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PHANTOMS NOTEBOOK From the Covelli Centre
New ownership: The Phantoms are now co-owned by Youngstown businessman Bruce Zoldan and Black Bear Sports Group, which in the spring purchased the half of the team owned by Troy and Aafke Loney. Adam Goldman is the new team president in charge of day-to-day operations. The Loneys were co-owners from 2014-18.
Short summer: In the USHL Clark Cup Finals, the Phantoms lost to the Fargo Force, three games to one. The season ended on May 19. “From an organization standpoint, it’s an exciting time here,” said Brad Patterson, the third-year head coach. “You want a short summer because it means you’ve had a little bit of success.”
Home opener: The Phantoms will play the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday and Saturday at Covelli Centre. “It’s going to be a special time in the building — I know the guys are jacked up for it,” Patterson said.
Team philosophy: Patterson said, “Our motto is we want to get better every day. If you do that, you’re going to have a successful program. That’s true today and that’s true, hopefully, [next] May 20 or whenever that last game would be.”
Looking for first win: The Phantoms lost both of their games at the USHL Fall Classic. “That first weekend didn’t go as we wanted, but I thought we played well,” returning forward Dalton Messina said. In the first game, the Phantoms trailed Tri-City 5-2 before scoring twice late. “That showed a lot about the character of our team. We’re not going to quit and we are a hard-working team. We’re not just going to give up, we’re not going to roll over even when we’re down [several goals]. We’re going to keep fighting back.”
Speed: Forward Craig Needham, one of eight returning players, said, “We’re going to be a fast team. When we get our feet going, we’ll be a hard team to keep up with.” The team’s top seven scorers from last season have moved on, so scoring is a concern. “I think we’ve brought in a good group of guys with a lot of skill who have the ability to score,” Needham said. Newcomer Liam Robertson scored a goal in each of the first two games.
Team goal: Patterson said a major goal is to have players “who are good in the community. You want people who are energetic, you want people who live how you live and live how you act. I think we have that in this group, especially for this Valley. They are a hard-working bunch that live up to our values as a program. We talk about energy all the time, we talk about commitment, we talk about compete level. Jason Koehler, our general manager, does a great job of identifying that, not only being a good hockey player, but having those qualities. And if you have them, you’re a Phantom, and that’s what we want in our program.”