Phantoms gear up for busy weekend

February 7, 2014 at 12:04a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Playing three games within 48 hours sometimes means changing on the fly.

“There are times where late in games, [strategy changes],” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said after Thursday’s practice at the Covelli Centre. “We won’t approach any game any differently with our general plan.

“But if it gets late in the game and you’re up three [goals] or down three, maybe you’ll try to save the legs of some [key] guys.”

The Phantoms (9-24-5, 23 points) are preparing for one of their busiest weekends of the season. Tonight at 7:05, they’ll host the Muskegon Lumberjacks (19-18-4, 42 points) at the Covelli Centre.

After the game, the team will board their sleeper bus for a six-hour ride to Indianapolis where they will play the first-place Indiana Ice (24-7-6, 54 points) on Saturday evening.

When that game ends, the Phantoms will return to the bus for the ride back to Ohio so they can play the Ice on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at the Covelli Centre.

“It’s something you have to be cognizant of,” Noreen said of the heavy schedule, “but for the most part the gameplan is going to be the same.”

Noreen said Sunday’s routine will be disrupted by the team’s second straight overnight journey.

“Sunday is not a typical 7 o’clock game so we won’t do a morning skate because we are coming back from off the road,” Noreen said. “We’ll let them sleep in a little bit, get some rest. We won’t bring them back here in the morning.”

When the players do arrive, Noreen said the team will substitute the early skate with a video session.

Noreen said he’s not sure if the Ice also will ride on through the night to Youngstown or stop in the Columbus area.

“They don’t have a sleeper bus, but they might rent one,” Noreen said.

Because of the compact schedule, Noreen said Sean Romeo and Colin DeAugustine both will see action.

“[This schedule] can change your perspective in goal,” Noreen said. “It’s very hard to play three games in that time frame for any goalie.

“You want your goalies to be ready and willing to start all three games.”

The Phantoms are coming off a big win last Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa, where they stunned the second-place Fighting Saints, 5-3.

“They’re a great opponent, they’re doing really well this year,” Phantoms forward Josh Melnick said. “For us to win in front of their crowd, in their home atmosphere, it’s huge for our team.”

The Phantoms expect injured defenseman Tommy Parran to return to the lineup. Also, the team has acquired forward Cameron Smith from the Potomac Patriots of the USPHL-Elite league.

Last summer, Smith tried out for the Phantoms. Since then, he scored 44 points in 33 games for the Patriots.

The fifth-place Lumberjacks come to Ohio in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff chase. They trail the Green Bay Gamblers by one point for the final playoff berth.

Thanks to the Phantoms’ win over the Fighting Saints, the Ice have a three-point edge in the race for home-ice advantage in conference games.

Noreen said he expects his team and the Ice will have plenty in their tanks for Sunday’s game.

“These are the types of weekends that we train for all year,” Noreen said.