Phantoms ready to take on Bandits

By Greg Gulas

They open their NAHL North Division championship series Friday in St. Louis.

BOARDMAN — The Mahoning Valley Phantoms already own what the St. Louis Bandits want.

On the other hand, the St. Louis Bandits have in their possession something that the Phantoms feel is rightfully theirs.

That storyline is exactly what the upcoming North American Hockey League North Division championship series between the two teams is all about.

Both teams have qualified for the Robertson Cup Finals in early May. St. Louis is the host team and Mahoning Valley qualified as the second-best team team in their division.

Last year, Mahoning Valley posted the best regular-season mark, breezing through their first nine games of the playoffs.

Their 10th and final postseason contest, an 8-4 loss to the Bandits, cost them the league crown.

For the last 11 months, that loss has left a bitter taste in the Phantoms’ mouths.

Friday, the Phantoms will set out to rectify that loss, this time chasing the league’s top team.

“It’s exciting for us, an interesting excitement to say the least,” Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt said. “In the big picture, we’ve already punched our ticket to the Robertson Cup, yet [we] want to defend our North Division title before even thinking about the championship series.

“The players are ready for the practices to end,” Mainhardt said. “We’re poised and ready to play.”

The Phantoms advanced to the division title series by sweeping the Alpena Ice Diggers: 3-2 in overtime, 5-2 and 3-2 in overtime.

The Bandits swept Team USA: 4-2, 7-2 and 6-2.

The 17 goals scored by St. Louis were the best of any team in first-round playoff action.

Bandits head coach John Cooper says two of the four best teams rightfully have been placed for the championship series.

“We were new to the North Division this season and to me, it was the most competitive from top to bottom,” Cooper said. “We’re extremely honored to be hosting the Robertson Cup so we want to be sure that we put on a first class event.

Mahoning Valley’s Eric Ringel and Derek Graham are anxious for the puck to drop.

“We’re excited because we want to be the team that won two consecutive division titles, laying the groundwork for a good recruiting class for next season,” Ringel said.

“Winning helps with recruitment and while there’s a sense of urgency on our end, we understand that these are two very good teams that will be going at it,” Ringel said. “Keeping mistakes to a minimum will be the key to winning.”

The Bandits’ front line of Ben Warda, Josh Rabbani and Mike Merrifield concern Graham most. It’s a unit that he feels needs kept in check if they are to have any success at all in the series.

“That line is as good as any in the league this year so we need to shut them down,” Graham said. “We’re clicking on all cylinders right now, but must stick to our game plan if we expect to steal one on the road.”

The Phantoms were 2-4-2 in eight regular-season games against the Bandits, going 2-1-1 at home but 0-3-1 on St. Louis’ ice.

They will be playing their games, however, at the Hardees IcePlex; an Olympic size sheet of ice compared to their regular-season home at the Summit Ice Arena.

Game time Friday and Saturday night is 8:15 p.m. with Game 3 shifting to the Ice Zone on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.