This is the time of year during which various media outlets present annual "Best Of" lists that attempt to place the occurances of the past year into context. For the record, I'm a huge fan of those - I spent two hours last night watching the Fuse channel's Top 40 Videos of 2009 - and as a direct result I have a list for you, the faithful Phantoms fan.

Submitted for your approval: the Best Highlights of the Youngstown Phantoms' Just-Completed Pre-Holiday Four-Game Road Trip. It's just a working title, so bear with me.

One Phantom who might be a tad miffed that the 10-day holiday break has begun is F Jefferson Dahl, Mr. Hockey for the state of Wisconsin in 2008, who will have to sit on his current four-game goal-scoring streak for the next week-plus. Here are his goals from the Dec. 18 5-2 win over Indiana and the next night's loss to Team USA in Ann Arbor. 

The current holder of Wisconsin's Mr. Hockey honor is fellow F Cody Strang, who suddenly has two goals and three assists after going without a point in his first nine USHL contests. Highlighting this welcome burst was his game winner at the Clark Cup champion Indiana Ice's barn last Friday night.

D Ben Paulides also erased his "0" in the goal category with this beauty of a one-timer Dec. 11 against the Red, White & Blue. Dahl led the transition rush with the Phantoms shorthanded and found Paulides trailing with an accurate drop pass into the high slot. 

Later that same night, F Brian Dowd earned Youngstown its second sudden-death victory of the season when he chipped the OT decider behind Team USA G Matt McNeely, making the final score 6-5 Phantoms.

Excitement abounded the next afternoon, Dec. 12, as the Phantoms and the US National Team's Under-17 squad went back and forth before Team USA's F Rocco Grimaldi provided the final 4-3 margin with a backhander late in the third. Prior to that, Phantoms forwards Nick Czinder and Taylor Holstrom had helped Youngstown keep pace in the frantic tilt. 

Finally, let's bring this journey to an end at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis, site of arguably the Phantoms' most impressive win of the season's first 25 games. With Youngstown nursing a 3-2 lead with just a few minutes left, F Stuart Higgins stole the puck from Indiana G Cab Morris and deposited some welcome insurance. Holstrom and F Tom Serratore then teamed up for the backbreaking empty netter.

That's it and that's all, hockey fans! Have a blessed and safe holiday season and I'll see you on the other side of the break.