WORST TO FIRST
By Tom Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
A year ago, the Youngstown Phantoms finished dead last in the USHL’s Eastern Conference, winning 17 games and losing 37 in regulation and six more in bonus hockey.
It was the team’s worst season in its five-year history. The future did not look rosy.
With one week remaining in the regular season, the Phantoms sit alone atop the USHL standings. Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Muskegon was their 38th, most in team history.
One more win will earn them the USHL’s Anderson Trophy that goes to the team with the most points in the regular season.
It’s been quite a reversal.
“From worst to first,” Phantoms defenseman Tommy Parran said Sunday. “Pretty exciting.”
Parran said he wasn’t aware that the Phantoms had clinched the Eastern Conference until he looked at the USHL website on Sunday morning. Most of his teammates left the Covelli Centre not knowing as well.
“Most of the families were in town for [Friday’s team] banquet, so guys were with their families right after the game,” Parran said.
About an hour after Saturday’s game, the Phantoms (38-14-5) captured the division when second-place Cedar Rapids (38-20-0, 76 points) lost to Tri-City, 4-1. The RoughRiders only have two games remaining and can’t top 80 points.
“Thirty-eight wins is not easy to do in this league,” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said. “It’s a credit to the leadership and the character we have in the room.
“It’s very easy at this age to take nights off and we have a group that doesn’t. I think that’s what has translated into wins.”
Parran credited Noreen for the major turnaround for providing “a culture shift.”
“Coach, [assistant general manager] Jason Koehler, their staff did a great job of finding the right pieces,” Parran said. “They changed the culture so we don’t accept losing,
“And we won’t rest until we’ve won a championship.”
Noreen said Saturday’s win was one of the Phantoms’ best efforts this season. He credited a mini-break he gave the players last week.
“The plan was to go home and regroup, realize how much we miss each other and hopefully be hungry when we came back,” Noreen said.
“Credit the guys for getting some rest and putting together one of the best 60 minutes,” Noreen said after the Phantoms won for the 19th time in 20 games. “Right from the go, from the D to up front, I thought we were pretty good.”
Kyle Connor led the way with three goals and two assists. With 32 goals and 42 assists, Connor has a five-point lead is the league scoring race.
“He had a 10-game stretch where he had one goal and it was an empty-netter,” Noreen said of the player projected to be a first-round pick in June’s NHL Draft,” I know a lot of people were kind of worried about him.
“Him scoring is the least of my worries,” the fourth-year head coach said. “It’s something he’s done his whole life, it’s something he’ll always do. Just a fun player to coach.”
Connor said the scoring title “would be something nice to have but obviously I’m not focusing on it.
“We’re trying to get ready for the playoffs.”
The Phantoms have three games remaining. Tuesday, they’ll practice then travel to Illinois for Wednesday’s morning game against the Chicago Steel.
“We’re going to come back [home] just so we get a night in our beds because we might be getting on the road for the playoffs as early as Sunday, possibly,” Noreen said.
The regular season concludes with two games against Team USA. Friday’s game is in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Saturday’s will be at the Covelli Centre.
As division champion, the Phantoms have the option of opening their first-round series against the fourth-place team on the road. Playoff dates will be announced once the fourth-place team (Muskegon or the Dubuque Fighting Saints) has been determined.