On the road again: Phantoms ready for crucial series

They’ll play first-place Traverse City in a three-game set in Michigan.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are back on the road this weekend as they open a three-game series with the red-hot Traverse City North Stars in northwest Michigan.

Traverse City (11-2-0, 22 pts) enters the weekend with a franchise-best eight-game winning streak, the second-longest streak by any team in the NAHL behind St. Louis’ current 14-game tear. The North Stars have a seven-point lead in the North Division standings over the second-place Phantoms (7-2-1, 15 pts).

Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt knows his players will need to bring their “A” game against the North Stars.

“Traverse City is always a hard-working, physical team,” said Mainhardt. “We need to be very disciplined and play excellent team defense to match Traverse City’s intensity and give ourselves a shot against them in their home arena.

“They have had a tremendous start and will continue to be one of the top teams in our league.”

The series will also feature top-notch special teams play. The Phantoms enter the weekend with the league’s top penalty kill, sporting a 91.6 percent efficiency rating while Traverse City’s penalty kill is third in the NAHL with at 90.7. The North Stars are also third in power play efficiency, converting 21.3 percent of their man advantages; the Phantoms are rated fifth in the league, scoring on 18.1 percent of their power plays.

Kyle Bonis leads the North Stars in scoring with seven goals and four assists. C.J. Motte and Brandon Stephenson share goaltending duties, combining for a 2.05 goals against average and a save percentage of 91.5. Cullen Lundholm is the Phantoms’ top scorer with one goal and eight assists; Mahoning Valley’s goalie tandem of Jordan Tibbett and Garrett Bartus has teamed up for a 2.70 GAA and a 90.5 save percentage.

With both teams so even statistically, Mainhardt said the weekend will likely hinge on depth.

“This weekend will show how deep both teams are at this point of the season,” he said. “It will be a great test for both squads. It will take all 20 players each night to come out on top.”

Friday and Saturday’s games start at 7:05 p.m. while Sunday’s game begins at 12:35 p.m. from Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City. All three games will be broadcast live on MVPPhantoms.com via the B2 Networks, with the pregame beginning 10 minutes before each game.