The Phantoms get ready for the streaking Force

Vindicator staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Coming off a three-game road trip, the Youngstown Phantoms will make their 2010 Covelli Centre debut tonight when they play the Fargo Force at 7:15.

The USHL game will be the first of two this weekend at the arena. The Phantoms also will meet the defending West Division playoff champions on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

This will be the Force’s first visit to Ohio and the Phantoms are anxious to greet them. That’s because the Phantoms concluded October by conquering the Force twice in North Dakota, claiming wins by 3-1 and 6-3 scores.

Those victories gave Youngstown a 4-1-1 road record in the season’s first month, by far their best.

The highways of the Midwest haven’t been as kind lately to the Phantoms (13-14-2, 28 points), who have gone 2-7-0 away from the Covelli Centre since that strong start.

The fifth-place Phantoms lost all three games on last week’s trip, falling in Cedar Rapids (Iowa) on New Year’s Eve before getting swept by East Division-leading Green Bay (Wisconsin) in a two-tilt series.

In Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Gamblers, Phantoms goaltender Jordan Tibbett stopped 36 of 38 shots.

The Force arrive on a roll. After falling at Des Moines (Iowa) on Nov. 19 to drop to 7-7-0, the Force (20-9-1, 41 points) have reeled off 14 wins in 18 games to move up to second place in the West Division.

The Force have a six-game winning streak, their second such run in the last two months.

Fargo is 3-0 in 2010, most recently squeezing past Sioux City at home on Tuesday, 3-2 in a shootout. Despite squandering a 2-0 second-period lead, Force goalie Ryan Massa stopped all five Musketeers attempts in the tiebreaker to lock up two more points in the standings.

Despite their three-game slide, the Phantoms have set a new season high by scoring at least one power-play goal in each of their last five contests.

Clicking at an 18.8 percent rate, Youngstown’s power-play unit produced goals from Tom Serratore, Dave Donnellan and Taylor Holstrom on its recent road trip. Serratore and Holstrom each have four power-play tallies and are tied for the team lead.

Tibbett has gotten five of the last six starts in goal for the Phantoms, his most consistent stretch of playing time on the campaign.