43
Phantoms-Muskegon not-so-nice on the ice
By Tom Williams
BOARDMAN
Even though they’ve only played three times, the Youngstown Phantoms are developing a lot of animosity toward the USHL expansion Muskegon Lumberjacks.
“Muskegon is our least favorite team in the league,” Phantoms forward Stu Higgins said. “We have a big rivalry right now and every time we take the ice we can use our dislike for them as the energy we need.”
The Phantoms (11-17-2, 24 points) are tied with Team USA for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind the fourth-place Lumberjacks (12-11-6, 30 points). Tonight at 7:15, the Phantoms will take the ice in Muskegon to play the Lumberjacks.
“They are always tough to play against,” Phantoms captain Adam Berkle said of the Lumberjacks. “They’re a physical team, they like to fight. It’s always a good game when we play them.”
In their first trip to Muskegon on Nov. 28, the Phantoms edged the Lumberjacks, 3-2, with Higgins scoring the winning goal and Matt O’Connor making 25 saves.
On Dec. 18, the Phantoms lost at Muskegon, 3-2, in Greg Lewis’ goaltending debut for Youngstown. The former NAHL goalie from Mars, Pa., stopped 32 shots in the defeat.
Last Saturday at the Covelli Centre, Jiri Sekach’s goal with 45 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Phantoms a 4-3 victory and put them within striking distance of the fourth-place Lumberjacks.
“We’re a pretty gritty-in-the-face team, same as them,” said Ty Loney, the Phantoms’ leading scorer.
In the USHL’s new playoff format, six of the eight teams in each division qualify for the postseason. While the top two teams in each division enjoy a first-round bye, the other four will face off in a best-of-three series, with the higher seeds hosting all the games.
“Since they are in the home-ice advantage spot, we’d like to get the win and [eventually] take their place,” Berkle said.
Before last weekend, the Phantoms were 11 points behind the Lumberjacks. Wins over the Sioux City Musketeers and the Lumberjacks plus an overtime loss to Team USA earned the Phantoms five points.
“This past weekend, we took a step forward,” Berkle said.
Lewis earned his first two wins.
“He was a little shaky coming in,” Berkle said of Lewis’ arrival in October. “Once he got adjusted to the speed, he’s been playing a whole lot better. He’s played great in the games he’s been in.
“It’s good to have him in there if O’Connor needs a rest,” Berkle said. “We have another goalie to rely on.”
Loney, who played with Lewis while growing up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, called Lewis “a good goalie, he goes into games really confident. Having two good goalies is a positive thing to have.”
The Phantoms’ other game this weekend will be against Team USA’s 18-under team in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday at 4 p.m. Last Sunday, the Phantoms lost there to Team USA’s 17-under squad, 4-3, in a shootout.
“We need to battle hard,” said Loney of keeping the Lumberjacks within reach.