Phantoms vs. Bandits - North Division Showdown

The Phantoms five-game winning streak couldn’t have come at a better time. After what can only be described as a slow start against the U.S. two Fridays ago, all the Phantoms have done since is win – and win big. There has only been one game decided by fewer than three goals (a 3-2 win over Traverse City on Saturday). The team is hot, and the boys have confidence.

It was too bad to see Graham’s 10-game point scoring streak come to an end on Sunday, but it was great to see some other players step up. Thirteen different players had points in Sunday’s win, and the line of Dexter, Verbeek and Bailey accounted for seven points in Monday’s game alone.

(On a side-note – the Phantoms record when Graham doesn’t score? It has only happened eight times this season, and oddly enough, the team is 7-1-0. I found that intriguing.)

Even more impressive was the defense this weekend. A goals-against average of 1.75 is not only a credit to the goaltending, but the defense as well. The defense also allowed less than 30 shots per game in the Showcase. In talking with Bartus, as well as he played, he gave a lot of credit to the defense as well for clearing out the front to let him see all the shots, keeping the shots to the outside, and clearing out any rebounds.

Speaking of Bartus… it’s great to see him rewarded again finally for his continued stellar play. Mostly because of Graham’s uncanny ability to score, it had been since his 1-0, 44-save shutout against the U.S. Under-18s that Bartus had gotten any recognition. But his stats do most of the talking – top four in wins, GAA, and save percentage – and unlike those around him, he’s doing it against the toughest division. Congrats.

So now there are four against the first-place Bandits and their 31-7-1 record. I said in my last blog that come February 3, the Phantoms will know exactly where they stand among the NAHL’s elite. They got off to a great start with the Showcase sweep, but now the real test is ahead against the top team in the country.

The Bandits powerplay is over three percentage points better than anyone else’s in the league. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider that the fifth best power play (North Iowa) and the 16th best power play (the Phantoms) are separated by less than three percentage points.

Kyle O’Kane, Ben Warda, and Mike Leone each have over 48 points this season. I watched those three (O’Kane and Warda especially) move around at will against Alpena and Traverse City this past weekend… a couple of physical teams. Stopping those three is going to be a challenge. O’Kane is a pure goal scorer, while the other two are exciting playmakers.

On the flipside however, struggling to beat Traverse City one night, and then losing and being brought to a shootout by Alpena in two other games is hardly the definition of dominance. They are obviously beatable. Talent wise, the Bandits and Phantoms are on a pretty even playing field. So now, I guess it comes down to discipline and execution.

The Phantoms took three of four points from St. Louis the last time these two met back in November at the Ice Zone. With a chance to dissect each other this past weekend at the Showcase, it should be interesting to see what kind of game is played.

Expect Cal Heeter to start between the pipes against the Phantoms as well… he seemed to have the hotter hand between him and Johnson in the Showcase.

And one more thing… for those of you that like to listen in to the broadcasts while the team is on the road: I will be doing the audio-only version for free this weekend on mvpphantoms.com. You can follow the live video and the Bandits’ announcer only on B2.