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Phantoms Belonger, Strang back the Packers
By Tom Williams
BOARDMAN
It’s hard to imagine two bigger Green Bay Packers fans in the Mahoning Valley than Wisconsin natives Ryan Belonger and Cody Strang.
“I’ve been wearing my Packers stuff and showing them where I’m from,” said Belonger, a Youngstown Phantoms forward from Green Bay.
“The fans are crazy about them,” said Belonger of his hometown. “There’s a lot of pride, tradition.”
Sounds a lot like Pittsburgh, doesn’t it?
Strang, another Phantoms forward from Madison, Wis., said he and Belonger were at Buffalo Wild Wings on NFL Championship Sunday when the Packers defeated the Chicago Bears, 21-14, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won over the New York Jets, 24-19.
“We had our Packers stuff and there were a lot of Steelers fans there,” Strang said. “We were basically the only two for the Packers. It’s a little different from home.”
Even the Phantoms locker room is tipped against the Wisconsin natives. Five teammates — Ty Loney, Dylan Margonari, Nilan Nagy, Kevin Liss and Greg Lewis — live in the Pittsburgh suburbs.
“A lot don’t care but there’s a couple of guys going for the Steelers so there’s some joking in the locker room,” Belonger said. “We’re having some fun with it.”
Asked which Pittsburgh resident was the biggest trash talker, Belonger said, “Loney, but he’s been a sport about it.
“He calls me Cheesehead but I don’t take that personally,” said Belonger, admitting it’s a term of endearment in Wisconsin.
About the locker room chatter, Liss, a defenseman, said, “There’s been a little going on.” He said Belonger has taken his campaign to Facebook.
“He’s got the ‘Go Pack, Go’ [song] going,” Liss said. “They are actually more into it then we are.
“We don’t have to say it — we’ve won it six times already,” said Liss of Steelers fans. “We act like we’ve been there before.”
Technically, so have the Packers. The Steelers have won six Super Bowls since January 1975. The Packers have won 12 NFL championships including three in the Super Bowl era.
However, their last Super Bowl trip came in January 1998 when Strang was 7 and Belonger 5. The Steelers have won two of the past five Super Bowls.
Not surprisingly, the favorite players of Strang and Belonger are quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews.
“Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks,” Strang said. “It’s fun to watch him make plays all the time. Matthews has that crazy hair going.”
One reason for Loney’s kindness is because the Packers are his third-favorite team after the Steelers and Denver Broncos.
His least favorite? The Baltimore Ravens ... and the Cleveland Browns.
For Liss, it’s the Ravens.
Defensive end Aaron Smith is Loney’s favorite player because “he’s a family friend.”
Cornerback Ike Taylor is Loney’s other favorite.
“He’s got a swagger to him that’s funny,” said Loney, the Phantoms’ second-leading scorer. “I just like his style.”
For Liss, it’s strong safety Troy Polamalu.
“I like the way he plays,” Liss said. “I like his hair.”
Liss isn’t surprised that the Steelers are underdogs despite their recent Super Bowl experience.
“A lot of people like to not like the Steelers, especially now that the Super Bowl is down in Texas,” said Liss who skated for the North American Hockey League’s Wichita Falls Wildcats last season. “They can’t stand the Steelers down there. I lived down there last year and they all hate the Steelers.”
The Phantoms are hoping they get to see some of the game. After playing the Tri-City Storm tonight and the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday, the Phantoms will get on their bus on Sunday to travel to Chicago for Monday’s game against the Steel.
“Hopefully, the Packers win but I have no idea,” Strang said. “If they keep Pittsburgh under 20 points, I think they’ll be able to score enough points to win.”
Belonger said, “I think the Packers are going to win but Rodgers needs to be on.”
Liss admitted he’s not a Packers expert.
“The Steelers are pretty good performing under pressure so I expect it will be a tight one but they’ll be walking down at the end and scoring to win by a couple of points,” Liss predicted.