Phantoms’ Strang receives honor

He was selected the USHL’s Offensive Player of the Week.

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Cody Strang

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — When the Youngstown Phantoms take the ice tonight at the Covelli Centre, they’ll have the USHL’s Offensive Player of the Week in their lineup.

Thursday, Phantoms forward Cody Strang was announced as this week’s winner of the USHL award for games played from Jan. 18-24.

Strang scored four goals over three games for the expansion Phantoms. After scoring two goals through his first 20 games, the first-year USHL forward more than doubled that total with a natural hat trick on Jan. 18.

A native of Madison, Wis., Strang scored three consecutive goals in the second period of the Phantoms’ 7-3 triumph over Team USA. Strang scored his goals over a span of 4:55 for the Phantoms’ first hat trick.

The 19-year-old also scored the Phantoms’ first goal in last Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

During his four years on the Madison Edgewood High School hockey team, Strang scored 94 goals and 200 points for the Crusaders.

His 39-goal, 76-point senior season that helped Strang earn Wisconsin’s Mr. Hockey award last spring.

The road lately has been a major obstacle for the Phantoms. Goals by Strang and forward Brett Gensler put the Phantoms in position to win, but a last-minute RoughRiders goal dropped Youngstown to its sixth-straight road loss after starting 6-4-1 away from Covelli Centre.

With just one win in January, the Phantoms (14-19-2, 30 points) are in sixth place in the East Division.

Tonight, the Phantoms will participate in Hockey Across America Night when they host the Sioux Falls Stampede at 7:15 p.m.

Before the game, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Tyler Kennedy will be at the arena for an autograph session from 5-7 p.m. A ticket is required for an autograph. Fans wearing hockey apparel may purchase a half-priced ticket.

Tonight’s game launches the Phantoms’ third and final five-game homestand.

The Phantoms and Stampede also will play on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The homestand also has games on Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. against Indiana and on Feb. 5-6 against Waterloo.

On Nov. 20 in Sioux Falls, S.D., the Phantoms were handed their first shutout loss as Stampede goaltender Clay Witt denied all 30 Youngstown shots.

The Stampede (19-8-8, 46 points) are in third place in the West Division and have lingered near the top of the West for the entire season, boosted by a 10-1-4 start that featured nine consecutive games at Sioux Falls Arena.

Last weekend, the Stampede dropped a 10-1 decision in Cedar Rapids, then won 1-0 in Lincoln, Neb., on defenseman Dan Furlong’s power-play goal with less than a minute to play in sudden death. Witt earned his league-leading fourth shutout of the campaign, making 32 saves.