SHANNON, PA (Thursday, February 26th, 2009) – The Youngstown State University men’s hockey team is off to the Ice Castle in Shannon, PA, this weekend for the College Hockey Mid-America league playoffs.

The Penguins have ridden a hot streak into the postseason, winning four of their last six regular season contests including wins over #14 Michigan-Dearborn and CHMA league rivals John Carroll and IUP.

YSU opened its tear with a 4-3 shootout victory over John Carroll; Michael Stokar buried the game-winner in the decisive shootout, picking up two big points in the league standings at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, OH.

Matthew Jacob turned aside 34 Blue Streak shots in net for the Penguins.

Penguins head coach Rocky Russo said that the goaltending of Jacob and fellow keeper Adam Chudnofsky have been the cornerstone of YSU’s run to the playoffs.

“I can’t say enough about Matt and Adam,” said Russo. “Both have been stellar in net, and Matt has also contributed as a forward with a goal and an assist in three games.”

The Pens followed up the shootout victory with a 5-2 thumping of Mercyhurst at the Ice Zone in Boardman. Sophomore forward Naaman Moorman tallied a hat trick while former high school teammates Stokar and Zak Kusek added in a goal each as YSU rolled to its 15th win of the season.

Stokar and Kusek played together at Parma’s Padua Franciscan High School.

The Penguins continued their roll with a 3-2 home triumph over IUP. Kevin Pawlos played the hero for Youngstown State in the game, posting the game-winner in the shootout to give the Pens their sixth win in division play.

Russo said that Pawlos and the rest of YSU’s defensemen are doing the little things to spur the Pens’ into postseason play.

“Our defensive corps of Pawlos, Michael Kestas, Alex Arnold and Jeremy Ragone have been fantastic,” said the fourth-year bench boss. “They are making simple plays and consistently getting the puck out of the defensive zone.”

Youngstown State saw their three-game win streak end with a 14-6 home loss to 14th-ranked Michigan-Dearborn, but the Penguins bounced back the next night with a 3-2 win over the Wolves.

Jacob turned aside 39 UM-D shots while Pawlos, Bob Walla and Cody Parker tallied goals for the Pens in the win.
“The guys showed an incredible amount of composure against Dearborn,” said Russo. “To lose the way we did in the Friday game and come back the next night and win was really quite impressive.”

YSU suffered a 2-1 setback at the hands of Washington & Jefferson to close the season, but still finished 6-7-1 in the CHMA, giving them 13 points and the #6 seed for the CHMA playoffs. The Penguins edged out Slippery Rock (5-7-0) for the final spot in the postseason.

Youngstown State opens the playoffs against IUP at the Ice Palace on Friday at 6:00 PM. The Penguins are 1-1 against the Crimson Hawks this season.

The Youngstown State University Men’s Hockey Club is sponsored by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

BOARDMAN, OH (Tuesday, February 10th, 2009) – The first session of the Ice Zone’s Learn-To-Play hockey series is now underway in Boardman with bigger numbers than ever thanks to some help from Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The big turnout is thanks to Sidney Crosby’s “Little Penguins Learn to Play” program, which donated 30 full sets of hockey equipment to the Ice Zone’s Learn-To-Play.

Mahoning Valley Phantoms Director of Youth Hockey Rocky Russo says that the Little Penguins initiative drove interest in the Ice Zone’s classes through the roof.

“When we announced that the Penguins were giving away free sets of equipment for Learn-To-Play, the first 30 spots in our February session filled up in four days,” says Russo. “Since then our numbers have ballooned up to 56, which is an all-time high for us.”

Earlier this month, Crosby and the Penguins kicked off the program in conjunction with Reebok Hockey and Dick’s Sporting Goods. In the program, the Pens donate full sets of hockey equipment to youth programs across Western Pennsylvania and the Valley.

The idea of the program is to lower one of the biggest barriers to entry, the cost of hockey equipment.

Russo says that the sometimes-prohibitive cost of equipment can lead to apprehension on the part of prospective hockey parents.

“A full set of hockey equipment can cost up to seven and eight hundred dollars,” says Russo, “and with a cost that high, it can cause some parents to hold off because they’re afraid they’ll spend almost a thousand dollars on gear and two weeks later the kids will just stop playing.

“The Little Penguins program helps put those parents at ease and gets these kids out on the ice.”

Though the Ice Zone’s class has already given away all 30 sets of equipment donated by the Penguins, the program is still offering a free pair of skates—at a $60 value—to everyone who signs up.

The class is taught by Mahoning Valley Phantoms coaches and players and coaches from the Phantoms’ youth program. It is still open to new students with a pro-rated fee.

Learn-To-Play is open to ages 4-10 and classes meet every Monday at the Ice Zone from 5:45 PM to 6:45 PM. Call (330) 965-1423 for more information.

The Mahoning Valley Phantoms and the Ice Zone are owned by the B.J Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

BOARDMAN, OH – When Youngstown State University hockey player Michael Poljak scored with 2:36 left in the second period of the Penguins’ 7-2 win over Toledo on Saturday, it didn’t just give YSU a 4-0 lead over the visiting Rockets: it gave the junior his 100th career point as a Penguin.

He finished the game with a goal and three assists, giving him 101 points in just 45 games played at YSU. Penguins Head Coach Rocky Russo says Poljak’s incredible knack for being able to make plays is why he’s been able to hit the century mark in so few games played.

“Mike's offensive abilities are remarkable,” says Russo. “He makes everyone on the ice better when he is out there. It is no surprise that he has reached the 100 point mark so quickly.”

Poljak came to the Youngstown State program in its inaugural season of 2006-2007, and immediately made his mark in the ACHA, scoring 37 goals and 37 assists; good for fifth in all of Division I. The ACHA named him the Division I Rookie of the Year for his efforts.

After being spending the 2007-2008 season redshirted due to injury, Poljak returned to the ice this season and picked up right where he left off two years ago, rattling off 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in just 13 games so far this year to put him at his current career mark of 101.

In addition to the Youngstown State all-time scoring mark, Poljak also holds the club’s record for points in a game, registering nine points against those same Toledo Rockets on December 3rd, 2006. In his career, Poljak has earned 2006 College Hockey Mid-America conference’s Player of the Year honors and was also named first-team All-CHMA for the 2006-2007 season.

Poljak and the #23 Penguins return to action on Friday when they travel to Bensenville, IL, to tangle with the #18 Robert Morris College Eagles in a two-game non-conference series.

The Youngstown State University Men’s Hockey Club is sponsored by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

UNION LAKE, MI (Saturday, October 25, 2008) – The Youngstown State Men’s Hockey team is nationally ranked for the first time in the program’s three-year history.

Hot on the heels of three straight upsets of nationally ranked opponents to open conference play in the CHMA, the Penguins have vaulted to #23 in the ACHA coaches’ poll. In their conference opener, the Penguins knocked off then-24th ranked Pitt 5-3 and followed that win with a 7-6 triumph over #21 Slippery Rock.

The Penguins’ most recent victory, a 5-3 win over #15 West Virginia, is the one that propelled YSU to their first ever national ranking.

Youngstown State Head Coach Rocky Russo is excited by the ranking but doesn’t want his team to let it go to their heads.

“Being nationally ranked is an honor that we take very seriously,” says Russo. “The top 16 teams in the country make the National Tournament, so this is just the start of our journey.

“You are only as good as your last game, though, so we need to continue to get the job done night in and night out."

The #23 Penguins are one of four CHMA teams appearing in Friday’s rankings: West Virginia tumbled to #15, Washington & Jefferson improved to #20 and Slippery Rock dropped to #21.

YSU continues their conference schedule on Sunday when they host unranked John Carroll at 1:00 PM at the Ice Zone in Boardman.

The Youngstown State Men’s Hockey Club is sponsored by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Youngstown State University hockey team took the Ice against the #13 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers last Friday in a huge College Hockey Mid-America matchup. The Penguins (6-1-1, 2-0) were riding high from last weekends sweep of #24 Pittsburgh and #16 Slippery Rock and were looking to go to 3-0 in the league. WVU (4-3-1) was coming off a 2-0-1 showing at the ACHA showcase and looking to reestablish their dominance in the CHMA.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when YSU defenseman David Moore turned the puck over and Mountaineer forward Kenny Lehmann scored on a shorthanded breakaway. However Moore quickly made up for his mistake by finding Mike Poljak on the backdoor for a powerplay goal at the 5:49 mark of the first period. The Penguins outscored the Mountaineers 2-1 in the second period as the Penguins received goals from Michael Stokar and Captain Zak Kusek. Poljak assisted on both tallies and Naaman Moorman added a helper on the Stokar goal. Both Goals were scored on the powerplay.
The 3rd period saw the Penguins add two more powerplay goals. Stokar struck at the 17:28 mark of the period, on assists from Poljak and Kusek. Less than a minute later Stokar buried his 3rd goal of the game for the hat trick. Once again Poljak assisted on the powerplay goal. Freshman Defenseman Alex Arnold added the second helper. The Mountaineers scored late in the period to pull within 2 goals but could not come any closer as the Penguins claimed a 5-3 victory over the reigning CHMA champions.
The boys continue to battle each and every night” said Head Coach Rocky Russo. “Hopefully we can carry the momentum of the night into next weekends games” The Penguins face off against Duquesne University and John Carroll University next weekend at the Ice Zone. Gary Biggs stopped 21-24 shots to earn his 3rd victory of the season.