YARS Night Out: Y-town Phantoms hockey and more

Winger, the new mascot of the 910th Airlift Wing, greets a young hockey fan at the conclusion of a Youngstown Phantoms hockey game at the Covelli Centre here, April 2, 2016. A group of Citizen Airmen, based at nearby Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, participated in YARS Night Out activities before and during the game. The Phantoms, a member of the United States Hockey League, defeated the Omaha Lancers 4-1 in front of a home ice crowd of more than 3000 fans. The custom designed inflatable Winger mascot, created in the U.S. by a company based in Omaha, Nebraska and sponsored by the Youngstown Air Reserve Base Community Council, is based on a 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs cartoon which has been featured in more than 50 individual illustrations appearing in various wing publications and on the YARS website since 2007. Area residents can keep an eye out for Winger at upcoming base community events and out and about anywhere in the Mahoning Valley. (Courtesy Photo/Deana Barko)