Hard work paying off for Mahoning Valley (9-5-1)

BOARDMAN — With nearly a quarter of the season in the books, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms are right in the heat of the NAHL North Division race.

After record-breaking success a year ago, going 47-14-1, and falling just one win short of the Robertson Cup Championship, this year’s squad has a lot to live up to.

“The mindset has been to pick up where we left off last year,” said veteran defenseman Eric Ringel. “We were a hard working team. Day in and day out, we came out with the mentality that we have got to work hard and we can’t rely on talent.

“This year, the main thing has been trying to work on sticking to the game plan. Some days we do, but now we’ve got to work hard on being consistent.”

Coach Bob Mainhardt agrees.

“Whether we want to be or not, we’re going to have to be the hardest working team in the league,” Mainhardt says. “That was one of the keys to last year’s success.

“We know that no matter how skilled or unskilled we are, if we are the hardest working team, good things are going to happen.”

After 15 games, the Phantoms are 9-5-1, compared with a 7-7-1 record at the same point last season.

One carry-over from last year is solid goaltending. Ryan Zapolski shouldered most of the load between the pipes last season. The Phantoms have been splitting time so far this year between veteran Garrett Bartus and rookie Jordan Tibbett.

“Our goaltending has been pretty good,” Mainhardt said. “Our defensive side of the game is improving each night, too.

“We’re still looking for some consistency out of our special teams, but it’s still so early. We’ve got a lot of growing still to do.”

The Phantoms will hold their home opener tonight against the defending Robertson Cup champion St. Louis Bandits. They’ll also play Saturday night. Both games start at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice Zone. Tickets start at $6.