MASON CITY, IA -- The Mahoning Valley Phantoms' 2008-2009 campaign came to a close Saturday when the Wenatchee Wild rallied for a 3-2 win over the Bismarck Bobcats at North Iowa Ice Arena, sending the Wild (3-1-0, 6 pts) past the Phantoms (2-1-1, 5 pts) for the final spot in Sunday's Robertson Cup championship game to face the two-time defending St. Louis Bandits.
The Phantoms finish the 2008-2009 season with an overall record of 44-21-7, including a 36-17-5 regular season record and an 8-4-2 postseason mark. In qualifying for their fourth straight national tournament, the Phantoms won their second ever North Division playoff championship and became the first team in modern NAHL history to win a decisive Game Five on the road.
Stefan Salituro was Mahoning Valley's leading scorer in both the regular season (14-34-48) and the playoffs (4-7-11).
The Phantoms also made a strong showing in the North American Hockey League's annual awards, securing six postseason honors: Brandon Saad was named NAHL Rookie of the Year; Johnny Meo received the NAHL Community Service Award; Saad was named an All-NAHL forward; Saad was named first-team All-Rookie; Saad and Cullen Lundholm were both named first team All-North Division.
The team also secured 11 college commitments for its players this season: Grant Blakey (Mercyhurst), Cole Schneider (Connecticut), Jordy Trottier (Bentley), Salituro (Robert Morris), Cullen Lundholm (Robert Morris), Carl Nielsen (Michigan Tech), Nick Kenney (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), Christian Long (Colgate), Alex Lippincott (Ohio State), Brad Smith (Ohio State) and Michael Gunn (Michigan State).
The Mahoning Valley Phantoms organization would like to thank all of its fans, sponsors, host families and gameday volunteers for a terrific 2008-2009 season; your support has been integral all season long, as it will be in the future as Phantoms Hockey grows the future of our sport here in our Valley.
The Mahoning Valley Phantoms are owned by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.