Phantoms look to keep rolling in USHL

March 13, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Each season, the USHL presents the Anderson Cup to the team who earns the best record in the regular season.

Few Mahoning Valley hockey fans are aware of the trophy that stands almost five feet tall. That’s because in their first five seasons, the Youngstown Phantoms have never been in contention for best team in the league.

But thanks to a 12-game winning streak that has the made the Phantoms the league’s hottest team, Youngstown has a shot to cature the Anderson Cup. The Phantoms are one of the top four teams in a race where first and fourth place are separated by two points.

“It’s huge,” said Phantoms newcomer Tyler Sheehy, a member of the Anderson Cup-winning Waterloo Black Hawks last season who was traded to the Phantoms last week. He was referring to the size of the hardware as well as the experience of winning it.

“Last year, it came down to the final game and we ended up winning in a shootout. The Anderson Cup was actually there and there was a big presentation,” the forward said. “That was one of the best hockey moments of my life.

“Hopefully, we can do it here.”

To remain in the race, the Phantoms (31-13-5, 67 points) will need another big weekend at the Covelli Centre. That’s because their opponent tonight and Saturday will be the Sioux City Musketeers (32-14-5, 69 points), the first-place team in the Western Conference and owner (for now) of the most points in the league.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (34-16-0, first place in the Eastern Conference) and Tri-City Storm (31-13-6, second in Western) both have 68 points. The Phantoms (second in Eastern) have a game-in-hand against both of those teams and two-games-in-hand against the Musketeers.

That makes this weekend’s series against the Musketeers, arguably, the biggest in the Phantoms’ six-year history.

“Tough to say one has been bigger than this, from a fan standpoint,” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said. “They are good.”

Noreen praised the Musketeers for having elite players and being well-disciplined.

“They are physical and hard to play against,” Noreen said. “They have good special teams and goaltending, and arguably the best D corps in the league.”

Sheehy is ready for another crack at the Musketeers.

“It’s going to be fun,” said Sheehy who is centering a line for Ryan Lomberg and USHL leading scorer Kyle Connor. “In Waterloo, we didn’t match up [well] against them but with this team, it’s going to be a battle.”

Connor leads the USHL with 61 points (25 goals, 36 assists) and teammates Max Letunov is third (57 points) and Josh Melnick is fifth (53). The Musketeers’ Adam Johnson is second (59 points) and Robert Carpenter is fourth (54 points including a league-leading 29 goals).

Last week, the Phantoms also traded for defensemen Alec Vanko (Madison Capitols) and Connor McDonald (Chicago Steel) to bolster their roster for a long playoff run.

“We’re a scary team right now, especially with the two big D coming in,” Phantoms co-captain Josh Nenadal said. “We’re ready to showcase what we can do.”

Vanko called the Musketeers “a strong team. They can really get their nose over the puck.”

“They have good USHL experience, a lot of guys who have together for a long time,” said Vanko, who was the Capitols’ captain. “They are definitely a good group of players.

“This weekend should be like a Clark Cup Final-type games,” Vanko said. “It’s two of the top teams in the league, it should be fun.”

The Phantoms will be without defenseman Matt Miller and Noreen for tonight’s game. Both were suspended by the USHL because Miller left the bench too soon after a goal in last Saturday’s 6-2 win over Sioux Falls.

Miller rushed to the ice to see how teammate Vas Kolias was after he was kneed by Joey Raats after Nenadal scored. Miller also is suspended for Saturday’s game.

Noreen said assistant coaches Brad Patterson and John Ronan will share head coaching duties tonight.

Lomberg, the Phantoms’ other co-captain, said the Phantoms are a little steamed about the suspensions and are adopting an us-against-the-world mentality.

“We’re looking at it as if it’s just us in here and everyone is against us,” Lomberg said. “It’s unfortunate. We’d love to have a guy like Matty in the lineup. He plays a key role for us back there.

“And Coach is our leader, the guy we look up to,” Lomberg said. “But in Coach Patty and Coach Ronan, we have two very capable guys to be the Man behind the bench. We know [the chance to again advance in the standings] is what we make of it.”