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Good teams find ways to win games.  Omaha is a good team atop the Western Division standings of the USHL.  Despite being outplayed and outhit for a majority of Saturday night’s game by the Youngstown Phantoms, the team that knew how to win managed to do just that, win.

The Phantoms got on the scoreboard first at the 10:35 mark of the first period as Brett Gensler (pictured above) got his 13th of the season.  Gensler went top shelf to beat Jeff Teglia.  Cody Strang and Ben Paulides picked up assists.

The Phantoms held a 1-0 lead after the first buzzard.  The Lancers outshot the Phantoms 15-10 in the period, but the Phantoms were hitting with intensity.  On one Lancer surge midway through the period, three consecutive checks by the Phantoms garnered the favor of the audience.  Youngstown looked a step faster in this one, at least in the first period.

Omaha dug in and scored at the 1:20 mark of the second period.  Camden Wojtala beat Matt Mahalak. Troy Power and CJ Ludwig picked up assists.  Wojtala’s sixth goal of the season came on a powerplay for Omaha.

With 2:40 left in the second, Omaha claimed their first lead of the game.  Tom Craig got his second goal in as many nights.  Stefan Demopoulos and Ryan Daugherty gathered an assist apiece on Craig’s even-strength chance.

Seth Ambroz scored with 12.8 seconds left in the second period to give Omaha a 3-1 lead to cap off a 3-goal period for the Lancers.   Greg Wolfe and Lancers Goaltender Jeff Teglia got credited with assists.  The Phantoms were definitely outhitting the Lancers, yet somehow, Omaha held a 3-1 lead after two periods.

With 2:41 left in the game, Taylor Holstrom drew a ten-minute misconduct and the Lancers would almost be able to kill the clock on an Adam Berkle 2:00 minor.

Phantoms Coach Curt Carr was pleased with the effort of the Phantoms.  “They [Omaha] are a very good team, one of the best in the league, and I have a lot of respect for them.  We are lacking a little firepower and we are getting chances but just aren’t able to bury the puck.”

The Lancers ended up taking 35 shots compared to the Phantoms 27.  That was about the only category other than goals scored that the Phantoms were outperformed in.  They checked, poke checked, passed, and outplayed a good team, but good teams find ways to win, and Omaha (32-12-3) is a good team.

Guest photographers tonight were Bryce Hall and Anthony Cervone.

Youngstown State’s Lady Penguins returned home for a matinee against Cleveland State.  For the Penguins, it was another chance at ‘the end’ of the streak, aka, the losing streak that has plagued the Penguins since 2009.  YSU would have to wait until Thursday for another shot as Cleveland State overwhelmed the Lady Penguins by posting a 68-38 win.

Saturday also served as Youngstown State Alumni Day.  Former Lady Penguin standouts from the past were honored at halftime.  Current Penguin, Boki Dimitrov, commented on the festivities. “It’s really nice to be around all of the ladies who have played here. I liked meeting them and am happy they came out today.”

Youngstown State hung with the Vikings in the early going as the score was tied at 8-8 with eight minutes elapsed in the first half. However, Cleveland State applied daunting full-court pressure giving the Penguins fits to even get into their half-court offense.

At the half, the Vikings (13-12, 8-6 HL) were comfortably ahead at 33-17.  Angel Roque provided a spark off of the bench for the Vikings by connecting on three of four first half three-point shots.  The Lady Penguins were paced by Kenya Middlebrooks and Brandi Brown who combined for 13 points and 12 rebounds.  Youngstown State only shot 24% from the field in the half.

With 15:26 left in the game, Cleveland State expanded their lead to 25 points, holding a 44-19 lead.  Brandi Brown, Youngstown State’s most consistent player all season, posted her twelfth double-double when she yanked down her tenth rebound with 14:21 left.  Brown finished the game with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Vikings had nine players with anywhere from 6-11 points showing a very well-balanced attack.  Angel Roque took top scoring honors with 11 points, all in the first half.  Her sister, Jessica Roque finished with seven points and seven rebounds.

Kenya Middlebrooks had a nice game for Youngstown State finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds. Only four of the eight Penguins who dressed scored a point.

Cleveland State must have felt like they were in a contest to see how many points they could win by. The Vikings hoisted three-pointers in five consecutive trips up the floor.  At least they stopped pressing with a 63-33 lead and 2:56 left in the game.  Hopefully, Coach Martin etches some mental notes about things like this so when she has a bench and options, she can return the favor of bullying a team.

After the game, Martin commented on the constant threes and pressure in the second half.  “I am not mad at all. It’s a part of the game for their coaches to have players play their game, which is pretty much layups and threes. If I were in that situation, I would want my team to work hard and try to improve, I don’t believe there was any intent to do anything outside of their normal gameplan.”

Youngstown State welcomes Wright State to Beeghly Center on Thursday as the first game of a doubleheader to be followed by the men.

Many ladies who have graced the Beeghly Center Court were on hand Saturday afternoon for a recognition ceremony held at halftime. The alumni also participated in a game before the YSU-Cleveland State contest.  Honorary coaches for the game were Matt Lipcsak and Ed DiGregorio.  “Coach D ” had the advantage because Lipcsak had about 319 less wins, but in an upset, the unheralded former uber manager pulled out the win in overtime.

Kelsey Gurganus, one of the alumni, commented on the turnout. “It was really cool to see some of the ladies I played with. It was also nice to meet some of the players that were integral in the success of building YSU basketball.”

Velissa Vaughn, who doubles as a MYTV Broadcaster for the women’s games, talked about the future of the program under Coach Martin. “Coach Martin will be fine. Once she recruits a few more players and gets back the players who were recruited for this year who are out, you are going to see a very different team.”

Anne-Marie Martin shared the sentiments of Vaughn. “It’s definitely a rebuilding year. With a new coach in her second year, she really hasn’t coached ‘her own’ team yet. She is doing a great job recruiting and maximizing what she has to work with. I have been to about four games this season and I will continue to follow.”

Even my pal, Matt Lipcsak was part of the honors. Matt was a manager who always did all he could for the benefit of the teams he was affiliated with. “I never played a single minute at Youngstown State, but I honestly did all I could to benefit the program in any way I could while I was here. I feel very privelaged that they consider me a part of the family.”

The alumni gathering and the current roster mingled after the game in the Beeghly Center’s Coaches Court. It was nice to see the current team, coaches and players, fraternizing with the alumni.  It has been a tough year and this is one of the nice things that the current Penguins will be able to take away as a positive memory.

Kelly Pavlik will get back in the ring on April 17th when he faces Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City.  The fight will be part of an HBO Boxing telecast and will serve as the main event.  Pavlik vowed after his last fight in December, a 5th round TKO over Miguel Espino,  to be more active in 2010 and has stayed busy to keep in good shape.

Sergio Martinez is no pushover.  Paul Williams can testify to that.  Martinez stunned Williams, knocking him down, but losing a controversial decision on December 5.  Jack Loew, Pavlik’s trainer, has even been quoted as saying that Martinez will be a tougher fight than Williams would have been.

The split-feed telecast by HBO will start in Quebec where past Pavlik opponent Edison Miranda takes on heavily-hyped IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.  Bute is one of many possibilities for Pavlik’s next fight should he win against Martinez.  The action then will shift to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall for the Pavlik-Martinez fight.

Other possibilities for Pavlik’s next fight are the always lingering Felix Sturm, Paul Williams (who should be mad at his handlers for running their mouths, he has nothing in the hopper as of this writing), Bute, or the winner of the Showtime Tournament. 

Pavlik is vacationing in California and will resume his pre-fight eight week training camp on Monday.  Loew has said that Pavlik may train in Florida for a few weeks to keep Kelly clear of pre-fight distractions.  Obviously, the Florida move would be favorable in the road work department.  Pavlik would have to run behind a snowplow and salt truck if he dares to enter Mill Creek Park for a jog.

 

Friday, The Curtis Carr Era was officially kicked into ‘go‘ mode.  Unfortunately for the Youngstown Phantoms, the opponent was the Western Conference leading Omaha Lancers.  The Lancers beat the Phantoms earlier in the week, 6-1, in Omaha.  Much had changed since that game.  Bob Mainhardt was out, Carr was in, and Troy Loney’s son was now a Phantom. 

All of the changes were not a factor as Youngstown dropped their sixth consecutive home game, 4-1.  Matt White had a pair of goals for the Lancers and Jeff Teglia turned away 24 of 25 Phantoms shots to garner the win between the pipes. 

Carr thought that Youngstown played better than they have in awhile.  “We had opportunities to win the game and that is all you can ask for.  I’m very happy with the effort of the guys and they battled until the end.”  In reality, a goal was taken away and a couple of bad breaks were the difference in a very hard-fought game.

Action was fast in the first period.  It seemed like most of the opening stanza was played between the blue lines near center ice.  Matt White, tied for the league lead in goals scored in the USHL coming in, missed a wide open net, but about three minutes later, at the 18:12 mark of the first period, White made up for it.  Erik Haula picked up the assist, his 38th of the season.  For White, it was goal 27 on the season.  At the end of one, the Lancers were ahead of the Phantoms 1-0.

Jiri Sekac appeared to tie the contest after a controversial goal chance at the 9:20 mark of the second period.  Sekac was just on the border of the goal crease and Lancer Goaltender Jeff Teglia was close to having possession of the puck when Sekac knocked it barely over the line.  The goal was not allowed after a five-minute delay and discussion as the referee, Boone Bruggman, ruled the play was dead before Sekac got the puck over the line.

Dan Senkbeil couldn’t handle a puck cleared to center with 4:56 left in the second period, and as a result White had his second goal of the game, a beautiful breakaway that beat Jordan Tibbett.  Seth Ambroz picked up the assist on White’s 28th of the season which put Omaha up 2-0.  The pair of goals by White broke a tie atop the USHL Goal Leaders with Green Bay’s Anders Lee and in all probability was enough to claim the top spot in that category.

Omaha’s Teglia opened the third period looking for his fourth shutout of the season having stymied the Phantoms to this point of the game.  With 11:42 left in the game, the former Pittsburgh Hornet, Dylan Margonari, collected his first Phantoms goal to cut the lead to 2-1, breaking up Teglia’s shutout bid.  Cody Strang got an assist on the goal.

A minute later, the Lancers reclaimed the two-goal lead and went up 3-1 when Tom Craig snuck a short drive past Tibbett off of a faceoff.  Camden Wojtala was credited with an assist.

With 6:03 left in the game, Omaha pushed their lead to 4-1 as Seth Ambroz’s wrist shot snuck in just under the crossbar.  Dakota Eveland and Greg Wolfe were given assists on the score, an even-strength tally.

The Phantoms (15-28-2) were outshot by the Lancers (31-12-3), 30-25.  The two teams will reset the scoeboard and face off again on Saturday.

Richard Yound Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming into 2-19 game vs Omaha:  149 penalty minutes (USHL leader).

After 2-19 game vs Omaha:  151 penalty minutes.

Richard Young barely played Friday night, but still managed to head to his Summer home for a couple of minutes.  Young picked up a two-minute minor for boarding in the second period.

Alex Zoldan announced on Tuesday that Coach Bob Mainhardt and the Youngstown Phantoms have parted ways.  The seperation seems to be mutual.  If the situation were an outright firing, the Phantoms surely would have selected someone other than Mainhardt’s right-hand guy for the past four years, Curt Carr, to replace him.  Further proof that Mainhardt was not hastily sent packing is the fact he will remain a consultant to the team.

“In a situation like this, you really learn who your true friends are.  I am grateful to have met so many hockey fans and to have had the opportunity to work with such a great bunch of people.  I am also thankful to the Zoldan family for allowing me the opportunity.  I would have hoped this had ended a little differently, it’s not what I envisioned”, said Mainhardt Thursday morning via telephone.

Having interviewed Mainhardt after every home game, I gained alot of respect for the way he conducted himself both on and off the ice.  There were no gimmicks or surprises, no bells and whistles, and the only mystery was what kind of entertaining quote he would furnish after a game.  I can only hope that he is well and he is to be commended for his efforts this season.

Things haven’t been right since this new decade started.  The Phantoms are 2-13-0 in the year of 2010.  No one is sure why things have gone so sour, so quickly.  Mainhardt was often quoted after a loss as saying, “There are still guys not buying into the system and doing their own things”.  Seems like Mainhardt may have grown tired of selling.

Phantoms President, Alex Zoldan, commented on the move Friday.  “I consider Bob [Mainhardt] a very good friend and I think he has a bright future in the hockey business.  Seven years with any organization is a long time and I think we needed a fresh start.  We’re still working together on some things and I have all the respect in the world for Bob.”

Curt Carr, the former Director of Player Development, has been named the new coach on an interim basis.  Carr is plenty capable and surely has mixed emotions about the opportunity.  The Phantoms have 16 games remaining on the schedule and have pretty much been eliminated from thoughts of a postseason.

Good luck to Coach Carr in his new role!  Big thanks to Bob Mainhardt for being a good guy and a person some people could learn a thing or two from about life.

Shovel snow, watch Olympics…   Shovel more snow, watch more Olympics…   Salt driveway, watch Olympics…   Eat dinner while watching Olympics…  Watch Olympics.

The best part about the upcoming Winter Olympic Games from Vancouver is that they are constantly going to be on television.  I am not a curling fan, but I watch it during the Olympics.  It is a great event to promote a little national spirit.  Root for the home team, and watch the Olympics.

Here are some stories from other great sites…

Sports Untapped has the dirt on Tim Lincecum’s new contract.

 Josh Q Public has a nice piece on Nate Robinson, the little green dunk machine.

7th Inning Stache has a Frank Thomas tribute video that was too hot for Canada as the Big Hurt has announced formally he is retired.

 No Guts, No Glory has eight burning questions for NBA All-Star Weekend.

Global Sports Fraternity presents Tony Dorsett hosting Masterpiece Theatre.

 

Youngstown State University had a choice to make going into their contest with Valparaiso.  They could either sulk after a loss to Butler or they could respond positively for hanging with the #15 team in the country.  The Penguins chose to respond positively and played hard but lost 77-75 to Valpo.  The Crusaders have owned the Penguins and have not lost to a Youngstown team since 2000.

The loss left Coach Jerry Slocum searching for answers.  “I thought it was a great basketball game and that our kids played well.  You’re not going to have 16 turnovers and win basketball games.  The hurtful thing about it is that I thought our kids played hard this week.  They gave all they had against Butler and again tonight.  It hurts me as a coach to see that kind of effort and to come up empty.”

Early on, it was the Vytas Sulskis show.  Sulskis was 3-4 from three-point land and had 11 points in the first ten minutes.  The 6’7″ Lithuanian put YSU ahead of Valpo 19-12 with 7:33 left in the first half.  The 12 points for the Crusaders had to be disturbing as they were leading the conference in scoring with almost 73 points per game.

Brandon Wood nailed a three to give Valpo a 23-19 lead as the Penguins went cold after their blazing start.  A Sulskis jumper just inside the foul line and a DeAndre Mays bucket tied the game at 23-23 with 3:15 remaining in the half.  Cory Johnson tied things back up at 27 apiece when he hit a layup and was fouled.

At the half, Youngstown State trailed Valpo 30-28. Sulskis had 13 first-half points for the Penguins, but was hampered with three fouls which may have cut in on his minutes.  Valpo was paced by Brandon Wood’s 12 points.

With 15:35 left in the second half, the Crusaders got a basket from Cory Johnson and YSU answered when Eddie D’Haiti ran the lane and delivered a crowd-pleasing two-handed dunk. Valpo held a 42-40 lead when Ashen Ward hit a two from just inside the arc to vault YSU into a tie. The Penguins would take the lead, 44-42, at the 13:21 mark when D’Haiti first kept a possession alive with an offensive rebound and then hit a pair of free throws, the first two attempted by the Penguins in the contest.

Mays hit a baseline jumper with 9:32 left to give YSU a 53-51 lead. However, on YSU’s next possession, Mays was swatted by Matt Kenney who took the ball three-quarters of the court for a layup. At the 7:37 mark, Valpo held a one-point lead at 56-55.

Wood put Valpo up 62-57 with a three.  Valpo, to this point, was shooting a blistering 9-15 from three-point land.  Kelvin Bright tied the game with his second dunk of the game.  With 4:45 left both teams had 62 points.

Sulskis was in a different zone on this night, he topped his season-high with 24 points and tied his yearly high with nine rebounds.  Matt Kenney had a dunk with 35 seconds left in the game to give Valpo a 73-72 lead.  Kenney was then intentionally fouled and hit both charity tosses to put Valpo up 75-72.

Mays was fouled on YSU’s next trip up the court and he hit one of two to cut the Crusader margin to just two points at 75-73.  Kenney was fouled on the rebound of Mays missed free throw where he promptly connected on both attempts making it a two-possession game at 77-73.

Bright was fouled with five seconds left and hit both his his free throws to cut the lead to two points at 77-75.  After a quick foul, YSU grabbed a rebound but Sulskis had to heave a half-court prayer that didn’t get close and Valpo held on for an exciting 77-75 win.

Valparaiso (14-14, 9-7) got 22 points from Brandon Wood.  Youngstown State (8-17, 2-13) got 24 from Sulskis and DeAndre Mays had a career high with ten assists.

Valpo Coach Homer Drew was full of praise to Youngstown State after the game.  “Jerry [Slocum] has these kids playing hard.  We knew they were going to play hard against us.  I was also proud of our guys to hang in there.  What a game, we’re up, they’re up, we’re up.  Not having any turnovers in the second half and hitting 10 of 18 threes were the difference.  Credit Youngstown, they have been in alot of games and it comes down to one shot here or there either way.”

YSU next heads to Milwaukee for a Monday 7:00 game.  Catch the action on AM-570 with Robb Schmidt bringing the call.

Sirlester Martin was the glue of the Youngstown State Basketball Team last season.  This year he has help, a team full of guys still trying to win games.  With the upcoming BracketBusters game on Fenruary 20th, nobody has to remind Martin that if this team can catch fire and play a stretch of complete games, that the sky is still the limit.  Martin stands at 6’7″ and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and has been the most consistent rebounder the Penguins have had through the last couple of seasons.  I recently sat down with Martin and discussed everything from Coach Slocum being on Survivor to X-Box to academic standing.

Paneech:  What is it going to take for you guys to make some noise in your conference tournament?

Martin:  We have to be tough and stay disciplined on defense.  We have to box out and do all of the small things all the time. 

Paneech:  You recently had a game on ESPNU.  People came out of the woodwork to see.  How much of that do you guys really take in?

Martin:  Well, what we do when we go into any game is not focus on the fans.  We just try to motivate each other and keep one another going.  The bench has to have life, everyone has to stand up and be clapping.  We use the extra energy from the bench to keep our guys going.  We don’t focus on the stands or who is watching us. 

Paneech:  So when there is a packed house chanting “De-Fense“, you can’t hear it?

Martin:  I mean, you can hear it, but you kind of block it out because you are focused. 

Paneech:  Comment on Coach Slocum.  He is an emotional guy.  Could you see him on a reality show like Survivor?

Martin:  Coach Slocum is a real interesting guy.  I have played for many coaches and he [Slocum] definitely has his own way of doing things.  He does have alot of passion for the game, but I think we all do.  As far as seeing him in another role, he thinks he is pretty funny.  I could see him doing some stand-up comedy or something like that.  Maybe doing a radio show where he can open up.

Paneech:  How did you get to Youngstown State, and what other options were available to you?

Martin:  I came out of Walters State Community College in East Tennessee.  I played two years there.  My freshman year, I played pretty well and in my sophomore season, we went to the nationals and finished the season 32-3.  Coach Mike [Wernicki] came up and seen me.  I was recruited but had a problem with some hours that Summer that I had to get finished.  Some schools would not wait around, but Youngstown State stood behind me and waited on me. 

Paneech:  How has the education been at Youngstown State?

Martin:  It has gone pretty well.  I asked around when I got here about different things to do as far as declaring my major.  I took general studies for the first couple of years.  I am leaning towards social work when I graduate.  I would like to work with juveniles and help straighten their lives out.  I came from an atmosphere that was tough, so I feel I can relate to what they are going through.  The classes at Youngstown State are challenging, and I love this school.

Paneech:  Do you watch any other sports, or just basketball?

Martin:  I used to watch alot of football, I was a wide receiver in high school.  Mostly though, I watch the Cavs.  They might be able to make a run, but it’s gonna be tough without Delonte [West] and Mo [Williams].  Shaq could turn out to be ok for them, but anything can happen.

Paneech:  Walk me through a day from start to finish.

Martin:  I wake up, go to my 8 o’clock class,  then I come here [Beeghly Center] and head up to the coaches office.  I do some studying or watch some film until my next class starts at ten.  Usually, I will come back to Beeghly, work out, and get to take some shots before practice.  Go through practice, shower, and then head home.  Depending on the day or the way I feel, I will stay and get more work done and then go home.  Once I get home, eat something, and then just watch some TV or play a video game.  After that, I relax and talk on the phone.  I usually call it a day around 11:30.

One Word Answers:

Favorite Fast Food:  McDonalds.

Favorite Drink:  Snapple Juice.

Biggest Phobia: Snakes.

Worst Habit:  Procrastinating.

Favorite Video Game:  Street Fighter and UFC

Best Show On TV:  The Game and Rayjay.

Best Movie Ever Made:  Waist Deep.

Favorite Cereal:  Lucky Charms.

Favorite Candy:  Gummy Bears.

Favorite Toy As A Child:  My wrestling men.  Hulk Hogan, Sting.

Best Class Taken at YSU:  Psychology.

 

Youngstown State University had to play with nothing left to lose.  After all, the Penguins dropped the first meeting 91-61 on January 16 and wanted to pick up some steam heading into Bracketbusters on Feb. 20.  Surely a win, or at least a good showing against #15 Butler shoud help compile confidence.

Half of the battle was won, as the Penguins made a respectable showing against the powerful Bulldogs ultimately falling 68-57.  Butler (22-4, 15-0) clinched the Horizon League Championship with the win and is very capable of advancing a few rounds in the NCAA Tournament come March. 

With 12:44 left in the first half, Butler raced out to a 16-8 lead, but Ashen Ward gathered in a long deflection and hit a cutting DeAndre Mays for a pair to cut the early Bulldog lead to six points. 

The Penguins cut the lead to one point at the 8:05 mark on a Kelvin Bright three-pointer.  Youngstown State was playing a great game defensively in the early going.  With Butler ahead 18-17, Mays nailed a three to give YSU their first lead of the game.  Vytas Sulskis hit another to put YSU up 23-18 as the large Beeghly Center crowd got loud.

The Penguins extended their lead to seven with 4:17 left in the first half when Mays hit a layup for his twelfth point of the half.  It was the first half that no one would have expected and the lead grew to eight.  Unfortunately for Youngstown State, things started unraveling and Butler used a blast of offense to take a halftime lead and had an 11-2 run to put themselves a point in front of Youngstown State at 31-30.

Butler took advantage of shoddy YSU ball control to start the second half.  Over the first seven minutes, the Penguins turned the ball over five times.  Coach Jerry Slocum commented on the poor second half start.  “We had five turnovers in our first six possessions in the second half.  This game was lost during those first seven minutes of the second half.  You can’t keep a good team like that down too long when you have that many empty possessions.  Another turning point in the game was when [Matt] Howard got his fourth foul and they want one big and four small, we did not match up well at that point.”

Butler was paced by Gordon Hayward (pictured) who finished the contest with 22 points and 17 rebounds, more than half of his team total of 31.  The 6’9″ Sophomore Guard was 8-9 from the free throw line and played a very well-rounded 36 minutes.  Zach Hahn seemed to keep the Penguins at bay down the stretch as his eight points all came at crucial times.

Butler Coach Brad Stevens was happy to escape with the win.  “This time of the year you just try to take a win, get better, and move on.  The guards and players for YSU scare every coach in this conference because when they get it going, they are really hard to stop.  They played a great game and it is a big road win for us.”

Butler heads to Cleveland State next for a Saturday matchup where they have had fits.  Youngstown State (8-16, 2-12) hosts Valparaiso Saturday night.