Serratore piling up points on the ice

By tom williams

williams@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Scoring three goals and seven assists in the past 10 games, Youngstown Phantoms forward Tom Serratore has hit his stride in the offensive zone.

But Phantoms coach Curt Carr feels that Serratore isn’t doing anything much different now than when the USHL season started last fall.

“He’s been pretty consistent all year,” said Carr of Serratore, who played for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers last season. “He had a lot of opportunities at the start of the year that maybe he wasn’t finishing off. But I’d say his play has been very consistent.”

With 15 goals and 15 assists, Serratore is the Phantoms’ fourth-leading scorer. He trails linemate Jefferson Dahl (36 points), Taylor Holstrom (33) and Brett Gensler (32) in scoring, and is one goal behind Gensler’s team-leading 16.

“The bounces have been going my way,” said Serratore who will play for the University of Minnesota in the fall. “I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing and hopefully it will keep going.”

Carr recently tweaked his lines, pairing Dahl with Serratore and Adam Berkle.

“He’s a skilled small forward but I can pretty much go anywhere on the ice and he’ll find me,” said Serratore of Dahl.

Tonight in Ann Arbor, Mich., Serratore will play in one of his final five games as a Phantom against Team USA. Saturday, both teams will face off against each other at the Covelli Centre.

“His line is the line I usually try to get out against the other team’s top offensive line,” Carr said of Serratore’s defensive skills.

When the Phantoms’ season ends on April 3, Serratore will begin preparing for next season as a Golden Gopher.

“His work ethic is second to none,” Carr said. “His desire and the way he plays the game is a coach’s dream.”

Serratore has grown up with rinks a big part of his life. His father, Frank, is the hockey coach at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Col.

When Serratore was born 20 years ago in Omaha, Neb., his father was the coach of the USHL’s Lancers.

“I’ve traveled all over the country because he’s been with different teams,” Serratore said. “It’s good to have a Dad who knows a lot about hockey. I learned a lot from him.”

Frank and Carol Serratore have four children. Tom’s twin brother, Tim, plays for Bismarck in the North American Hockey League. They have two sisters — Carly, 19, who is a student at the Air Force Academy, and Carina who is in middle school in Colorado Springs.

Serratore isn’t sure how old he was when he began skating.

“As soon as I started walking, I put skates on or at least tried to,” Serratore said.

Hockey runs in the family. Frank’s brother, Tom, is the coach of Bemidji State (Minnesota) which plays the University of Michigan on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

Serratore said the University of Minnesota’s tradition helped him make his college choice.

“Their coaching staff showed the most interest in me as a player,” Serratore said. I felt comfortable when I went on my visit there.

“It looked like a good atmosphere to be a part of,” Serratore said.

The Phantoms (17-34-4, 38 points) are in seventh place in the East Division, 14 points behind fifth-place Team USA (24-28-4), the USHL’s other expansion team.

In their past six games, the Phantoms have earned points in three of them, including last Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss at Sioux City.