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With More Fans, Ice Zone Looks to Expand Hockey Seating"
By Dan O'BrienInterest in the Youngstown Phantoms hockey team is on the rise, and so are the number of seats planned for future games and events at the Ice Zone in Boardman, says the team's spokesman.Bob Hartman, director of advertising and marketing for the Ice Zone and B.J. Alan Co., Youngstown, reports the facility plans to increase the 684 seats at its hockey rink to 1,500 this season. "It's starting to catch on and the team is really beginning to build a fan base," he says.The Ice Zone was built six years ago by Bruce Zoldan, president of B.J. Alan, and two other partners as a year-round recreational venue for skaters of all ages and abilities. The complex offers two rinks, an Olympic-sized rink for figure skating and instruction, and a hockey rink designed for games and other special spectator events.Zoldan was also a driving force behind the initial effort to construct a convocation center in downtown Youngstown as a venue for a minor league hockey team. Once the project became embroiled in politics, however, he backed out. Work on the convocation center is under way, and recently local restaurateur Herb Washington was named the new owner of the new minor league franchise set to play there.Still, Zoldan went forward and three years ago formed the Phantom Rockets as a minor league team, then re-vamped the team and joined the North American Hockey League as the Youngstown Phantoms in the summer of 2003."This is our second season and we're doing real well," reports Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt. The NAHL is an amateur league born in the mid- 1970s that recruits players the ages 16 to 20. The NAHL is considered an Olympic development league because all players are eligible to try out for the Olympic National team. Another objective is giving team members a chance to demonstrate their abilities before college or professional recruiters, possibly allowing players to advance to a Division I college squad. If they're good enough, the next step would be the National Hockey League.Three players from last year's team are playing at Division I schools, Mainhardt reports, and he expects the first Phantoms alumnus to reach the NHL within two or three years. An average Phantoms game at the Ice Zone attracts about 500 spectators, he notes.The Phantoms play a 56-game schedule that runs from October though March. All 25 members of the team were recruited outside the Valley and from areas where hockey is a popular draw. Players on the team this year hail from such cities as Anchorage, Alaska; Chicago; Gross Pointe, Mich.; Mokena, Ill; and Grand Island, N.Y. "We acquire players through a draft, free agency and trades, just like the pros," he elaborates.So they cam maintain their amateur status, players are not paid, Mainhardt relates. However, the team picks up most of their expenses. Instead of hotels, players stay in the homes of area residents who act as host families.In all, 19 teams constitute the North, South and West divisions of the NAHL. Those in the North division include the Cleveland Barons and the Toledo Ice Diggers. From Jan. 14 through 17, the Ice Zone will host a showcase where six teams from the league will play a round robin tournament of 30 games. "Fans can see over 120 hockey players and it's an excellent opportunity for professional and college scouts," he says.Mainhardt, born and reared in Detroit, played Division I hockey for Kent State University before coaching men's hockey at Gilmore Academy, a college preparatory school in suburban Cleveland. He joined the Phantoms as their head coach last year.Going into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the team had posted 11 wins and six losses, and boasted an undefeated record at home before dropping a match Nov. 20 in overtime against the NAHL's USA Hockey team, generally regarded as the best in the league."It's now to the point where you see more and more people getting involved in the sport" in this area, Mainhardt states. This, he explains, is evidenced by the number of local high schools that support an ice hockey program. Canfield, Boardman, Poland and a combined team representing students from Ursuline and Mooney high schools all have fielded an ice hockey team over the last several years. All home games are played at the Ice Zone. "It gives these kids an opportunity to learn another sport and another option to pursue," Mainhardt says. "The sport is headed in the right direction."Aside from hockey, young people interested in skating are also encouraged to enroll in the Ice Zone's education and training programs, says Maria Koman, skate director. The programs run throughout the year and are open to skaters of all skill levels. "A lot of our advanced students train for competition here," Koman relates. These skaters can advance through the U.S. Figure Skating Institute series through regional, sectional and national competition. Once a skater places nationally, then the next step is the U.S. Olympic team. Skaters can also compete at different skill levels within the programs, Koman notes. All the instructors at the Ice Zone, for example, have tested for and received gold medals in figure skating.When Koman arrived in Boardman from Meadville, Pa., she found that the club dangerously close to losing its designation as a national training organization because of low membership. "Today, we have about 85 members," she says. To maintain its competitive status, the club needs at least 25 members. "It's really grown," she adds.Initially, Koman says, she brought several students from the Meadville area to train in Boardman. Within two years, one went on to compete in the nationals. Another student, who began skating at an early age and trained at the Ice Zone, is touring as a professional as part of the Disney on Ice Finding Nemo production, Koman says proudly. "This year, we had a local skater qualify for regional competition," she boasts.That skater, Koman elaborates, began with the Ice Zone's Learn to Skate program, an introductory level program aimed at younger children. Each year, the talents of local skaters are showcased in the Ice Zone's holiday and spring programs, Koman says. This year, the program's Holiday on Ice, set for Dec. 19 and 20, show will feature 80 to 90 local skaters in various solo, synchronized and youth performances. "It's a great sport," Koman comments. "This is a lifelong activity."Contact Dan O'Brien at [email protected]"