Season 8 Finale

Well, this is the end of the line. Congratulations to the Phantoms for an incredible season, and thank you to everyone who followed and helped us along this journey. Let's go out with a bang, then on to the next!

Ask A Question!

Merch Store
Official Website
Facebook

This recording is the sole view of the members of the Dump & Chase Podcast.  This is a non-commercial fan production. We are not affiliated with or compensated by the Youngstown Phantoms, the United States Hockey League, or any league, club, or team.

© 2026 Dump & Chase Podcast. All Rights Reserved

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Hello, phantom fans, and welcome to the season eight finale of the Dumpin' Chase podcast. My name is Sam Olmstead, and joining me as always is Dan Conley. After all, tomorrow is another day. And Justin Irwin. It can't rain all the time. Well, this is typically the point where I ask how we're doing, but uh think I figured that already. Figured that out already. Gentlemen, how are we doing?

SPEAKER_07 1:05

Uh, I'm not okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:07

Yeah. A couple days post-series loss, and um I think the penguins lost. I mean, they penguins won the force game six while we were getting ready to start this. So there's a little bit of a glimmer of hockey hope for us.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Uh we had we had we had an interesting little scenario. Um, I've uh I was the only one of the three of us that went to the uh watch parties in Kensington this weekend. Uh shout out to Michael uh Punz Allen for uh saving me a seat on Pervert Row up right up front uh to watch the games. But uh typical problem. They they tried their best to sync the three ski uh screens up, but there was still one screen would be two, three seconds ahead of the next one. And so it's like so like if the Phantom scored, it was like doing the wave, it just worked its way down the room as whoever was whatever screen you were watching on, that's when your arms went up. Um that made for an interesting scenario because uh the three main screens they had the Phantoms game on, and then one of the small screens off to the side they had the penguins game. So the penguins would score on Saturday, and people over in that, like next to that TV that were watching it would start cheering. Everybody else would get all excited thinking the Phantoms just scored and you're about to see it, and then it didn't happen. So there was a couple times there that scenario played out.

SPEAKER_07 2:18

I mean, it might be a better way to organize a wave than the Covelli.

SPEAKER_04 2:23

Yeah. Do you guys would you guys try a light wave? No flashlight wave.

SPEAKER_07 2:27

Yeah, I mean, hand out like some glow sticks or something and try that.

SPEAKER_04 2:33

Oh, Rally Tows, that would have been kind of fun.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

Yep, so yep, we're at the point. Another season done. Dan, I feel inclined to blame you.

SPEAKER_04 2:41

Uh go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

We we we we won we won the cup and then we brought you on.

SPEAKER_04 2:47

Oh that's the only thing that's changed. You're right. That's the only variable that's different.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

Absolutely. So you're coming back next season, right?

SPEAKER_04 3:00

Hey, yeah. Uh huh. We have a 66% chance of winning the Anderson Cup. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Yeah. Yeah, we we haven't done our uh exit meetings yet for this season. Justin, you coming back next year?

SPEAKER_07 3:14

Uh um, I'll let legal discuss that.

SPEAKER_04 3:20

What do you say, Justin?

SPEAKER_07 3:23

Um I say um he's taken way too long to answer this.

SPEAKER_05 3:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 3:31

Uh I guess it's we'll see how my liver does.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

It's like we were getting ready to be dumped on live TV like LeBron did with Cavaliers.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Wow. The decision. I'm sitting I'm sitting here writing the post in my head looking for a new host. You wish. Um so we'll get we'll get through some uh team news and stuff here. Uh some some of the some of the good news that we you know, some of the stuff we had to celebrate over the past couple weeks, unfortunately. Uh well unfortunately, the fact of wishing we could have celebrated more, but so we we have all the re uh results now for the end of season awards. Um that definitely filled out the uh all USHL teams uh for certain. Uh Tobyash Trayball, Cooper Simpson, Jack Wilson all named use uh USHL first team. Uh Ryan Rusinski and Carter Murphy on the second team and Jack Hextahl on the third team. Uh Tobyash Trayball winning goaltender of the year and Jack Wilson winning defenseman of the year. So almost almost had the clean sweep there.

SPEAKER_04 4:39

Yeah, the fans putting out a starting five and a goalie. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

There you go. So uh news came out uh this past week. Uh the Phantoms we've been feeling like we've been waiting this for this news for a while. We've heard a lot of back and forth, and um finally got the news on this one, and I mean great news as far as the Phantoms future is concerned. Phantoms uh tendering um Austin Hall. And uh Dan, you're carrying the water on this one.

SPEAKER_04 5:06

So Austin Hall is a player that I had my eyes on. I think we talked about him before, and yeah, he's a uh a left shot winger from Honey Baked up in Michigan. He was the uh leading goal scorer in uh 15 AAA hockey this year for Honey Baked. He was also the OHL Cup um MVP for Honey Baked when they won this past season as well. Um Scouting Port on Austin is um I don't want to say think well white law, but he's all offense. He's got a quick stick, he's got great vision, he's got a quick, quick snapshot. I think he's gonna fit right in. He's a he's a player that's that's gonna be there for scoring. And um he's gonna be he's he's gonna be fun to watch. I'll say that. He's gonna come in, he's gonna he's gonna be an impact player right away as a young player. I I do feel.

SPEAKER_07 5:51

I mean, it would be nice to have a good pure shooter on the team. So uh not knowing who's coming back next year, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:00

I mean, points aren't everything, but the man scored 186 points in 89 games this year. That's a lot, no matter how you look at it. I mean, it uh 89 games is a lot of games this year in one year, too. And um yeah, but he was gonna be like a top five draft pick in OHL draft, um, which is happening in June. He's probably still gonna be a draft pick in OHL draft, but they can kiss that goodbye. But yeah, he was gonna be a top five before he tent before tendering.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

Yeah, and it it it's it and honey bake isn't exactly playing scrubs every night. No, no, yeah, no, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:32

No, there's that honey bake team was real good. There was a lot, yeah. It's crazy. Michigan had I think Honey Baked Little Caesars were the number one and uh like number one, number two ranked teams for a long time this year in 15 AAA hockey.

SPEAKER_07 6:44

I I don't think that should be any surprise. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:48

This honey baked team had a lot of players that made the NTP roster, and uh, I my opinion Austin Hall was the best on all of them.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

So because I I I think it would be easy to say that when you looked at Honey Baked and when you look at Little Caesars, maybe with like the triple A teams with like Shattuck or something like that, probably play like the toughest triple A schedules of anybody. Yeah, and I and I and a lot of that's by design.

SPEAKER_07 7:12

Yeah, well, I mean, the Detroit area and the HPHL is like such a a focus point of uh uh youth hockey that it it's ridiculous, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

And this is a player that could have very easily been on the NTDP roster if he wanted to, with him not being on the roster. Um, again, this wasn't like a white loss situation where they didn't choose him, he just didn't go that route. So you knew he was gonna be tendering or going north of the border. So lucky for us, he came our he can't tender with Yuckstown.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

So, yeah, as it was mentioned, uh, you know, coming back next season, and it's it feels like no matter how much how many times we or anybody else answers this question, it's it's gonna be the time where these things get asked again. Um, the uh about an hour before the fall classic, that's who made the roster. Uh that that's who came back. Um anything before that, because I'll even see people say, like, oh, it depends on who shows up at camp. That isn't no that that isn't the be all end all either. We see lots of guys in camp every year that either don't end up on the roster or they end up somewhere else. Sometimes more often than not, we interview those guys. Yeah, we interview those guys at main camp.

SPEAKER_04 8:26

It wasn't as bad this year as it was in the years past, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

That year before was pretty rough. That was rough. That was you you almost start to feel like you were kind of a jinx.

SPEAKER_04 8:37

Yeah, yeah. You know, this with like echo what you're saying, Sam. We don't know, but this year could be a year where a lot of players, you know, at we always talked about like 70% of players on average are are new from year to year.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Yeah, that's the last league average is like 70 to 75 percent turnover.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

And we knew for like previous years there were some like players that probably still had one more year of juniors in them before they got moved on to the next level. And I think a lot of those players are gonna be moving on. So next year's team is probably gonna be way, way different. Yeah, a lot of the top end players, most of them, if not mostly all of them, will be well, it's it's moving on.

SPEAKER_02 9:11

It it's a problem, but as Justin has said before, it's a good problem to have. Yeah, when you when you when you have when you have a team that puts up a ton of points, you know, wins the Anderson Cup, you know, is all over, you know, names are plastered all over award season, these are guys that are gonna move on.

SPEAKER_04 9:28

Yeah. And and even though that you know they haven't won the cup the past couple years, they are they are developing players for the next level at a x at a very high rate. And I think one thing I'll point out here is you look at the OHL teams, you know, this is the first, you know, second year now they're losing players to the to the college, they're looking at it as as it as they're losing a player to the call to college, and that's crazy to me that they're looking at it as a loss. I mean, yeah, they're literally leaving the team, but I I I feel it as a as a selling point. Like, come play here, and you'll move you on to the next level from for your career.

SPEAKER_07 9:57

Well, I mean, even then, you now have a lot more players from uh can the Canadian uh junior teams moving on to the NCAA. That's less spots for everyone. Yeah, and you have players who, hey, maybe previously you thought you had a spot, but everything is in flux now. Yeah, and I think um the USHL and they're uh you know, kind of embracing the we're trying to move you on. Yeah, hey, spend another year here.

SPEAKER_04 10:31

We'll and the NCA just made it, I think that was official today, is fifth-year eligibility for everybody. Every every player and NCAA has five years eligibility now, up to and andor an age requirement. They can't go past like 23 or something.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

I I think college football had a lot to do with that.

SPEAKER_04 10:48

Yeah, that player from like middle Tennessee State that played seven years, yeah. As a sophomore season during COVID, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Yeah, so uh typically the way we'll do these goodbyes, because again, it's somebody can be 100% certain they're moving on, and it's we've heard a lot of names as far as who's moving on and that are 100% certain. But again, we've seen it too many times in the past where one thing changes and that percentage goes way down.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Yeah, there's only four players that are 100% chance.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Yeah, so those so the safe route would be to say, you know, for us to say our goodbyes to those four players. Starting out with a couple of guys who were new to the Phantoms this year. Um, so we'll start with uh Mate Tepley. Um, you know, had him on the show earlier this season. If you get a chance, go back and listen to that interview. Great kid. Uh was was like a Tasmanian devil on the ice. Loved watching him skate, loved watching him skate.

SPEAKER_04 11:46

Wish we could have seen it all year long.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Phenomenal kid. He's gonna have a lot of success at the next level. I mean, defenseman with that kind of speed. Um, and uh pretty Tasmanian devil, I mean, yeah, tenacity. Yeah. Um, speaking of speed, um Cosmo Sasaki. Um, another one was really fun to watch. It as much as it was downplayed, I I think he had a lot of fun playing on that Waterloo Ice playing on that Olympic rank. Uh no, and yeah, no, yeah, another one, just a you know, a lot of fun to watch. And it's we you always talk about, you know, and and that's how you know why some people struggle watching the game live because I mean you watch on TV, you don't it doesn't the speed doesn't translate on television, right? No, and you see it live and it's so much faster, and then you see guys like Sasaki and Teple, and just like they're just like that that level of speed faster than everyone else out on the ice, and to get to see it in person uh was awesome.

SPEAKER_07 12:46

Yeah, and and something about Sasaki. I mean, uh, maybe it's our vantage point when you're talking about seeing it live, but just being able to like track a guy's eye movement, yeah, and see, you know, kind of trying to figure out what he's saying, you know, there's uh the a player who is truly kind of thinking uh one step ahead.

SPEAKER_04 13:07

And I think he's like one of the most intelligent people I've ever talked to, not just in hockey, just he know he's fluent in several languages. Yeah, he knew the history of the Phantoms and the the Japanese pipeline, he knew everybody, he knew where they're playing at now, and super nice kid, and like I said, incredibly intelligent.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

Yeah, Jack Wilson, who uh I think if he spent any more time in Youngstown, would have got to start getting charged rent. Um, it it's it's very rare to have in juniors to have somebody spend the amount of time he spent, but it it's it's one of those things. He was he was kind of a slow burn in the beginning, you know, had the injuries last season, and then having somebody around for that long and then getting to watch that season where like they put everything together, yeah. And it's it and it it's not a phrase I use for everybody, but I will use for him and we'll use for the uh last one here as well.

SPEAKER_07 14:03

I mean, just an absolute honor to get to watch him play in Youngstown, and I mean just to see him, you know, he broke records. I I I mean, he's left a lasting mark on the team.

SPEAKER_02 14:14

Oh, absolutely. In earlier years of this show, we talked about, you know, the f the defensemen that the Phantoms had, you know, in the early years, and maybe a little bit of a you know, little bit of a rut there as far as defensemen, you know, and then you know, we saw it with you know with the Trey Taylors and the TJ Schwigertz, and then leading into the next season, going into the cup season, and then the defensemen that have been coming to this team ever since. You know, in a lot of ways, like Jack Wilson is kind of part of that, like almost part of that starter group when you're talking, you know, when you're talking about Trey and TJ and then transitioning into that next season, Jack Wilson was a part of that group, and it kind of has been a part of that defensive culture for the past four years.

SPEAKER_04 14:54

Yeah, and you know, I I think we interviewed Jack Wilson and Cal Houston in like back-to-back weeks, and you know, we get to talk. We besides the actual interview time, we normally we BS with players before and afterwards, yeah. And we talk to Jack and Cal before and after, and and just talk with them. It's refreshing to talk to two young gentlemen that are just so well versed, very well mannered, and just seem like they're they're having a good time talking with us. So, you know, sometimes players it seems like thanks for doing it, but I gotta run. And you know, they took the time, they talked to us, they um very respectful, and they're funny. And after we got after we got done talking with them, I think we talked amongst ourselves of like now we're gonna miss them. Yeah, oh because they're such they're so they're so like chill, they're just like we can get to just BS with them all night, but yeah, they're they last they they left the lasting impression, like you guys said, and it's it's gonna be weird seeing the fans out there without either of them on the on the ice anymore for a while.

SPEAKER_07 15:48

I I'm just saying if we're looking for alumni interviews for you know various segments, I I'm pretty sure we're gonna see one, or if not both, of those guys.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Well, I mean, Cal could be in person for all we know, be an in-person interview. Um that's what we're hoping. Moving on, moving on to big and better things. He's still a local kid, but uh, yeah, the final one here, of course, uh Cal Houston drafted four years ago, spent two years with the team. I mean, obviously, we wish it could have been longer, but yeah, and you know, and we told him when he was on the show, you know, his legacy is gonna, you know, in Youngstown and the Mahoney Valley is gonna last far longer than the two years he spent with the team. You know, when you look at, you know, when you look at the youth programs going on at Deep Freeze and everything like that, it's you know, and I said to him, you know, he they finally have that person to point to, be like, look at him. He learned how to skate here, he learned how to play hockey here, he was here doing the same drills you guys are doing now, you know, and look where he is now. It's like these he's that he's now that guidepost for youth hockey in Youngstown. Yeah, and that that that legacy is gonna far outlast the two years he spent here.

SPEAKER_04 17:01

Such a great selling point for the program.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

And again, like you said, just I mean, all around just a plus human being. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:09

Um full stop this year. Everyone we we interviewed, they were all great people. It wasn't, I didn't feel like at one point anybody was like, get me the hell out of here. Okay, they all they're all very punctual, they all talk to us.

SPEAKER_07 17:21

I mean, we had so I mean a lot of really good interviews this year. I've I'm blown away by you know just the the personality that we got to see off the ice.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

All right. Um, I'm I I know I know sometimes people like the behind-the-scenes stuff. We've we've we we've been keeping a running track as far as like every interview we've done this year with players and adults. I can we can we spill the tea on this?

SPEAKER_04 17:48

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

Um, every player interview we did this season was anywhere from 10 minutes early to the time that they were given to do the interview was anywhere between 10 minutes early and on time. Every single adult was late. Except I think Matt. No, Matt, yeah, Matt was on time. Yeah, everybody else was late. I mean, I'm sure they were very busy. It was a joke at the beginning of the season. It was something we were marveling at by the end of the season. And uh, when when we had uh Rizzo on at the end, we even said to him, uh you know, kudos on you know to to the leadership of this team and the the values instilled because every single player was either right on time or early. Yeah, can't say the same thing for the adults.

SPEAKER_04 18:40

Now you know the time we do get on, some of the adults have kids that probably be going to bed sometimes, but they never responded until we said something to them. Normally you'd say, like, hey, I'm gonna be late. I didn't put in yeah, it was never admitted until like saying, like, hey, are you still coming on?

SPEAKER_02 18:54

Yeah, there were there was a couple of them that yeah, we had the ping. Got got a couple oh bleep, I'll be there in a minute. Yeah, um, I mean, some of them might have been in different time zones or something at the time, but it is what it is, guys. It is what it is. We've we've been making this joke all year. Now you guys are trying to defend them. Make me look like the ass.

SPEAKER_07 19:20

No, no, they're the adults, they should be able to.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

We've been making the joke all season. I bring it up on the microphone, and everybody turns on me.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

Yeah, yeah, Sam. What do you have to say about the adults here?

SPEAKER_04 19:34

No, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

Very strange and odd, and absolutely hysterical towards the end.

SPEAKER_05 19:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

Um, yeah, so uh yep. We're throwing formatting completely out the well. I don't know. Justin, do you want the music? No, one one last time this season. Do you want the music? No, okay, no music. We're just kind of like last week, it just kind of reached the point formatting got thrown out the window. We're just freewheeling it at this point.

SPEAKER_04 20:00

Yeah, same. I thought you were gonna hit something different. Yeah, I could tell you had your hand on a button.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

No, I I was going I was going I was going to the buttons, but okay. I I hadn't picked anything yet.

SPEAKER_04 20:09

I think you're just gonna throw something weird at us. Hey, what's Cullen's last name? He played for the NTTP two years ago.

SPEAKER_05 20:17

Potter.

SPEAKER_03 20:19

You're picking up what I was putting down.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

There was another Potter this year, but they didn't do anything to warrant us talking about him to use it, so yeah. So I I mean, I there there ain't a ton. I mean, I I guess at this point we can talk about uh the games this past weekend. There really ain't much to talk about, unfortunately. But um, I mean at the end of the day, hats off to Caleb Hile. Yeah, I don't I I don't I don't know if it was uh voice of the Capitals Drew Steele's theory that maybe he was a little miffed by the uh being left out of a lot of the awards, or which I I think was a little uh yeah, he's having a great playoffs.

SPEAKER_07 20:59

I don't I don't yeah the awards are regular season, yeah. But I mean if if that's the case, then uh uh I mean let your anger flow. Um amazing performance.

SPEAKER_04 21:11

Yeah, I mean one of the tall tail stats of the series in four games that the fans had 146 shots on goal, the capitals had 67, yeah, and that's a plus 79. Yeah, and I'm willing to bet that the Saturday game, I think they they registered like 38 shots. I'm willing to bet that number was probably somewhere between 70 and 80 that didn't that were like total that didn't that weren't on goal because you know that the the glass behind the goal got got peppered oh yeah Saturday, but so many shots were were just hurled at him.

SPEAKER_07 21:42

Gripping the stick a little tight, but I I mean you owe even in that case, you would almost suspect some sort of a fluky bounce, or I mean, they just could not get anything by him.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Well, it's and and any pla any sport, a any playoff. Scenario, it's yeah, you you yeah, it's the skill and the talent and everything else, but at the end of the day, it comes down to health and it comes down to luck.

SPEAKER_05 22:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

Youngstown, I mean, going into the playoffs had health. Yeah, you know, nobody was it, nobody was scratched because everybody was, you know, the the scratches, the extra players that were there, they were all healthy scratches. Nobody, nobody out because they're injured, everybody was playing. The Phantoms had health, did not have luck. And in any way, shape, or form, did not have luck. Uh just the the bounces were not going their way at all.

SPEAKER_04 22:35

No, and and you know, three out of the four games. I think I told you guys this three out of four games, the fans vastly outplayed the capitals, vastly. You know, the capitals kind of just turtled in a show and they just put didn't break for for a multitude of reasons. And for whatever reason it may be, the Phantoms lost all three of those games. I thought the best game Madison played and the and the worst game that the fans played was the games they won four to two. Yeah, and they made a lot of critical errors that they don't they gave up a lot of odd man chances that they just did not do this year, they didn't do that at all, but they still came out on top. But you know, hockey's a funny sport, it's a funny sport that you said there's so many things that's got to go right for you besides everything else that goes into the game, and it just didn't happen, you know. They couldn't get the power play going. Not that there was very many power play chances, anyways, but yeah, it just wasn't wasn't there, uh wasn't there a series to win, apparently.

SPEAKER_07 23:24

And I mean, you kind of felt after they had that one sort of off game and they won it on Friday that hey, maybe that luck is turning around, but and I mean, I always say you kind of make your own luck. That did not happen, yeah. I mean, I uh they played a perfect game, and even if you know you can't beat Heil clean or you're not getting, you know, a lot of rebound chances. I mean, other than that one goal in game one, that was the only like really kind of greasy goal that we got, right?

SPEAKER_04 24:00

Uh, that third period of the game Saturday, where they where they lost two to one, the fans down shot Madison 16 to 4. And I don't know what else they could have done differently because they literally the puck was in the Capitals, you know, defensive zone for the majority of the period. They had shots, there was just constant pressure, constant crash in the net, just couldn't put in the net. They just couldn't put in the back of the net. And for whether they missed chances, you know, the Malokama kid in wrap around where he just the puck just came off his stick at the last second. When he made a great play, he made such a great play to pick Hiles pocket on that. Read it, brought it around, and he just lost an edge with the puck. It it's it's crazy. You know, a lot of what I saw was winning hockey from the fans. I saw a lot of winning hockey, but they didn't win. Yeah, I just don't know what else they could have done that in that in that third period because they did everything they could have done. You you would everything that they did, you would as a coach, you'd be like, I they're doing everything we we talked about, and it just didn't go in the back of the net.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

Um, yeah, it so and something that may end up getting overlooked when this is all said and done, and I I don't want it to, is the play of Tobiash Trayball in this series because so because so much of the focus was on Caleb Heil.

SPEAKER_07 25:14

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:15

Heil gave up six, Trayball gave up seven.

SPEAKER_07 25:17

One of those was an empty net.

SPEAKER_02 25:19

Yeah, and you and you talk about yeah, you talk about uh you know running into the hot goalie, which has bit Youngstown in the past. Going again, going back to Madison, how many years ago was Simon Latcosy? Um, and we yeah, uh you know, you know. Unfortunately, that is the the best analogy I can think of. I mean, Toby Osh was lights out in this series. I mean, it's you know, I mean, and we used to say about you know, and we said about Jacob Fowler a few years ago. If he gave up two goals in the first period, that was all he was giving up for the night. All you all you had, you know, and it was with Fowler, it was he was giving up one or two. All you had to do was score three. You know, if he gave up two early on, that was it for the night. You know, it was getting shut down after that, and that was and that was what I mean, Tobiash did in this series, but it's just Heil was just a little bit better.

SPEAKER_04 26:13

And how difficult would it would have been for Trey Ball trying to stay present during the game when there was long stretches of nothing? Oh god, yeah. Yeah, I mean, nothing. He was a spec, he could have been laying on the on the crossbar watching the game.

SPEAKER_07 26:24

And I mean, we've we've seen Trey Ball a lot this season, and those circumstances he starts to wander a little bit out of the net, play the puck. We did not see that really. Um, I mean, maybe a little bit it uh in the first game or two, but uh he was very disciplined on how he played the puck.

SPEAKER_04 26:45

Yeah, it even though Madison didn't get a ton of shots, the shots that they did get they were you know, yeah, they were high quality shots, they weren't just bloops to his chest. Yeah, that's he has he has no nowhere to hang his head on this movie.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

No, no, like you said, yeah, I don't just like just like I said, with a lot uh a lot of the focus, and rightfully so, you know, with the series being over is Caleb Heil. I I I I don't want Tobiash to be overlooked in all this because he had a hell of a series. Yeah, if Youngstown played any other team except for Madison and Caleb Hile, they're moving on. Yeah, and it's just you just they once again they just ran into that goaltender, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:25

And as a player, too, yeah, I was trying to think is watching the game as a coach, but I would tell the team after after the game, after the series was over and you lost. And you know, the last year the Muskegon series, the team just played bad. Muskegon outplayed them in every facet of the game. You can't say that about this. So when you you're gonna lose, you better lose going out playing your best hockey, and that's what they did. So I'm hoping the players, even though that it wasn't the outcome they wanted, I hope they kept their heads high because it's they have and played great. Yeah, it's not trying to glaze anything over either. They did, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 27:55

No, I and we've been doing you know, movie and TV quotes all year. One of my favorites it's possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life.

SPEAKER_04 28:07

That's a good quote. Wow, what's that from, Justin?

SPEAKER_07 28:10

Uh Star Trek Next Generation. Oh, well, Captain Picard. What the hell did you all think it was?

SPEAKER_02 28:21

I I had this Rolodex of every sports movie ever going through my head. Like, where is that quote from? If you would if you would have gave me if you would have gave me a million and one guesses, I would not have ever guessed our track.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Tapped Picard with a banger, right? I don't know. I I completely agree. I would never guess that.

SPEAKER_02 28:41

But yeah, like I said, it's uh we're we're we're not gonna dive too deep in this. We don't into this, we don't need to. Um, I've um four great games. We just lost three of them. Um, if and if and if anybody is asking what we think of the rest of the playoffs, uh we don't care.

SPEAKER_07 29:02

Go Western conference, go western conference. We've raged on you all season. Do us a solid, please. I I I mean it's gonna be Madison versus the winner of um Muskegon in Dubuque. Um, who's gonna root for that? Right.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Yeah, so yeah, and then the other part of this, we're not gonna keep this too long here. Nope. Uh coming into the off season now. Uh that this is gonna be one of those weird ones we say our goodbyes, and then we're gonna be back a week later because we have the draft live stream coming up. Yeah, the uh phase the phase one live stream coming up next week, which is typically if the season ends, we'll give ourselves a week to kind of put ourselves back together before we do the finale. We didn't have that option this year, right? It was I I did the math in my head. I'm like, all right, well, season's over, we'll give it a week. And I'm like, nope, wait, nope, can't do that. Um, I'd hate to be one of the GMs at this point. No, I think they're doing okay.

SPEAKER_07 30:04

I'm sure I'm sure they're doing better than we are.

SPEAKER_02 30:07

Um so yeah, we got the live stream coming up. Main camp, which I haven't heard a date on anything, and it it as much as I hate to say it the way the logistics are working out this year, we're not even sure if we're gonna have anything for main camp this summer. I mean, I hate to say it, nothing's set in stone yet, but the the the economy being what it is, it may not it may be a little cost prohibitive to do what we've done in the past uh this year. So uh I'm I'm it I'm not sure if and what anything we'll be doing for main camp this year. I'm still gonna try to make yeah, yeah, I'm gonna yeah, I'm still gonna try to get down there. I just don't think the whole being down there for three days is gonna be feasible this year.

SPEAKER_04 30:46

You can drive up and drive back like me for one day.

SPEAKER_02 30:50

It's not the driving's gonna be the problem on the on the well, one day one day is fine. Doing it for three days would get a little rough. Oh, that would yeah, that's unattainable there. I don't know what the drive's like for you, it's about an hour and 20 minutes for me.

SPEAKER_04 31:05

Yeah, probably just a little bit longer for me.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

So making that drive twice a day for three days, I don't I don't know how feasible that'll be. Yeah, and you know, the hotels are weren't cheap last year. No, they were not, and they're look kind of looking around the dates where you would think maybe I mean not Taylor Swift concert in town expensive, but yeah. I know I walk up to the front desk, I have like a phantom shirt on, a phantom's hat on, and the lady at the counter is like, Oh, are you here for the Taylor Swift concert? And it's like, what?

SPEAKER_04 31:37

Close. How'd you guess?

SPEAKER_07 31:43

At least you weren't worrying about your room catching fire to shoddy electrical wiring.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

Well, you're the one that makes the choice to stay in those$50 a night pump and dump motels, so I don't know what to tell you. That was the only thing available.

SPEAKER_04 32:00

That's because they come with mint for pillows, Sam.

SPEAKER_07 32:05

I I hate to tell you, Dad, those aren't mint.

SPEAKER_03 32:15

That's funny.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

I'm not gonna make the mistake in the I've made in the past where I make all these wild promises of things we're gonna do in the offseason, and then I end up not doing them because I'm lazy. So I'm I'm gonna avoid all that. Um I mean, we'll do it if we can. Yeah. Um, you know what I mean? And it that this is the hardest part because it's always like, all right, the season's over, you know, we'll have main camp coming up, but even then, you know, it's like nothing until September, and it's like, oh, that seems forever away. Thankfully, by the time September rolls around, it's usually like, wow, that actually went pretty quick.

SPEAKER_04 32:50

It's the first like month that sucks.

SPEAKER_02 32:52

Yeah, yeah, we we we don't have hockey going on, so we don't have anything to talk to each other about because that's the uh that that that's about as far as our friendship goes.

SPEAKER_07 33:02

Oh Jesus Christ. I mean, what's the the the chat group chat uh like for hey?

SPEAKER_04 33:09

We're we're on here for four hours recording these things. It's not because we're talking about hockey the whole time. No, no.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Yeah, we we could we could do like a whole nother podcast just on what's set off mic.

SPEAKER_07 33:23

And then we'll always have like one or two meetings, you know. Hey, let's uh let's get online to um discuss ideas for new segments, yeah. And then that's usually and then yeah, and then Justin replies back, new phone, who disually reason why we get together and you know bullshit for an hour or two.

SPEAKER_04 33:44

And at least we'll get a couple drafts to kind of unpack right away. I don't feel the void for a long time.

SPEAKER_07 33:51

I wish it was a little bit more spaced out, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:54

So kind of as tradition, the uh final uh kind of our final sign-offs for the season. Uh you usually are uh thank yous that we do. Uh I usually go first, but uh if either one of you guys want to jump in first, you can go right ahead. Because for the most part, we end up stepping on each other's toes anyway.

SPEAKER_04 34:11

So yeah, I can go first. That's all right, Justin.

SPEAKER_02 34:14

Yeah, go.

SPEAKER_04 34:15

Yeah, I'll uh my thank you here. I first like to thank Sam and Justin again. This is we do this because it's fun, you know, it's fun hanging out with each other, it's fun BS, and it's fun making fun of each other, and it's also fun being the new guy, even though it's at the end of my third season with you guys.

SPEAKER_07 34:29

But it's uh god, it's only been three.

SPEAKER_04 34:34

But it's just fun. We we we wouldn't we wouldn't do this if it wasn't fun. No, um, yeah, I like so thank you guys very much. Thank you. Thank you, Sam, for all the work you put in that nobody else knows that you do for making Justin and I sound presentable. Mainly Justin, but yeah. Oh but um yeah, all the all the fans players, all all the all the messages we get from the fans that listen to our show that come and talk to us during a game, that message us about stuff, and you know the players' parents that are always very grateful of us talking to their kid, and you know, it's it's been a Lynn Siegford for hitting that's cool hitting her hitting her milestone up there. Just so I know I'm gonna forget somebody, but you know, our stats department Matt Lip Matt Lipsack, even though I normally call him lipper, that felt weird saying that. Um it's it's been a it's been a fun experience. Um every year I feel like we get a little like we me. If I get a little more involved in whatever else goes on, I figured figure out another way to dig in and kind of find another thing to look up or whatever, whether it'd be players, potential players overseas, whatever it may be. It's I love it. It's so it's so weird. I stopped coaching high school soccer, didn't know what I was gonna do with my time, would have never ever ever guessed it was gonna be junior hockey, would have never guessed that in a million years, but I love it so I'm here for that. So thank you guys as well.

SPEAKER_07 35:51

I mean, I I don't know where to go after that one. Um I mean, obviously, like you said, Sam, thank you for making me sound good. Uh he's shaking his head, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Um, the hours and hours and hours I spend every season. Uh years of my life, I'm never getting back.

SPEAKER_07 36:14

I I mean, I I don't even know where to begin on this. Um, I I guess something I probably haven't done yet, and it just hit me. Thank you to my mom. I don't think I've ever thanked her doing one of these.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

I mean, you know, does she ever listen? Oh god, no. Yeah, see she wouldn't even know how to. My my my mom told me in the beginning that she'd listen for the first five minutes, and then after that, she'd have no clue what we were talking about, and she'd turn it off.

SPEAKER_07 36:46

So uh my mom who goes to the games would probably say the same thing.

SPEAKER_04 36:52

What the hell are you guys talking about? So you and your mom would watch the same amount of games, uh, or listen the same amount of episodes, Justin.

SPEAKER_02 37:01

Anyway, uh I you know what I will second that. Thank you, Bridget.

SPEAKER_07 37:05

Yeah, I mean, uh she's one of the things that you know sometimes keeps me coming to games. So um, let's see. I guess, yeah, Matt, Lynn, tried to think. Um, shout out to all the uh fans, especially like those who got into our uh little game day chats. Um, Punz Allen, uh the Tom Kos, tried to think. Um, God, all the players we interviewed, especially, you know, like you said, the guys who are moving on. Thank you, Rick Ruby, for coming back. Um did I say that?

SPEAKER_02 37:45

Yeah, I mean, I mean, obviously, you know, you know, thank I mean, you know, thank you to the Phantoms front office. Thank you, you know, to you know, the hockey operations staff, the coaching staff, the players, um, you know, players, and I I think we got into it further this year than we have in the past with players who maybe English was not their first language. And something like this can be very stressful for someone like that. And we've seen it in the past, and it's kind of why we've shied away from it, because we don't want to put them in that position. Even even scouts that maybe English isn't their first language. Absolutely. Um, but yeah, you know, and it's you know, you know, thank you for having you know trust enough in us to come on here and you know, tell your stories, you know, and share your journey, you know, share your journey up to this point, like what how you got to where you are now, you know, and where you hope to be in the future. I mean, thank you for that. Obviously, you know, obviously to you guys and you know, Dan and Justin, it's I I I realize in a lot of aspects I'm a slave driver. Um but if but but but if you ever met you, the both of you, you would realize sometimes it's necessary.

SPEAKER_07 39:02

But I would consider our our relationship more like Stockholm syndrome, but Dan knows what I mean.

SPEAKER_02 39:13

You know, you know there's something screwy about the relationship between the three of us when I'm the one that has to sometimes be the adult in the room. Someone's gotta be.

SPEAKER_04 39:23

Someone's I tell my oldest son all the time, thank goodness he's an adult.

SPEAKER_02 39:29

I mean, it's you know, this is the 29th episode this season. That is that that that is that is more than we did in the cup year. And we had a full gamut of playoffs uh with that, you know, with that one. We did more episodes this year, and you know, a lot of times that you know, I'm sure you guys maybe would have liked to have taken a week off or taken a break or whatever, and kept putting up with me driving forward anyways, but no, you know, it's it's never not noticed and it's never not appreciated, you know, and just on the microphone. I just want to make sure you guys know that. I I guess I'll say finally, and again, it's you know, you'll have people you'll you know, unfortunately you're gonna forget because there's just too many. Um, just you know, the fans as a whole, the listeners, it's you know, thank you for spending your free time or your time at work, your time in the car to, you know, allow us to entertain you, to allow us to, you know, hopefully inform you. Uh hopefully in whatever way we helped make the good times feel great and made the bad times feel better. And just, you know, thank you for putting that trust in us. And you know, to put in the time to, you know, listen to these episodes. You know, it again, that you know, the comments we get, the feedback we get from the fans, from the parents, from you know, people within the organization. Michael Punz Allen.

SPEAKER_07 41:10

Well, I'd like I'd like to, I'd also like to say, I mean, at the beginning of this podcast, I know where you know getting you know fan input was a problem. I mean, we had listeners, but trying to get any sort of you know ideas out of them. I mean, now we've got the QA, uh, you know, a lot of interaction, yeah. And and God, how much that drives us.

SPEAKER_02 41:35

Yeah, absolutely sure does. Um, so to anybody we may have forgotten or anything else like that, uh, just one giant blanket. Thank you. Yeah, the the list is way too long, and we don't have the time tonight. And since I'm not uncomfortable to use his name, Matt Lipsack, of course.

SPEAKER_04 41:55

Um that's the first time I referred to him by his full name on this podcast.

SPEAKER_02 41:59

I've I'm pretty sure you know, and and I'll tell and I'll tell you what, and you know, definitely a special thanks to Matt. Um in just on the basis of you know, and we talk about you know, you know, people hear him on the broadcast, they don't realize the amount of things he does behind the scenes. Um dear god, they also beyond all that, they don't realize how much of a help he is to us behind the scenes, yeah. Beyond everything he's already doing, and it's just I mean, his his help this season, his you know, his help over the years has just been immeasurable.

SPEAKER_07 42:33

I mean, the keeper of the lore, yeah. Um, he is one of the uh parts of the soul of the Phantoms organization. Oh god, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:43

Um, but yeah, if you if you're ever wondering, it's like why why do we mention him so much?

SPEAKER_07 42:48

There's a million and one fantastic reasons why we mention him so much, and there's a million and two reasons that we um just can't get to.

SPEAKER_02 42:58

I mean, there's so much more that we can credit him for, and 325,000 reasons the team was so good this year.

SPEAKER_07 43:09

That's a very specific number. That's it. All right.

SPEAKER_02 43:17

So before we wrap up season eight here, to my co-hosts Dan Conley and Justin Irwin. Any final thoughts?

SPEAKER_07 43:25

See y'all next year.

SPEAKER_04 43:27

Yeah, it's it's yeah, you mentioned that the listeners, Sam. It's you know, our our uh our listenership was it just baffles me still that we had the amount of people listening to us, and you guys are I I still view yourself as a moron, so it's it's crazy. It's still crazy when people recognize my voice. It's probably like I said, probably because of my squeaking. They probably heard me squeaking when I said something, and they they say something about that, but it's it's unbelievable, and that's it's a lot of it's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 43:53

Yeah, it is. So, for the final time in season eight of the dump and chase podcast, hockey is a sport played on ice with. In a pocket and our podcast is a thing you just listened to. See ya.

SPEAKER_00 44:04

Welcome to the gritty city, ready to go. Welcome to the gritty city, gritty city. It's phantom time tonight. We're gonna break it down, break it down, and do this damn thing.

unknown 44:18

Right.

SPEAKER_00 44:20

Right, right. It's the dump and chase podcast, right? Dump and chase. Let's go. Let's go.