The Youngstown Phantoms will play nine of their next 11 games in the welcoming confines of the Covelli Centre, and this friendly portion of the schedule comes at just the right time. After topping the Waterloo Black Hawks in Youngstown last Tuesday, the Phantoms have dropped a season-high three games in a row on the road.

Illustrating the unpredictability of sports in general, the Phantoms were a suberb 4-1-1 away from home in October, helping them fight through their early struggles at Covelli. Since Oct. 31, Youngstown has lost seven of nine road contests, but are currently riding a streak in which they've won seven of 10 at home.

What does it add up to? If the Phantoms defeat Fargo on Friday, they will be 14-14-2 after the first half of the USHL season and in prime position for a second-half surge. 

30 games' worth of effort just to break even? For the first-year Phantoms, that would be just fine as they have consistently stayed in the playoff hunt since Day One of the 2009-2010 USHL season.

On to the highlights from the Phantoms' first four-game week of the season:

Tuesday, December 29: YOUNGSTOWN 4, WATERLOO 3

F Jefferson Dahl didn't take long to extend his team-best goal-scoring run to five games against the struggling Black Hawks, breaking into the Waterloo zone and scoring the Phantoms' eighth shorthanded tally of the season, his second, to break the ice early in the first period.

Third-year USHL F Tom Serratore was working on an impressive streak of his own, converting a Dahl pass in the low slot for his third goal in three contests to push the Phantoms up 2-0 midway through the second.

Dahl made it a three-point night a few minutes later by popping home a long rebound from the right circle while the Phantoms skated with an extra attacker due to a delayed penalty. 

After the 'Hawks climbed back within 3-1 late in the second, D Scott Mayfield gunned in a long wrister that restored the Phantoms' three-goal edge and eventually held up as the game winner.

Thursday, December 31: CEDAR RAPIDS 5, YOUNGSTOWN 1

Youngstown played an extremely solid first 30 minutes on New Year's Eve in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and when Serratore tipped F Adam Berkle's point shot past RoughRiders G Troy Grosenick with the visitors on a power play at 4:00 of the second, it seemed much deserved. 

Unfortunately, penalty trouble would doom the Phantoms on this night, and Cedar Rapids F Eric Robinson fired in the go-ahead goal in the final minutes of the middle frame.

Saturday, January 2: GREEN BAY 7, YOUNGSTOWN 2

With the Phantoms down 2-0 just minutes into this tilt in eastern Wisconsin, D Dave Donnellan reminded the Gamblers that the game was far from over, launching his third of the season into the twine behind G Steve Summerhays to cut the lead in half. It appeared that Serratore deflected it to many on press row, but the official scorer ultimately awarded the goal to Donnellan, the Wisconsin native.

F Andrew Lamont rifled the puck past Summerhays from the high slot late in the second to keep the Phantoms close at 3-2 and put a scare into the fans at the Resch Center.

The Green Bay power play was close to unstoppable Saturday, as they scored on their first three chances, capped by F Chris Crane's goal at 17:44 of the second to make it 5-2, the future Ohio State Buckeye's second of the night.        

Sunday, January 3: GREEN BAY 2, YOUNGSTOWN 1

Youngstown's second Sunday game of the season closed the team's three-game road trip, and when F Taylor Holstrom buried D Luke Eibler's power-play feed to tie the game 1-1 heading for the decisive third, the Phantoms appeared poised to steal their first win of 2010.

Green Bay D David Makowski had other plans however, as his 11th goal of the campaign (best among USHL defensemen) provided the final margin. The Phantoms' final push in the waning seconds was exciting, but ultimately came up short.