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Glens Falls, NY-Ben Holmstrom's sixth goal of the season with 3:15 remaining
pulled the Phantoms to within a goal and gave Connecticut
one Whale of a scare but the visitors were able
to hang on and hand Adirondack a 6-4 defeat Wednesday
night at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The contest
was the opener of a three game homestand for Adirondack.
Adirondack trailed 5-2 in the 3rd period with 12
minutes remaining before the Phantoms would surge
back late on tallies by Erik Gustafsson (4th) and
Holmstrom (6th). Denis Hamel (8th) and Danny Syvret
(5th) had the other goals for the Phantoms who fell
in both ends of their home-and-home series to the
Connecticut Whale. Adirondack had a couple of chances
with their pulled goalie in the closing minute but
were unable to convert and the Whale fired in an
empty netter for the 6-4 victory stopping the Phantoms'
dramatic comeback efforts in their tracks.
Gustafsson led the way for Adirondack with three
points on a goal and two assists. The rookie blueliner
out of Northern Michigan University is the team's
leading scorer with 24 points.
Hamel's goal was his team leading 8th of the season.
He is two goals shy of becoming just the 19th AHL'er
ever to reach the exclusive 300 goal club. Hamel
is currently tied for 20th on the all-time goal
scoring list with Larry Wilson (1951-68) with 298
lamplighters. He moved into 55th place all-time
in total points with his two point effort giving
him 568 for his career leapfrogging him past Joe
Szura's 567 (1962-72).
The game was Brian Stewart's first since November
28th when he picked up a win for Greenville (ECHL).
He had not played for the Phantoms since November
13 and had not started for Adirondack since November
7.
In the opening period, the Phantoms and Whale each
went 0-for-1 on the power play while both netminders
turned aside all eight shots they faced
The Whale opened the scoring 5:04 into the second
period on Kris Newbury's fourth goal of the season
on a 5-on-3 power play.
NHL Veteran Wade Redden scored his third goal of
the season on the power play to give the Whale a
2-0 lead. His shot from the point snuck underneath
Phantoms goaltender Brian Stewart's pad. Off the
ensuing center faceoff the Phantoms committed a
turnover allowing Tim Kennedy to pick up the puck
and move around Brian Stewart poke-check for his
fourth goal of the season. The back-to-back goals
11 seconds apart gave the Whale a 3-0 lead.
At the 14:35 mark of the 2nd, Danny Syvret got
the Phantoms on the board on a power play blast
from the right point for his fifth goal of the season.
The tally was assisted by Ben Holmstrom and Erik
Gustafsson.
But with less than a minute remaining in the second
period, Whale forward Kelsey Tessier converted on
a 3-on-1 after Stewart made the initial save as
Connecticut carried a 4-1 advantage into the second
intermission.
Adirondack's Denis Hamel blasted home a shot from
the left win past Whale goaltender Cameron Talbot
short side to score his 298th career goal and eighth
of the season to cut the Whale lead back to two.
The goal was set up by a Mike Testwuide steal in
the Whale zone. A minute later, Connecticut's Dale
Weise scored his third goal in the home-and-home
series between the Phantoms and Whale to give the
Whale the three goal cushion again at 5-2 lead.
Ben Holmstrom jumped on a rebound of a Denis Hamel
shot with 3:15 remaining to make it a 5-4 game and
the Phantoms pushed into the zone a couple of times
in the closing minute with an empty netter including
a couple attempts to jam it in by Michael Ryan which
Talbot denied. Mats Zuccarello found open space
up the left wing and sealed the win with 26 seconds
left for the 6-4 final.
Connecticut outshot the Phantoms 28-20 on the game.
Both teams lit it up on the power play as the Whale
went 3-for-6 and the Phantoms were 3-for-7 which
included a 2-for-4 performance in their comeback
efforts of the third period.
Notes: Andrew Rowe returned to the lineup after
missing the previous three games with injury. Johan
Backlund remains sidelines with an injury. Danny
Syvret has a two game goal scoring streak. Luke
Pither had his two game goal scoring streak snapped.
Matt Clackson of the Phantoms dropped the gloves
with Justin Soryal for the second time in the home-and-home
series.
Phantoms Upcoming Games
Friday, December 17 - Hershey at Adirondack - 7:30
p.m.
Saturday, December 18 - Abbotsford at Adirondack
- 7 p.m.
Bring a new, packaged toy or a non-perishable food
item and get a free ticket for either the Wednesday
or Friday night game. Wednesday night is Check It
Out Night. Show your library card and receive $3
off adult tickets or get kids tickets for only $5.
Friday night is $1 hot dog night. Saturday is Phantoms
T-Shirt Night for the first 2,500 fans courtesy
of Papa John's.
Don't be left out! Tickets for all Phantoms games
are on sale now. Discount rates are available for
groups of 15 or more. Save off the individual ticket
price by asking the Phantoms about their great group
rate packages.
The AHL is celebrating their 75th anniversary season
and is the top development league for the NHL. More
than 85 percent of today's NHL players are American
Hockey League graduates and more than 6 million
fans attend AHL games every year.
Come watch future NHL stars and up-and-coming Flyers
prospects with exciting Adirondack Phantoms hockey!
A variety of ticket packages for all the fast-paced
action are on sale now. The Phantoms selection of
discount ticket packages includes 3-packs, 6-packs,
12 and 22 Select Plans, full season plans and Flex
Packs. Choose the plan that works best for you!
Get your tickets at the Phantoms office inside the
Glens Falls Civic Center, online at ticketmaster.com,
or by calling the Phantoms at 518-480-3355.
Connecticut Whale 6 at Adirondack Phantoms 4 -
Status: Final
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - Glens Falls Civic
Center
Connecticut 0 4 2 - 6
Adirondack 0 1 3 - 4
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Newbury Ct (slashing),
0:05; Jancevski Adk (hooking), 17:01.
2nd Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 4 (Kennedy,
Williams), 5:04 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Redden 3 (Newbury,
Weise), 13:13 (PP). 3, Connecticut, Kennedy 4 13:24.
4, Adirondack, Syvret 5 (Holmstrom, Gustafsson),
14:35 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Tessier 4 (Grachev,
Soryal), 19:17. Penalties-served by Bordson Adk
(bench minor - too many men), 3:32; Gustafsson Adk
(holding), 4:36; Niemi Ct (slashing), 8:07; DiDiomete
Ct (fighting), 11:22; Rinaldo Adk (fighting), 11:22;
Hamel Adk (tripping), 12:20; Tessier Ct (boarding),
14:27; Marshall Adk (cross-checking), 16:08.
3rd Period-6, Adirondack, Hamel 8 (Testwuide),
4:01. 7, Connecticut, Weise 6 (Kennedy), 5:01 (PP).
8, Adirondack, Gustafsson 4 (Syvret, Holmstrom),
8:32 (PP). 9, Adirondack, Holmstrom 6 (Gustafsson,
Hamel), 16:45 (PP). 10, Connecticut, Zuccarello
13 (Newbury), 19:34 (EN). Penalties-Soryal Ct (fighting),
3:48; Clackson Adk (fighting), 3:48; Ryan Adk (hooking),
4:48; Nightingale Ct (roughing), 7:55; Weise Ct
(tripping), 8:08; Williams Ct (tripping), 10:37;
Kundratek Ct (delay of game), 15:50.
Shots on Goal-Connecticut 8-8-12-28. Adirondack
8-6-6-20.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 3 / 6; Adirondack
3 / 7.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 5-2-1 (20 shots-16 saves).
Adirondack, Stewart 0-5-0 (27 shots-22 saves).
A-2,170
Referees-Chris Brown (86), David Banfield (44).
Linesmen-Steeve Lemay (64), Jim Harper (59).
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