WILLIAMS: Former Phantoms excelling in college

Several former Youngs-town Phantoms have a shot at playing in the NCAA’s Frozen Four championship game in Tampa, Fla., on April 9.

In the semifinals on April 7 at Amalie Arena, Quinnipiac (31-3-7) will play Boston College (28-7-5) at 5 p.m.

Sam Anas, a Phantom in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, is Quinnipiac’s leading scorer. He has 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points. Soren Jonzzon, the Bobcats’ team captain, was a Phantom in the 2011-12 season, the first time that Youngstown qualified for the USHL playoffs. This season, Jonzzon has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists).

Boston College’s fourth-leading scorer is Austin Cangelosi, who was Anas’ teammate in the Phantoms’ third and fourth seasons. Goaltender Chris Birdsall played on the Phantoms’ Anderson Cup winning team in 2014-15. He’s a freshman for the Eagles awaiting his turn (there are four other goalies on the Boston College roster).

The other semifinal pits Denver (25-9-6) vs. North Dakota (32-6-4).

Michigan’s Kyle Connor, the USHL’s leading scorer last season, is one of 10 nominees for the Hobey Baker Award (college hockey’s Heisman Trophy). A Phantom for three seasons (2012-15), the Wolverines freshman led the NCAA in scoring with 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists).

“Honestly, the most enjoyable part of the job is to watch what our former players have done,” said Anthony Noreen, now the head coach of the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. Noreen was the head coach of the Phantoms for four seasons from 2011-15. “Almost every guy from our first two seasons was either a captain or assistant captain of their college team.”

Cangelosi has scored 20 goals and 17 assists for the Eagles who advanced to the Frozen Four by defeating Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, last Saturday in Worcester, Mass., the site of the Northeast Regional.

In the East Regional in Albany, N.Y., Anas scored the go-ahead goal in Quinnipiac’s 4-1 victory over Massachuestts-Lowell. Jonzzon assisted on Scott Davidson’s goal.

In 2011, Jonzzon came to the Phantoms in a trade from the Tri-City Storm. He scored 24 points that season (12 goals, 12 assists).

Anas and Cangelosi were key components up front during their Phantoms’ years (2011-13).

In his first season, Anas scored 17 goals and 17 assists. He blossomed the following season, scoring 37 goals and 26 assists for 63 points, one behind Cangelosi (21 goals, 43 assists), the team’s leading scorer.

In his first Phantoms season, Cangelosi scored 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists).

Although Orlando and Tampa aren’t far apart, Noreen won’t be at the semifinals because his team will be hosting the Florida Everblades that evening and then playing them again in Fort Myers, Fla., on April 9.

“I would love to be there,” Noreen admitted.

Current Phantoms

When you go 2-7 during a crucial stretch of a playoff chase, the handwriting is on the wall that you’re going to miss the playoffs.

This year’s Phantoms (27-20-4-5, 63 points) were in the thick of the Eastern Conference’s five-team chase for four playoff spots on Feb. 19. The next four weeks proved unkind as the Phantoms posted just two wins over the Madison Capitols (March 4-5).

None were surprised when the Phantoms, last season’s top regular-season team, were eliminated last week on a rare Friday off. They handled the ouster with maturity.

Captain Matt Alvaro said his teammates weren’t glued to their smartphones following the USHL website to see if Dubuque could beat Bloomington.

“We watched the college hockey [tournament] games at my house,” Alvaro said. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re not happy the way things played out.”

Four of the losses in the skid were to Bloomington and defenseman Ryan Shea said that was most “frustrating. But that’s not going to stop us from playing our game [in the remaining games].”

Goaltender Ryan Bednard, a Florida Panthers draft pick who posted his first USHL shutout last Friday in a 3-0 win over Team USA, admitted he “tracked [the game]. It was unfortunate [for the chase to end] but we still have time to finish out strong.”

Alvaro agreed.

“We have a lot of character and a lot of leadership in this room,” Alvaro said. “Coach [John Wroblewski] has been preaching that game [should] go to waste.

“It [will be] great to finish out strong.”

This season, the Eastern Conference is by far superior. If the Phantoms were in the Western Conference, they would be in third place with four games to go.

Shea said the team did nothing different in approaching their first game once out of the race.

“I think Coach would have been a little upset if we did,” said Shea, a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick. “All the boys know we’ve got a couple of more [weeks still together] and we’re going to finish it the right way.”

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Williams_Vindy.