Cheer on reinvented Phantoms in their quest for championship

What a difference a year has made in the fortunes of the Youngstown Phantoms, the Tier 1 junior ice hockey team of the United States Hockey League.

Just last winter, the Covelli Centre-based Phantoms were looking eerily like their literal namesake: “an apparition or illusion without any material substance” (Dictionary.com). After all, the team sat dejectedly in the basement of division rankings, fan support for the franchise had chilled to embarrassing lows, and the team’s very existence beyond 2014 stood on thin ice.

But true to their rugged form, as the going got tough for the team, those tough Phantoms got going to rebuild, rebrand and re-energize the squad. Today, the Phantom franchise more closely resembles the Phoenix, that legendary bird that rises triumphantly from its ashes.

With a new contract through 2017 that squeaked through at the end of last season, with an addition of highly respected and talented ownership, with a roster of skillful players and with an increase in paid attendance accelerating promotional nights at the arena, the Phantoms are healthier than ever in their decade-long history as the team prepares to make its mark in the 2014-15 playoffs toward its first league championship.

In fact, superlatives swirl vigorously around today’s Phantoms. As of this week, the Phantoms own the longest winning streak in the history of the USHL — 17 games and counting. It also ranks as the most improved squad in its division, rising from a 17-37 season last year to a 36-13 season so far this year. We’re also hoping that by the end of the season, attendance levels in Youngstown will soar to record heights as well.

REASONS FOR RISE

Many factors, of course, come into play in explaining the amazing transformation and maturation of the franchise. First and foremost, consider the talented team. Just last weekend, Phantoms goaltender Colin DeAugustine made a diving stick save to preserve the team’s win streak in Waterloo, Iowa. Video of the feat has gone viral on YouTube. Other Phantom powerhouses such as Kiefer Sherwood, Matt Alvaro, and Kyle Connor, have played tirelessly the past two months to extend the streak.

Consider, too, the impact that new co-owner Troy Loney, a player on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ two Stanley Cup winning teams of the 1990s. Loney’s athletic prowess and his business acumen have combined to achieve several of the goals the team has reached this season. We look for a long-term and continued productive relationship between Loney and longtime co-owner Bruce Zoldan.

Consider, too, the more aggressive and creative marketing strategies of the Tier I USHL team. In vastly increasing the number of attendance-accelerating special-events nights, the Phantoms have borrowed a page from the playbook of the promotion-frenzied Mahoning Valley Scrappers — arguably the most successful professional sports team in the region. The results are in the numbers; a recent “Tavern Night” Phantoms promotion drew more than 3,400 fans to the downtown Youngstown arena. In contrast, average attendance during the 2013-14 season hovered around 1,100.

In short, the Phantoms today stand as mere shadows of their former selves, and all signs point to no slowdown in their climb to success. For the moment, however, we’re rooting for the home team to capitalize on its winning season with its first league championship.

Toward that end, faithful followers will tune in to this weekend’s two games against the Omaha Lancers in Nebraska. Next weekend, the team will return to Youngstown to square off against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Here’s hoping that the April 4 “Prom/High School Challenge Night” at the Covelli will draw a full house of exhilarated Phantoms fans.