LOOKING FORWARD

Youngstown Phantoms focused on improving performance

By TOM WILLIAMS

Photo

Lisa-Ann Ishihara|The Vindicator.New assistant coach for the Youngstown Phantoms, Brad Patterson

williams@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

With five weeks to go in their first season in the USHL, the Youngstown Phantoms interim head coach Curtis Carr says his goal is to improve performance on the ice.

“We’re not really focused on wins and losses, we’re focusing on getting better at playing games,” said Carr who replaced Bob Mainhardt two weeks ago. “Hopefully, we’ll be learning more about how we’re actually performing.

“We had a couple of leads this weekend with a young team,” Carr said of a three-game road-trip that included a 6-4 win over the Waterloo Black Hawks. “They are a little unsure of how to play with leads right now but hopefully we can correct that.”

After a solid start in the season’s first three months, the Phantoms (16-31-2, 34 points) have struggled since Christmas, winning just four of 24 games. Goals have been particularly hard to come by. With 14, Brett Gensler leads the team. Jefferson Dahl, Adam Berkle and Tom Serratore have 13 while Taylor Holstrom has 11.

“Because we haven’t been getting a lot of scoring, I’ve been trying to spread them out to hopefully generate some offense throughout our lines,” Carr said.

Assisting Carr behind the Phantoms bench is Brad Patterson, who was a forward with the Youngstown SteelHounds during their final season in 2008.

Love brought Patterson back to Youngstown.

When the Central Hockey League booted the SteelHounds out for the 2008-09 season, Patterson’s initial plan was to play for SteelHounds coach Kevin Kaminski who took over the CHL’s Mississippi Mudbugs.

“But then I was offered a player/assistant coach job in the Southern Professional Hockey League,” said Patterson, who spent a season in Columbus, Ga.

Patterson wasn’t sure he wanted to continue playing and he weighed a few offers to coach junior teams in Western Canada. He chose Youngstown as he moved back to be closer to his girlfriend, Holly Shalabi, who had been the SteelHounds’ dance captain and is a YSU student.

“I can’t pinpoint it, but we like it [here] so much,” Patterson said. “We just had some great experiences in this area.”

When the Youngstown Phantoms were created, Patterson was hired to help in the front office with ticket sales.

“I met with Bob and Curt to see if there might be something to get my foot in the door,” Patterson said.

When Canfield native Rocky Russo departed to work with the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League, Patterson moved a little closer to the ice, taking over as Youngstown State University hockey coach and the Phantoms’ director of youth hockey.

Coaching runs in Patterson’s blood.

“I knew I wanted to get into it,” Patterson said. “My father has coached with the national team in Canada and coached professional for years,” said Patterson, whose hometown is Cranbrook, British Columbia.

“It has a population of about 20,000 but it’s a pretty town notorious for producing NHL talent,” Patterson said, citing Steve Yzerman, Team Canada captain Scott Neidermeyer and Rob Neidermeyer. “I think the Stanley Cup came back like 10 years in a row.

“It was pretty special,” Patterson said of seeing Vancouver spotlighted during the Winter Olympics.

“I was taught that maybe I wasn’t the best player, but as far as using my brain I was pretty good,” Patterson said. “And that got me to the level I got to [American Hockey League]. I’m excited about this opportunity.”

The CHL is considered the equivalent of baseball’s Double A. When the SteelHounds’ 2008 season ended, Patterson was called up to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, the top farm club of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

During games, Patterson concentrates on defense and penalty killing.

“We spend a lot of time before practice and after practice watching video together,” Carr said.

“It’s great to have him because it’s hard to find in Youngstown who has such hockey experience and knowledge,” Carr said. “I was lucky and fortunate to have Brad sitting here when the transition happened.”