Five strive for first in North Division

By Greg Gulas

Mahoning Valley plays a two-game series beginning today at the Chevy Centre.

YOUNGSTOWN — As they approach the mid-point of the season, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms are the top team in the NAHL’s North Division; a six-team slugfest that features five teams jockeying for the top position and a sixth, the Motor City Machine, the up-and-coming contender that has raised some eyebrows after a slow start.

With just four points separating the top five teams in the division, the Phantoms will have their work cut out beginning today when they entertain a familiar foe, the Alpena Ice Diggers, in the first of a two-game series at the Chevy Centre.

“We’re definitely happy to be at the top of the standings and feel very fortunate at this juncture of the season to be atop our division. We knew this would be a tight race all season long, but if we can just remember that there are no off-weekends for any team in the division then we should be fine,” Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt said.

Mahoning Valley (17-7-2, 36 points) greets Alpena (16-9-2, 34 points) hoping to accomplish one simple goal — to put some distance between them and the Ice Diggers. Alpena is tied for third-place in the division with the Marquette Rangers; 15-14-4, 34 points in the standings

Alpena started the season by losing five of their first seven games and is coached by former Cleveland Barons mentor, Jack Fritsche who brings his team to town riding a four-game win-streak.

“Jack [Fritsche] is an excellent coach and has turned around the Ice Diggers’ fortunes after a rather slow start. His teams are always well-coached, demanding they work hard at both ends of the ice each and every period.

“You can expect this year’s Alpena squad to be no different than any other team he has coached,” Mainhardt added.

The Ice Diggers feature the “Big Three” of Jim McCusker, Ryan Timar and Erik Peterson, and the goaltending of Nick Graves.

Peterson (12-13/25 points) is the Ice Diggers’ leading scorer, Timar (7-9/16 points) is second to Peterson in that category while McCusker (5-8/13 points) is one of 11 Ice Diggers players to already hit double-digits in scoring.

Graves, who is 13-5-1 with three shutouts for Alpena, will join Mahoning Valley’s Jordan Tibbett in goal for the North All-Stars at January’s Top Prospects Showcase, a squad that features Mainhardt as its head coach.

Tibbett, who is 13-3-0 with a shutout for the Phantoms this season, is one of six Mahoning Valley players to be selected to the all-star squad.

The other Phantoms chosen include defensemen Carl Nielson and Cullen Lundholm, and forwards Johnny Meo, Brandon Saad and Jordy Trottier.

Stefan Salituro (7-10/17 points), Mahoning Valley’s third-leading scorer, is the first alternate.

“These players have done an excellent job thus far and are well-deserving of this honor. We look to promote our players as much as we can and this is just an excellent opportunity for everyone to get an extra look by the many scouts and coaches that will be in attendance,” Mainhardt noted.

The Phantoms are poised to welcome back both Nielson and Robert Harrison to the line-up after the first of the year, both having been shelved recently due to injury.

Filling in during their absence has been John Houston, a player that Mainhardt notes “has been a rock” in the aforementioned players’ absence.

“I’ve been able to step up my game with both Carl [Nielson] and Robert [Harrison] sidelined. It will be great, however, to get them back on the ice.”

“As for our series with Alpena, finishing our hits and creating scoring opportunities will be the key for both teams. The Ice Diggers are a tough, physical team with two strong lines and an excellent goalie who keeps them in games.

“We just need to play strong at both ends of the ice, keep the power play to a minimum and when we have the opportunity to score, we had better take advantage of that scoring opportunity,” Houston said.

The Phantoms and Ice Diggers split a pair of contests on Oct. 17-18 at Alpena’s Northern Lights Arena; Mahoning Valley winning the opening game, 4-3 in overtime with Alpena returning the favor the following night by the identical score.