Graham leads Phantoms to 6-2 win
Mahoning Valley and the Traverse City North Stars play again tonight.
TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. — Derek Graham had two goals and an assist, leading the Mahoning Valley Phantoms to a 6-2 win over the Traverse City North Stars Friday night at Center Ice Arena.
In addition to Graham, four other Phantoms had multi-point nights. Miles Winter and Chad Boeckman each had a goal and an assist, while Eric Ringel and Scott Moser tallied two helpers each.
The North Stars got the scoring started on the power play. Clinton Bourbonais slipped a shot between the legs of Phantoms goaltender Garrett Bartus at 7:36 of the first to make it 1-0.
Boeckman answered for the Phantoms less than two minutes later with a power play goal of their own. Boeckman second’s goal of the season tied the game at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
Graham’s first goal of the game came shorthanded and gave the Phantoms a 2-1 lead at 6:58 of the second period. North Stars forward Jarrod LaBelle tied the game halfway through, capitalizing on a scrum in front of the net.
The Phantoms then rallied off four unanswered goals. Just 34 seconds after LaBelle tied it, Grant Blakey took a pass from Graham and converted a 2-on-1 to make it 3-2 after two.
Third period goals by Winter, Johnny Meo, and Graham’s second of the night closed out the scoring. Graham moved his team leading point total to 20 (9 goals, 11 assists).
Garrett Bartus turned aside 23 of 25 shots faced, moving his record to 4-1-1.
The Phantoms (8-4-1) and the North Stars (5-4-3) face off again tonight at 7:05 p.m