Phantoms’ amazing season inspires celebration, hope

Even though the Youngstown Phantoms fell short of their goal of capturing the United States Hockey League title and of clutching the coveted Clark Cup this spring, the team nonetheless stands as proud and talented champions in their own right after a superlative-laced 2014-15 season.

Most notably, they won the Anderson Cup for the first time in team history. The 5-foot-tall cup goes to the team within the league that ranks as the regular-season champion. The comeback Phantoms won 23 more games than its last-place finish in 2013-14, setting the franchise record for wins (40) and points (86) in a 60-game season.

That historic and legacy-making record is cause for all in the Valley to stand up and cheer . It also minimizes the pain and heartache of the Phantoms’ early ejection from the playoffs at the hands of the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

In the second half of the season, the Phantoms also created one of the most superlative sensations in league history. The fiery Youngstown squad broke the USHL win streak record with a run of 17 consecutive victories.

“I’d be shocked if that 17-game win streak gets touched anytime, especially in the near future,” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said after his fourth season in charge.

So would we. A near-perfect mix of individual talent and cooperative teamwork sealed success. Kyle Connor won the USHL scoring championship, scoring 34 goals and making 46 assists for 80 points.

Two other Phantoms finished in the league’s Top 10. With 64 points, Max Letunov tied Sioux City’s Joe Snively and Muskegon’s Griffen Molino for fourth. Josh Melnick finished in eighth place with 62 points.

Individually and collectively, off the ice, the Phantoms displayed winning spirit in the community as well. On and off season, they gave back by reading in schools, assisting in soup kitchens or teaching youth hockey players.

In the sweet season just ended, the Phantoms also won an increasing amount of fan fervor. At several games toward the end of the season, attendance levels exceeded 3,000, more than doubling typical turnouts. In fact, the team’s attendance spikes played a measurable role in the Covelli Centre’s strong first-quarter 2015 financial report that catapulted the center to its second highest operating surplus in the decade-long history of the downtown Youngstown sports and entertainment arena.

New leadership

Also playing a role in the revitalization of the Phantoms clearly was the addition of new leadership. New co-owner Troy Loney, a player on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ two Stanley Cup winning teams of the 1990s, added professional prestige to the team’s front office.

Loney’s athletic prowess and his business acumen have combined to achieve several of the goals the team reached this season. We look for a long-term and continued productive relationship between Loney and longtime co-owner Bruce Zoldan.

The Phantoms, of course, are not the only winners. The community wins as well with a robust injection of much-needed hometown pride and bragging rights for the Phantoms besting the 16 other teams in the respectable league during the regular season. It also builds momentum among the community for bigger and better superlatives come the start of the 2015-16 season.

Indeed the championship season sets the stage for more momentum building when the season ticket campaign begins this summer. We look for an aggressive marketing drive by the Phantoms loaded with successful attendance- grabbing promotional nights to make the team a permanent fixture inside the arena as well as inside the hearts and minds of Valley followers for years and decades to come.