Phantoms on road at Fargo for 2 games

The team seems to get better results off its home ice at the Covelli Centre.

STAFF REPORT

The Youngstown Phantoms have shown a trend early this United States Hockey League season to have better results on the road than at the Covelli Centre.

That trend will be tested on Friday and Saturday, though, as the Phantoms (2-4-1) visit the Fargo Force (4-3-0) for a pair of games at the Urban Plains Center.

Youngstown is 2-1-1 on the road this season, sweeping games at Des Moines and Chicago on Oct. 10-11, then going 0-1-1 at Lincoln and Des Moines the following weekend.

Fargo is 1-1 at home this season.

Youngstown has been led offensively by Tyler Holstrom, who’s 12th in the USHL with nine points on three goals and six assists.

Holstrom and Nick Czinder, who has two goals and three assists, lead the Phantoms in plus-minus at plus-5.

Brett Gensler also has three goals, while Andrej Sustr has four assists. Sustr also leads the team in penalty minutes, along with Richard Young, at 31.

Phantoms’ goalie Jordan Tibbett is 1-3 with a 4.01 goals against average, while Matthew Mahalak is 1-1-1 with a 4.93 GAA.

Matt Leitner is third in the USHL in scoring with 13 points. He has six goals, tied for second-best in the league with Bryce Aneloski of Cedar Rapids, and seven assists.

Goalies Cody Campbell is 4-1 and is ninth in the league with a 2.49 goals against average.

Fargo boasts the USHL’s top power play unit converting at a 26.53 percent clip. The Force have scored at least one power play goal in six of their seven games this season.

The Phantoms return to the Covelli Centre for their next five games. They play host to Des Moines on Nov. 5-6, Green Bay on Nov. 11 and Nov. 13, and Chicago on Nov. 14.