The Phantoms have had two close calls in their unbeaten season and they just happen to have occurred in back to back games.
Early season stats are not reliable. Not for professionals and certainly not for 9 year olds. There are a lot of factors including how long they stayed out trick or treating and how little candy they have left a day after the ghoulfest that determine how they will perform (that includes the professionals).
The Phantoms met a team that has struggled to have all of it's pieces together in the early part of the season. They finally got those pieces assembled and that almost proved too much for the Phantoms. They played hard for the most part but the sugar high was not enough to keep them skating for the entire game. The speed that the Phanatoms are hopefully getting known for was not present for more than a few spurts.
The Phantoms did create quite a few scoring chances by getting the puck in front of the net but the finishing touch eluded them. Many plays that the Phantoms worked on in practices were attempted but only proved successful a few times. It is a great sign that the team is moving in the right direction. Intellectually, the boys seem to be absorbing what is being taught and they are now in the process of transferring what they are learning to the ice. When the coaches see that transference, or the attempts, they know they are connecting with the players and it's just a matter of time and repetitions before they are consistent. With the great attitudes of the players so far, and being in the early stages of this process, the boys are showing no signs of frustration. With the positive signs that are being shown on the ice, it doesn't seem likely that frustration will become a problem.
Definition: Frustration = The difference in the level of knowing and understanding how to do a task and the level at which your body can currently do it.