Phantoms' Holstrom Named Reebok Offensive Player of Week

By Matt Gajtka

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (October 12, 2009) – With the team on the road this past weekend and missing four forwards due to illness, the door was open for second-year USHL center Taylor Holstrom to step into the void and take an enhanced leadership role.

Consider that door kicked down.

The United States Hockey League announced Monday that Holstrom was named Reebok Offensive Player of the Week after his significant contributions to the Phantoms’ two-win trek to Des Moines and Chicago. The former Omaha Lancer registered one goal and four assists over the course of the weekend to accompany a plus-three rating.

“I haven’t won anything like this at this level before,” Holstrom said upon learning of the recognition. “Obviously since I only scored one goal I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the guys on the ice with me.”

Holstrom made sure to emphasize that a team effort is what brought Youngstown its first two regular season wins, something Head Coach/General Manager Bob Mainhardt didn’t quibble with.

“With four guys out who we depend on for scoring, it says a lot about the guys who were in the lineup that we were able [to score 10 goals this weekend],” said Mainhardt. “Taylor has played really well for us so far and this weekend it certainly paid off statistically for him.”

“We have the caliber of player that we expect this won’t be the last time one of our guys wins something like this.”

Holstrom neatly separated his four helpers into groups of two. At Des Moines Saturday he set up Andrew Lamont’s first USHL goal in the first period and Jefferson Dahl’s shorthanded game-winning tally. Sunday’s effort in Chicago included the primary assist on defenseman Scott Mayfield’s power-play marker and Nick Czinder’s late insurance goal, both of which were their first career Tier I red lights as well.

Although Holstrom downplayed his lone goal, it occurred at a pivotal moment in the Phantoms’ 5-3 Sunday win over the East Division-leading Steel. With Youngstown trailing 3-2 midway through the third period, Holstrom intercepted an errant pass in front of the Chicago goal, creating a true one-on-one situation with Steel goalie Connor Wilson.

Waiting for Wilson to commit first, Holstrom calmly deked to his backhand and hoisted the puck into the yawning cage over the fallen Chicago netminder to tie the game. Brett Gensler and Czinder soon followed with goals of their own to provide the final margin of victory.

“Lamont did his job behind the net and forced a bad pass,” Holstrom said. “Playing in this league before made me comfortable enough to know I had the time to be patient and finish.”

Finishing is precisely what the Phantoms did well to improve their record to 2-1-0 and move two points behind Chicago and Cedar Rapids for first place in the East. Whether it be locking down defensively at the end of the triumph in Des Moines or surging for a quick trio of goals to put away Chicago, the Phantoms have started to put themselves in the position to get results.
“The team played well all weekend,” Holstrom said. “Everyone started buying into how the coaches want us to play.”