in his second start of the year, and now he is in the top five among all NAHL goalies in save percentage, goals against average, and wins.

URest

The Phantoms have seen game action for 13 out of 14 weekends to start the season, including 12 consecutive weekends and a few Tuesday games mixed in there as well. Furthermore, of those 12 consecutive weekends, 10 of them were on the road, including the first 15 matchups of the season.

All these games make for very little time to rest — bumps and bruises, aches and pains, all start to add up. With a few weeks off, while already in game-shape, a 20-day break from game action is just what the doctor ordered.

Eric Ringel, Denny Kramarz, John Houston, Zach Barbis, Kurt Washnock, and Brent Dexter have all missed significant time with injuries. Dexter is the only one back from that list, but by the time Jan. 11 rolls around, all but Houston should be healthy.

UHome ice advantage

Mahoning Valley only faces six of their final 26 games away from the Ice Zone — only one road trip per month.

UExperience

The Phantoms have 17 players on their roster with Junior A experience prior to the regular season. In addition, they have a coaching staff and 12 players returning from last year’s team that finished one win short of the Robertson Cup Championship.