Phantoms hit road seeking a cushion

By Greg Gulas

This weekend’s opponent remains in the hunt for the division crown.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Valley Phantoms hold a slim two-point lead over the Traverse City North Stars in the North American Hockey League’s North Division.

This weekend’s opponent, the Alpena Ice Diggers, are six points out of the top spot and four points in back of the North Stars. They are in third place in a division where just 10 points separate the top five teams.

The Phantoms have won three of four outings this season against the Ice Diggers but aren’t banking on past history for success this weekend.

Instead, they are fully preparing for the upcoming road series with their Michigan counterparts in what Mahoning Valley coach Bob Mainhardt is calling a “regular season playoff series.

“Like every team in our division, Alpena is just another team that you cannot take lightly or you will find yourselves on the short end of the score,” Mainhardt said. “After a slow start, they’ve steadily improved and that can only spell trouble for opponents.

“The players have finally adjusted to coach Jack Fritsche’s system with veteran players stepping up and implementing that system of his.”

The Ice Diggers are 8-5-3 in their last 16 games with three shootout wins and three overtime losses. They’ve lost two straight to Team USA, the squad that defeated the Phantoms 9-2 on Sunday.

Their success and turnaround is no surprise to Mainhardt and staff.

“Alpena does an excellent job defensively and Nick Graves has been simply outstanding in goal with four shutouts to his credit this season,” Mainhardt said.

“Their leading scorer, Erik Peterson, is definitely an offensive threat anytime he has the puck and Ryan Timar, who I had the pleasure of coaching at the recent Top Prospects Showcase, is just another of the offensive weapons they keep throwing at you,” Mainhardt said.

”The key is to remain disciplined and stick to our game plan. We’re not thinking ahead, just two points at a time so our goal first and foremost is to play well the first game on Friday. We want the first game before even thinking about Saturday’s contest.”

Mahoning Valley is 8-3-1 in its last 12 outings. Part of the reason for that success has been the play of goalies Jordan Tibbett and Garrett Bartus, forward Stefan Salituro and defenseman Cullen Lundholm.

“It’s a game-time decision as to who will start in goal with Tibbett and Bartus both playing really well for us right now,” Mainhardt said. “Cullen has logged a lot of minutes due to injuries and suspensions, so the return of Carl Nielson will give Lundholm some well-deserved rest.

“Stefan has been playing great of late and we’ll count on him for his offense, not only this weekend but down the stretch as well,” Mainhardt said.

Salituro (8 goals, 13 assists, 21 points), like the team, is anxious to move on from Sunday’s 9-2 loss at Team USA.

“We’re ready to go and need to bounce back with a couple of road wins against a really tough division foe,” Salituro said. “We’ll need to play a complete game at both ends of the ice, however, if that is to happen.”

Salituro has been a part of several line combinations this season, but his most recent pairing with Johnny Meo and Brandon Saad has worked really well.

Mahoning Valley is 18-1-1 when leading after the second period while the Ice Diggers are 11-1-1 after the first 40 minutes of play.

It would be to the benefit of both teams, then, to race out to the early lead, and then hold that margin heading to the final period.