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ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS (2-0-0) vs. Syracuse Crunch
(1-0-0)
War Memorial at OnCenter
Saturday, October 15, 7:30 p.m.
Fresh off their second consecutive 6-3 win to start
the season, the Phantoms are right back in action
when they battle the Syracuse Crunch in the team’s
first road game of the season, on Saturday night
at 7:30 p.m. The Phantoms are the only unbeaten
team in the Northeast Division and are just one
of two Eastern Conference teams (Hershey) to have
multiple wins this season without a defeat.
Did You Know
The Phantoms have now won nine straight at the
Glens Falls Civic Center dating back to last season.
Adirondack won their final seven games of the 2010-11
season including their last four game homestand
in which they outscored their opponents by a combined
22-6. The team has picked up right where they left
off to begin the 2011-12 campaign with back-to-back
six goal games for the first time in Adirondack
Phantoms history. The twelve goal total in consecutive
games equals the most ever by the Adirondack Phantoms.
They originally accomplished the feat on that ending
homestand of last year with 9-5 and 3-0 wins on
April 1 and 2 over Albany and Syracuse.
High-Flying Offense
The Phantoms have come out of the gates in 2011-12
playing like a well-oiled offensive machine. While
they’ve excelled as a team—the Phantoms
have the highest goals-per-game rate in the league—several
individuals have stood out.
No Phantom has played a bigger role in the team’s
early success than center Brayden Schenn. Schenn,
a 20-year-old former first-round draft choice of
the Los Angeles Kings, has three goals and three
assists in two games with the Phantoms, including
a hat trick in the team’s 6-3 win over the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday night. Long-regarded
as one of the top offensive prospects in pro hockey,
Schenn came to the Flyers organization in same trade
which sent former Philadelphia captain Mike Richards
to Hollywood.
Harry Zolnierczyk has also been very impressive
in the early going. Although the undrafted Zolnierczyk
didn’t make his professional debut until the
final month of last season (after he finished his
fourth-consecutive season at Brown University) he’s
impressed the Flyers’ brass already with his
explosive speed, soft hands and ability to finish.
In Friday’s win over Bridgeport, Zolnierczyk
had his first-career four-point game, registering
a goal and three assists.
In addition to Schenn and Zolnierczyk, the Phantoms
have had 10 different players score goals in the
first two games, and 14 different skaters register
points.
But while the Phantoms have scored early and often
in their first two games, they’ve been especially
dangerous on the power play. Adirondack’s
man-advantage unit clicked at a rate of 3-of-6 on
Friday, after also scoring in the team’s Opening
Night victory over Connecticut.
Denis Hamel Countdown – 9 Goals
to Catch Merkosky
Returning Phantoms leading scorer Denis Hamel
continues to rise up the all-time AHL ranks in goals,
points and total games played. Last Saturday on
Opening Night, he scored his 316th career AHL goal
putting him in a tie for 15th all-time in AHL history
with current Washington Capitals Head Coach Bruce
Boudreau. Even more exciting for Adironack fans,
Hamel sits just nine goals back of Adirondack Hockey
Hall of Famer Glenn Merkosky for 12th place all-time
in the AHL. The former Adirondack Red Wing great,
Merkosky, had 325 goals from 1980-91.
The scoring machine “Hammer” is creeping
up on 14th place Fred Thurier (319 goals, 1937-52)
and 13th place Bruce Cline, (321 goals, 1955-68)
before he catches Merkosky.
Denis is tied for 42nd all-time in total points
with 606. He is 34th in games played with 777, just
seven games ahead of veteran teammate Dan Jancevski.
Hamel has also played in 192 games in the NHL giving
a total of 969 professional games and an opportunity
to reach the 1,000 game milestone by mid-season.
The “Leight”er, The Better
There is no secret around the American Hockey League
that if Michael Leighton isn’t one of the
top AHL goalies in the league right now, that he
may be one of the best goalies in AHL history. In
Adirondack’s two season-opening wins, Leighton
has been at his best “late” in games.
He’s nabbed 26-of-27 shots in third periods
in the first two games, while the Phantoms are out-scoring
their opponents by a clip of 10-3 over the final
two periods. Leighton is 6th all-time in AHL history
with 34 shutouts which is also the most of any netminder
since 1975. Last year, he had a 2.2 goals against
average and equaled the all-time Phantoms franchise
record with a .926 saves percentage.
Scouting the Syracuse Crunch
After not playing a game in the AHL’s opening
week, the Crunch opened their season with a 5-4
overtime victory over the defending Calder Cup champion
Binghamton Senators on Friday night.
The game’s first star and the scorer of the
overtime-winner in Syracuse’s win over Binghamton
was Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri was drafted in the first
round by the Anaheim Ducks in 2009 (the same draft
which produced Brayden Schenn), and since turning
pro, he has 54 points in 63 AHL games.
Another scoring threat on the Crunch that should
be a familiar face to Phantoms fans is Patrick Maroon.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Maroon played nine
games with the Phantoms last season, before the
Flyers and Ducks made a trade which moved Maroon
from Adirondack to Syracuse in the AHL. Maroon had
been part of the Phantoms since the 2007-08 season,
and he has 39 goals and 67 assists in 157 games
for the Philadelphia and Adirondack Phantoms in
his career.
On the back end, a guy to watch on Syracuse is
6-foot-5 inch defenseman Kurtis Foster, A veteran
of 331 NHL games between the Atlanta Thrashers,
Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers
and Anaheim Ducks, Foster is well-known in the hockey
world for having miraculously resurrectied his career
after a devastating leg injury he suffered during
the 2007-08 season. While a member of the Minnesota
Wild, Foster lost his balance while racing for a
would-be icing and careened into the boards legs-first,
resulting in a broken left femur. Foster’s
unbelievable return to pro hockey made him a nominee
for the NHL’s William Masterton Trophy, awarded
annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies
the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and
dedication to ice hockey.
The Crunch’s goalie on opening night was
Jeff Deslauriers, who made 24 saves on 28 shots.
Deslauriers is a veteran of 58 NHL games with the
Edmonton Oilers.
Affiliate of Brotherly Love
The Phantoms current roster features Eric Wellwood,
Blake Kessel, Tye McGinn and Brayden Schenn, all
of whom have older brothers on NHL rosters.
Blake Kessel’s older brother, Phil, and
Brayden Schenn’s older brother, Luke, both
skate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Phil Kessel has
scored 30 or more goals in each of the last three
seasons and also recorded a hat trick last Saturday
while Blake notched his first professional point
with Adirondack. Phil has 128 career goals with
the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs entering
this season.
Luke Schenn was picked fifth overall in the NHL
Entry Draft in 2008 and then Brayden was grabbed
fifth overall exactly one year later by Los Angeles.
Luke is in his fourth season as a defenseman with
Tornoto.
Tye McGinn’s brother Jamie plays for San Jose.
Jaime has been a part of the Sharks organization
since 2006-07. On October 3, 2009 he scored the
game-winning goal in the first ever Adirondack Phantoms
game at the Glens Falls Civic Center as a member
of the visiting Worcester Sharks.
Eric Wellwood’s brother, Kyle, is part of
the newly-formed Winnipeg Jets. He has also played
for the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and
Vancouver Canucks. Kyle has played in 373 NHL games
entering this season scoring 68 goals and 105 assists
for 173 points. He scored a career high 18 goals
with Vancouver in 2008-09.
Head Coach Joe Paterson
Joe Paterson returns for his second season as
head coach of the Adirondack Phantoms. The Glen
Lake resident assumed the reigns midway through
2010-11 and has guided the team to a 26-16-8 mark
since December 20, 2010. As a player, Paterson played
in 293 NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings,
Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Philadelphia
Flyers. In the AHL, Paterson was a left wing on
the Adirondack Red Wings from 1981-84, and scored
52 goals and 122 points in 169-career games. He
also served as an assistant coach of the Adirondack
Red Wings for three seasons from 1992-94, under
Newell Brown. He played under Doug McKay, Bill Mahoney
and Bill Dineen while with the Red Wings. His best
season with Adirondack as a player was in 1981-82,
when he scored 22 goals and 28 assists, for 50 points,
in 74 games.
Don’t Miss the all-new Phantoms
Power Hour
The Phantoms’ new radio show, the “Phantoms
Power Hour,” debuts LIVE from McGinny’s
Tavern at 193 Glen Street in Glens Falls, this coming
Monday. The show will air on Q101.7 every Monday
at 7:00 and feature special guests from your Adirondack
Phantoms. This week’s special guests include
#15 Brayden Schenn and #19 Luke Pither.
Be Here! Phantoms Tickets are On Sale
Now!
Adirondack Phantoms game tickets are on sale now.
Starting at just $12.25 for adults and $10 for kids
it’s the best entertainment value in town.
Season tickets offer great savings and outstanding
perks and benefits. 22 game and 12 game plans give
the fans flexibility to choose the games that work
best for their schedule while also saving big compared
with purchasing the tickets individually. Call the
Phantoms at 518-480-3355 to find out more.
Phantoms to Host Outdoor Classic
The Phantoms have announced they will be a part
of the NHL Winter Classic week-long celebration
of hockey when they host the Hershey Bears on January
6 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. This will
be only the third outdoor game in AHL history and
is the first to be associated with the NHL Winter
Classics. It is also the first ever outdoor game
for the Phantoms.
"This is an extremely exciting day for the
Phantoms organization and Phantoms fans everywhere,"
said Phantoms President Rob Brooks. "A hockey
celebration and atmosphere unlike anything the AHL
has ever seen will happen at Citizens Bank Park.
We are extremely grateful to (Comcast Spectacor
President) Peter Luukko for helping make this truly
great event a reality."
Citizens Bank Park will also host the Philadelphia
Flyers vs. the New York Rangers on January 2. It
is the baseball home for the Philadelphia Phillies
and will have a seating capacity of approximately
40,000. The Phantoms are hoping to break the all-time
AHL attendance record of 21,673 set last season
at an outdoor game in East Hartford, Conn.
On the Air!
All Adirondack Phantoms games are carried live
on the flagship home of the Phantoms Hockey Network,
Classic Hits Q101.7 FM. Each broadcast begins with
a 30 pregame show. Also featured is an extended
post-game show including audio replay highlights
of the big goals so be sure to tune in as you driving
home after the game. Bob Rotruck returns for his
second season has the Voice of the Phantoms.
Fans can also listen on the Phantoms Hockey Network
on the internet at phantomshockey.com and on the
team’s alternative audio link, ustream.tv/channel/phantomsradio
. Games can also be seen on www.ahllive.com. The
presenting sponsor of the Phantoms Hockey Network
is Curtis Lumber.
Beginning Monday, October 17 is the all new "Phantoms
Power Hour" weekly show airing live from McGinny's
Tavern in downtown Glens Falls. The show featuring
Phantoms players, host Bob Rotruck, and you, the
fans, airs on Mondays from 7-8 p.m. on Q101.7. #19
Luke Pither and #15 Brayden Schenn are schedule
to appear on the debut show this Monday.
Jimmer Bobbleheads and More!
The first ever bobblehead of local sports icon
Jimmer Fredette highlights a great schedule of promotional
giveaways, events and bargains and fun. Even more
post-game skates with the players and lots of other
opportunities for fans to interact with the team.
Magnet Schedules, Youth Jerseys, T-Shirts, Youth
Knit Caps and that’s just to name a few.
Every Sunday home game is Sunday Family Fun Pack
Day when $39 gets you an amazing value with three
tickets, three hot dogs, three sodas, bucket of
popcorn and a program. All Wednesday games are Dollar
Hot Dog Nights.
Don’t forget other fun and special events
like Pucks and Paws on December 28 when fans can
bring their dog to the game. And the On Ice Halloween
Costume Parade on October 29.
Social Media Milestone
The Adirondack Phantoms thank all of our great
fans for helping us surpass reach the 10,000 milestone
for total social media followers. 6,400 fans on
our team’s Facebook page and over 3,800 fans
following us on twitter. And we’re growing
all the time! Be sure to keep up with the latest
Phantoms happenings and follow the Phantoms on twitter
@phantomshockey and on facebook.com/adkhockey
Get great savings and have fun with your friends,
family or co-workers by bringing your group of 15
or more fans to enjoy fast-paced, hard-hitting Phantoms
hockey. Call the Phantoms to find out more at 518-480-3355
and check the team's website at phantomshockey.com.
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