FRONT & CENTRE

Ursuline’s Meo to lead Phantoms in downtown debut

By John Kovach

Johnny Meo, a transplanted Chicagoan and a 2007 UHS grad in his third year with the Phantoms, will lead Mahoning Valley (9-4-2) team against the Bandits (16-2-1), two-time defending NAHL champions who defeated the Phantoms in last season’s national championship game.

The two teams also will meet Saturday at the Chevrolet Centre at 7:15 p.m.

Meo, 19, a 5-foot-6, 165-pound forward and team captain who is living this year with host-family Bob and Pat Irvin of New Middletown, is looking forward to making his official regular-season debut at the Chevrolet Centre.

He is hoping area hockey fans, including those who followed the Youngstown SteelHounds, fill the seats to support the team which previously played all its home games at the Ice Zone in Boardman.

“I really can’t wait to play there. We had two practice games there, one an intra-squad scrimmage and the other a benefit game. I just can’t wait and I hope we get a lot of fans,” said Meo, who has lived with a different host family each year.

Last year, he stayed with Connie and Mark Hughes of Liberty, while his first season was spent with Rita Gontaruk of Boardman.

Meo, the son of Peggy Meo of Mundelein, Ill., and John Meo of Vernon Hills, Ill., has four sisters (Megan, Stephanie and twins Samantha and Nicole), He is hoping to have a strong final season with the Phantoms and land a college scholarship somewhere for 2009.

“My main goal is to play in Division I,” said Meo, who wants to major in business.

He said that Robert Morris University in Coraopolis, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, has expressed an interest in him and that he has visited the school.

But he also is looking at Stevens Point (Wis.) and Wisconsin-River Falls, both Division III schools which have shown interest.

Meo’s main asset as a player is his leadership and relentless aggressiveness on the ice — always encouraging his teammates and always in pursuit of the puck — and he modestly tends to downplay his actual hockey skills.

“My skills are not my strongest part of leadership. It’s not all about skills and sweet moves. I like keeping it simple and staying strong,” said Meo, who likes the physical contact on the ice.

“I’m more of a physical guy. Even though I am not big, I like to throw my body around. Scoring goals is fine and dandy, but I am looking for the action.”

Meo, who has seven points on two goals and five assists, said as captain he always has to know what’s going on in the game, to help implement the team’s strategy.

“My strong point as a center is to read what my forwards are doing. I try to read the play. I generally stay in the center of the ice with my wingers on both sides of me when on offense,” said Meo, who considers himself like a play-making “quarterback” or “setter” in volleyball.

“It’s not like basketball where there are lot of timeouts. We try to stick to the game plan.”

And while on defense, “I also play in the center on defense as part of a 5-on-5 zone defense.”

Also as captain, Meo said he has to represent the team in any on-ice decisions that have to be made. For example, there are times when he has to confer with the referees, including when multiple penalties are called all at once.

And he tries to encourage his teammates.

“While on the bench, I try to be as vocal as possible. It is my job to keep the team positive no matter what is going on. Whether we are one goal down or two goals down, my job is to keep the team in focus.”

Meo also gets leadership support from two alternate captains — Carl Nielsen and Robert Harrison.

“Harrison is in his third season with the team and Nielsen in his second,” said Meo, glad for the help from the two veterans who also are defensive leaders along with Cullen Lundholm and John Houston.

Stefan Salituro leads the team in scoring with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists), followed by Lundholm and Brandon Saad with 10 points each on 6 goals and 4 assists and 1 goal and 9 , respectively.

The goaltenders are veterans Jordan Tibbett and Garrett Bartus. Tibbett has a 6-2 record, Bartus 3-2.

kovach@vindy.com