A Tale of Two Nights

An understatement to say the least, but Friday’s game was not the game I was expecting to see at all. Although 61 shots on goal is quite an achievement, and Marquette’s goalie played a pretty good game, this team should not lose 6-2 to any team in the North American Hockey League – even on their best night – as was the case with Marquette.

The team showed a lot of character to bounce back the way they did on Saturday, and although it wasn’t a great performance, it was gritty, and the effort was certainly better. As the coaching staff has said, too much emphasis is put on wins and losses sometimes, but this time the end result was an important win to quash a two-game losing streak before it became any more contagious.

Much to the pleasure of many fans, the powerplay seems to be starting to click again. Four goals in the past three games, including a 2 for 6 performance on Saturday. It had been tough, especially with the injuries, to keep anything consistent on the ice, but hopefully that will change when guys start coming back.

Speaking of the team’s health woes, it was great to see Kyle Verbeek and Derek Carr back off the injured list last weekend. Kurt Washnock, John Houston and Denny Kramarz are still going full-tilt in practice this week. Hirschfeld and Nielsen are still on the shelf for the time being, but once they get enough rest, it shouldn’t take more than a couple days to get them back in playing shape… they are probably 50/50 for this weekend.

After six games absent from the score sheet, Derek Graham appears to have his stride back, notching an assist in each game against Marquette. He is complimented well with Nick Kenney and Grant Blakey on the wings.

Speaking of Blakey, just watching this kid develop has been a treat… he is really starting to get comfortable in the system, he has got tremendous talent, a great work ethic, and a great attitude. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead the team in scoring here down the stretch, and he will be a star next season if he keeps this up.

What can you say about Johnny Meo? He has five points in his last three games, eight points in his last six games, has a knack for scoring big goals, and is wreaking havoc all around the ice. He’s been the top forward over the past month.

Enough about individuals, as this is a team game. The team the Phantoms host this weekend is Traverse City. The Stars are a decent team in a really good division and are therefore bringing up the rear, but always have that potential to win. Like every other night, the Phantoms cannot take any team lightly. The Phantoms are 7-2-0 against the Stars this season, including winning their past five in a row.

BUT, the Stars are riding the momentum of two huge wins over the Alpena Ice Diggers and have had the luxury of two weeks to prepare for the Phantoms. Don’t forget, the story two weeks ago was Alpena, and their surge… they had gone 13-2-1 in their previous 16 games heading into the weekend against Traverse City. They have shown the ability to win against good teams, and don’t forget their 10 overtime losses, could have just as easily all gone the other way.

Nathan Urbaniak, Harrison Niemann, and Tyler Stephens have led the way against Mahoning Valley, but the team’s goaltending has struggled against the likes of Miles Winter and Derek Graham – each having scored 13 points against the Stars.

Just as an added bonus to the hockey this weekend, the Phantoms have Quaker Steak night on Friday and Chick-Fil-A night on Saturday. Also, don’t forget to bid on the special Phantoms Relay For Life Jerseys – on-line bids are now being taken, and the LIVE auction is slated for March 1.