January 9, 2010

GLENS FALLS, NY – Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ray Emery made his Phantoms debut and finished with 12 saves, but Jhonas Enroth had 26 saves to lead the Portland Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Adirondack Phantoms Saturday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Bolstered by Ray Emery’s first AHL game in two years, the Phantoms stormed out of the gates and put the Pirates immediately on the heels. Adirondack dominated in puck possession and shots on goal in the first period and if not for Portland goaltender Jhonas Enroth, the Phantoms might have run away with the game early. Instead Enroth was outstanding in the opening period, denying all nine shots he faced. At the other end Emery hardly saw much action as the Pirates managed just three shots on goal, but the third, on a two-on-one rush found the net. Nathan Gerbe skated around a Phantoms defenseman and crossed the puck to Mark Mancari, who hit the post with his initial attempt, but was able finish with a second effort for a power play goal at 17:25.

The second period came and went without a goal and the teams combined for 13 shots. The highlight of the middle frame was a dazzling save by Emery as he robbed Derek Whitmore’s breakaway attempt with his right shoulder midway through the period.

Cody McCormick doubled the Pirates lead at 4:14 of the third period courtesy of a Phantoms turnover in the defensive zone. Adirondack literally passed the puck from behind their own net right to the stick of McCormick, who then snapped a shot into the roof of the net. Halfway through the final period Gerbe appeared to have scored when he again eluded a Phantoms defender and slipped a shot through the legs of Emery. The right light came on and Gerbe raised his stick to celebrate, but the referee never stopped play and it continued without further review. Late in the period Andreas Nodl gave the home fans a chance to hope for a comeback as he blasted home a one-timer for his fifth goal of the year at 17:01, assisted by Kevin Marshall and Jared Ross. Nodl’s goal spoiled the shutout bid for Enroth and gave Ross a four-game assist streak. The Phantoms pulled Emery for the extra attacker with a minute to play, but Enroth made one more superb save to cap off the 2-1 win.

Jhonas Enroth stopped 26-of-27 shots to record his 13th win of the season as Portland improved to 19-14-4-2 on the year. Ray Emery looked sharp in his first game action since undergoing abdominal surgery on December 9th; he made 12 saves on 14 shots as Adirondack fell to 17-18-2-0. The Phantoms out-shot the Pirates 27-14 in the game and went 0-for-7 on the power play; Portland was 1-for-5 with the man-advantage.

Note: Emery’s stay with the Phantoms will be short-lived as he is scheduled to rejoin the Flyers after tonight’s game; Philadelphia’s next game comes on Tuesday, January 12th against the Dallas Stars at Wachovia Center.

Adirondack’s next game is on Wednesday, January 13th as they host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for a 7:00 pm face off at the Civic Center.

There is no better way to watch Phantoms Hockey than by sharing it with a group of your family and friends. Bring a group of 15 or more people to the Glens Falls Civic Center and qualify for incredible discounted ticket prices off the regular box office rates. For more information about group tickets, contact the Phantoms at 518-480-3355 or visit www.phantomshockey.com

FINAL BOX SCORE

Portland Pirates 2 At Adirondack Phantoms 1 - Status: Final
Jan 9, 2010 - Glens Falls Civic Center

Portland 1 0 1 - 2
Adirondack 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period-1, Portland, Mancari 16 (Gerbe), 17:25 (pp). Penalties-Rank Por (roughing), 6:29; Marshall Adk (roughing, roughing), 6:29; Stephenson Adk (high-sticking), 15:25.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Generous Por (tripping), 4:30; served by Ennis Por (bench minor - too many men), 6:20; Dingle Adk (slashing), 10:05; Persson Por (slashing), 13:05; served by Gragnani Por (bench minor - delay of game), 14:38; Gerbe Por (slashing, slashing), 17:30; Stephenson Adk (cross-checking), 17:30.

3rd Period-2, Portland, McCormick 10 4:14. 3, Adirondack, Nodl 5 (Marshall, Ross), 17:01. Penalties-Ennis Por (slashing), 1:32; Clackson Adk (cross-checking), 5:08; McCormick Por (interference), 5:26; Kostka Por (roughing), 8:27; Ward Adk (roughing), 8:27; Bourdon Adk (high-sticking), 11:53.

Shots on Goal-Portland 3-7-4-14. Adirondack 9-6-12-27.

Power Play Opportunities-Portland 1 of 5; Adirondack 0 of 7.

Goalies-Portland, Enroth 13-12-1 (27 shots-26 saves). Adirondack, Emery 0-1-0 (14 shots-12 saves).

A-3,797

Referees-Nygel Pelletier (41).
Linesmen-Glen Cooke (6), Rich Patry (52).