Youngstown Phantoms sweep the Fargo Force to win first-ever Clark Cup
Staff photo / Brian Yauger Youngstown Phantoms captain Shane Lachance lifts the Clark Cup trophy after the Phantoms defeated the Fargo Force 1-0 in Game 3 of the Clark Cup finals Friday Night at the Covelli Centre.
YOUNGSTOWN — The rafters in the Covelli Centre will have a new banner come next fall because the Youngstown Phantoms are Clark Cup Champions.
In a game where goals came at a premium, it was the team in purple and white that did it. The Phantoms took down Fargo 1-0 in a 3-0 series sweep.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” first-year Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “When you get to players that come to the rink every day and just are so bought in and they want to work so hard to have success, I mean it’s just an unbelievable feeling. These guys deserve a night like tonight, that they can relive forever and remember this.”
It was a hotly contested first period with scrums in the corner after nearly every whistle. While neither team could push a puck past the goaltender, the Phantoms held a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
The second period held more of the same goal luck, with neither team hitting the back of the net. William Whitelaw had a Grade-A chance to break the deadlock, but Fargo’s Slovakian netminder, Matej Marinov stalled another Phantom opportunity.
Just 24 seconds into the final frame however, the Phantoms changed things.
Forward Andon Cerbone continued his playoff masterclass, sneaking one past Marinov on a tipped puck to put Youngstown up a goal.
“There’s a reason why we brought him here,” Ward said. “We targeted him from day one when we got this job and he just was our type of player. He’s unbelievable in big time moments. He’s been through it before and his experience is invaluable. He’s unflappable on the bench. Just an unreal kid.
The Quinnipiac commit went on a tear in the postseason, scoring five goals, four assists, and averaged a point-per-game.
A mid-season trade, Cerbone came in and adapted quickly
“Coach Ward did a really good job taking me in and the guys in the locker room are incredible, so they welcomed me with open arms,” Cerbone said. “I knew it was a good fit right away and we kind of just took off from there.”
Goaltender Jacob Fowler continued to prove why he was named the USHL’s Goaltender of the Year, pitching an elimination game shutout with 22 saves and won the Clark Cup Playoffs Most Outstanding Player award.
As the seconds ticked down, it was hard not to get excited.
“That clock is winding down, you don’t want to think too far ahead, but as soon as that puck got out and there were three seconds left, you couldn’t help but just chuck everything in sight and just hug your teammates.”
Fowler is a highly-rated draft prospect for this upcoming NHL Draft, and it’s easy to see why. He faced a high-powered Fargo offense filled with some of the league’s top players and held them to just two goals in the three-game series.
“I don’t think words can describe it, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Fowler said. “All that you went through since August and to finally have this day come, it’s unbelievable and to get the job done, it’s pretty much perfect.”
The Phantoms finished the postseason with just one loss, losing a game to Chicago in the Eastern Conference Finals.
From a first-round elimination last season to champions.
Ward took the job just over a year ago, and talked about bringing a banner to the Covelli Centre from day one. He achieved his goal.
From the top of the organization on down, everyone bought into that vision and it paid off.
“It’s just a lot of hard work. I have the best coaching staff, the best group of players, our ownership, our management, Jason (Deskins) and Ryan (Kosecki) and everyone just buying into one individual goal. It’s amazing,” Ward said. “I don’t think we were the most skilled or talented team but there was not a team that was ever going to out-work us, out-compete us and when you’ve got a group of players that are completely bought into what you’re doing, it makes it a lot easier. Having people with one linear vision, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
If just for one night, the center of the hockey universe was in Youngstown, Ohio.
Youngstown Phantoms sweep the Fargo Force to win first-ever Clark Cup
Staff photo / Brian Yauger Youngstown Phantoms captain Shane Lachance lifts the Clark Cup trophy after the Phantoms defeated the Fargo Force 1-0 in Game 3 of the Clark Cup finals Friday Night at the Covelli Centre.
YOUNGSTOWN — The rafters in the Covelli Centre will have a new banner come next fall because the Youngstown Phantoms are Clark Cup Champions.
In a game where goals came at a premium, it was the team in purple and white that did it. The Phantoms took down Fargo 1-0 in a 3-0 series sweep.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” first-year Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “When you get to players that come to the rink every day and just are so bought in and they want to work so hard to have success, I mean it’s just an unbelievable feeling. These guys deserve a night like tonight, that they can relive forever and remember this.”
It was a hotly contested first period with scrums in the corner after nearly every whistle. While neither team could push a puck past the goaltender, the Phantoms held a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
The second period held more of the same goal luck, with neither team hitting the back of the net. William Whitelaw had a Grade-A chance to break the deadlock, but Fargo’s Slovakian netminder, Matej Marinov stalled another Phantom opportunity.
Just 24 seconds into the final frame however, the Phantoms changed things.
Forward Andon Cerbone continued his playoff masterclass, sneaking one past Marinov on a tipped puck to put Youngstown up a goal.
“There’s a reason why we brought him here,” Ward said. “We targeted him from day one when we got this job and he just was our type of player. He’s unbelievable in big time moments. He’s been through it before and his experience is invaluable. He’s unflappable on the bench. Just an unreal kid.
The Quinnipiac commit went on a tear in the postseason, scoring five goals, four assists, and averaged a point-per-game.
A mid-season trade, Cerbone came in and adapted quickly
“Coach Ward did a really good job taking me in and the guys in the locker room are incredible, so they welcomed me with open arms,” Cerbone said. “I knew it was a good fit right away and we kind of just took off from there.”
Goaltender Jacob Fowler continued to prove why he was named the USHL’s Goaltender of the Year, pitching an elimination game shutout with 22 saves and won the Clark Cup Playoffs Most Outstanding Player award.
As the seconds ticked down, it was hard not to get excited.
“That clock is winding down, you don’t want to think too far ahead, but as soon as that puck got out and there were three seconds left, you couldn’t help but just chuck everything in sight and just hug your teammates.”
Fowler is a highly-rated draft prospect for this upcoming NHL Draft, and it’s easy to see why. He faced a high-powered Fargo offense filled with some of the league’s top players and held them to just two goals in the three-game series.
“I don’t think words can describe it, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Fowler said. “All that you went through since August and to finally have this day come, it’s unbelievable and to get the job done, it’s pretty much perfect.”
The Phantoms finished the postseason with just one loss, losing a game to Chicago in the Eastern Conference Finals.
From a first-round elimination last season to champions.
Ward took the job just over a year ago, and talked about bringing a banner to the Covelli Centre from day one. He achieved his goal.
From the top of the organization on down, everyone bought into that vision and it paid off.
“It’s just a lot of hard work. I have the best coaching staff, the best group of players, our ownership, our management, Jason (Deskins) and Ryan (Kosecki) and everyone just buying into one individual goal. It’s amazing,” Ward said. “I don’t think we were the most skilled or talented team but there was not a team that was ever going to out-work us, out-compete us and when you’ve got a group of players that are completely bought into what you’re doing, it makes it a lot easier. Having people with one linear vision, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
If just for one night, the center of the hockey universe was in Youngstown, Ohio.
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