Final-period flurry carries Phantoms past Nationals, 6-2

Mahoning Valley moved
past Marquette into sole
possession of third-place.

By GREG GULAS

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BOARDMAN — Friday, Mahoning Valley Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt felt that veteran leadership was lacking in his team’s 3-2 loss to North Division foe, the USA Nationals.

Saturday, it was veteran leadership that proved to be the difference with the game on the line.

Down 2-1 in the second period, the Phantoms scored five unanswered goals, four coming in the final period of play, as Mahoning Valley defeated the Nationals, 6-2 in North American Hockey League action at the Ice Zone.

The win helped Mahoning Valley salvage a split of their weekend series between these two teams.

“I can honestly say that our guys earned all 60 minutes tonight,” Mainhardt said. “Their hard work paid off and that is directly attributed to the intensity that they displayed all game.

“It wasn’t the time off that hurt us Friday night,” Mainhardt said. “We talk about being mentally strong. It was that mental toughness that resulted in a complete game at both ends of the ice.

After a scoreless first period in which the Nationals held an 11-9 shot advantage, Mahoning Valley’s Grant Blakey staked the Phantoms to the goal advantage with his 12th score of the season, a shorthanded netter that came at 7:45 of the second period.

The Nationals knotted the score at 1-all just 1:12 later when Jerry D’Amigo’s shot just got past the outstretched arm of Phantoms goalie Garrett Bartus.

It was just D’Amigo’s second goal of the season and came when Team USA had a two-man advantage.

Ryan Bourque’s unassisted, power-play goal at 13:07 gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead. When Derek Graham’s team-leading 25th goal of the year registered at 18:21, also an unassisted tally, the Phantoms knotted the game at 2-all heading to the final period of play.

“Coach [Mainhardt] sat us down after last night’s game and told us what we needed to do if we expected to be a force the second half of the season,” Graham said. “He told us just to keep playing hard, play with intensity and our chances would eventually find their way into the net.”

Johnny Meo started the third period scoring party when his slap shot connected just 2:03 into the frame for a 3-2 Phantom lead.

When Hirschfeld scored the first of his two goals at 4:24, Mahoning Valley had built a 4-2 advantage.

“We worked hard all game with the hopes of getting the puck deep into their zone. We were much more physical tonight, finished our hits and that created more space for us offensively,” Hirschfeld said.

“Individual accomplishments aren’t important as long as we win. Winning is the single most important thing.”

Miles Winter’s goal at 15:57 increased the Mahoning Valley lead to 5-2 while Hirschfeld’s second tally with 1:11 remaining rounded out the scoring.

Mahoning Valley’s (20-10-3, 43 points) win, coupled with the Alpena Ice Diggers’ 4-2 win over the Marquette Rangers, moved the Phantoms past the Rangers into sole possession of third-place and puts them just one point behind the Ice Diggers (21-12-2) in the North Division.

The Nationals fell back to .500 at 16-16-2 (34 points) and are 8-9-1 in 18 road outings this season.  

The Phantoms held a 38-24 shot advantage with Bartus rejecting 22 USA shots for his 13th win (13-4-2) on the year.

Mahoning Valley will host the Phantoms Hockey Showcase, featuring the league’s North Division teams from Friday through Jan. 21.