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Phantoms alter power play strategy
By Tom Williams
BOARDMAN
A change in style has the Youngstown Phantoms’ penalty killers smiling as the USHL team has put together its second three-game winning streak of the season.
“We’ve changed up our penalty kill to an all-out attack,” defenseman Ben Paulides said after Thursday’s practice at the Ice Zone. “Before we were in a box where we let them move around us and we tried to fill up lanes.
“Now, we really try to rush the puck and really try to collapse on the puck in the corner,” the second-year Phantom said. “As soon as the other team dumps it in, we’re on it right away.
“With three guys in there, we just dig it out,” Paulides said.
Since Nov. 24, the Phantoms have won three tight contests, a streak that began after their heart-pounding 1-0 loss to the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Nov. 19 at the Covelli Centre.
On the night before Thanksgiving, the Phantoms (8-10-1, 17 points) posted their second home victory with a 2-1 defeat of the Indiana Ice. Ty Loney and Quinn Smith scored the goals.
Last weekend, the Phantoms defeated the Steel, 3-2, in Chicago and the Lumberjacks, 3-2, in Muskegon, Mich.
“Especially coming off the slump we had there, to win three in a row [sends] a lot of confidence flowing through the team,” forward Cody Strang said.
The streak has the Phantoms back in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot. They are tied with the Steel for fifth place in the eight-team Eastern Conference, one point behind third-place Waterloo and Muskegon.
In this year’s USHL playoff format, the top four teams in each conference qualify for the postseason.
Goals by John Fritsche and Nilan Nagy gave the Phantoms a 2-1 lead last Saturday in Chicago. Adam Berkle added an empty-netter to close out the Steel.
On Sunday, Berkle and Loney scored early while Stu Higgins tallied the game-winner in the third period.
“We are starting to click as a team and we are starting to climb right back into it,” Higgins said. “We knew we had the team to turn things around.”
During the streak, the Phantoms have killed off 11 of 13 power-play opportunities for their opponents.
“I think it’s better because it’s tougher for teams to set up,” Strang said of the power-play switch. “We’re kind of running around trying to chip pucks out of the zone and creating pressure wherever we go so they have no time.
“It makes it a lot tougher on the power play,” Strang said.
Paulides loves the switch.
“It really suits my style because I really think do well in the corners,” Paulides said. “And I think everybody on this team does a lot better in the corners than some of the other teams.
“I think the coaches have done a good job of matching the [their] coaching style to the players,” Paulides said.
The Phantoms’ next test will be Saturday when Team USA’s 18-under team (5-10-1, 11 points) visits the Covelli Centre for the Phantoms’ last home game before Christmas. It’s their only game this weekend.
“Some weekends, we’ll have three games and that get’s to be a bit much,” Paulides said. “Guys are getting a little banged up because it’s getting close to Christmas break so actually the one game is kind of a blessing in disguise.”
Strang called the lighter schedule “nice because we’ve had a lot of road games lately.
“To get just one home game means we’ll get a lot of rest before the last four games before Christmas break,” Strang said.