Entering Sunday, there was no team in the AHL that the Adirondack Phantoms had as much success against as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Adirondack Phantoms had beaten the Sound Tigers six straight times and twice in a row this season. However, the Sound Tigers got off the schnide on Sunday with a 5-3 win at Webster Bank Arena. Bridgeport overcame a 2-1 Phantoms lead in the 3rd period for the win.

Jason Akeson continued his recent torrid scoring pace by scoring two goals, extending his career-high point streak to five straight games (3g, 3a). Akeson now has 14 points (4g, 10a) for the season and trails Denis Hamel by one for the team's scoring lead.

"His (Jason Akeson) shooting has gotten a lot better. He's always been a good passer, but he's shooting more now. He had the one-timer off the rush and a big shot on the power play. He's starting to get more confidence in his shot and he needs to continue to use it," said Phantoms Head Coach Joe Paterson.

Mike Testwuide also played a strong game, assisting on all three of the Phantoms' goals.

"He's (Testwuide) got to be a guy who goes around the net. He gets a lot of his chances from the 5-10 foot areas. He gets a lot of rebound and a lot of pucks hit him. He creates a lot of screens, too, and he was strong in those areas down low today," added Paterson.

The Phantoms also got a goal from Oliver Lauridsen, whose third-period marker was his first goal as a pro.

Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, after a five-hour overnight bus ride from Syracuse, the Phantoms held a 2-1 lead in the third period. However, the Sound Tigers erased the Phantoms' lead, getting goals on Sunday from Jeremy Colliton, Scott Howes, Dylan Reese and Micheal Haley to earn the win. Kevin Poulin made 19 saves on 22 shots and was the winning goalie.

Michael Leighton, the goalie who beat Bridgeport twice earlier this season, made 21 saves and was the losing goalie. Leighton's season record is now 6-5-0.

The Phantoms drop to 9-6-1 (19 pts), which ties them with the Connecticut Whale in the very tight Northeast Divison standings. The Phantoms and Whale are both one point behind the Albany Devils, Springfield Falcons and Bridgeport Sound Tigers for first place.

Tying for first in the division, the Sound Tigers improved to 9-7-2, getting in the win column after a hard-fought loss to the Springfield Falcons on Saturday night.

Although the game finished with a total of seven goals, the teams were scoreless through the day's opening 33 minutes. The Sound Tigers' all-time leading scorer and team captain, Jeremy Colliton, broke the stalemate by scoring a power-play goal at 13:07 of the second period.

The Phantoms roared back four minutes later when Jason Akeson ripped a wrist shot past Poulin's right skate, off the left goalpost and into the net. With a smart play to set up Akeson, Mike Testwuide got the only assist.

The duo of Jason Akeson and Mike Testwuide again connected for a goal in the third period, to put the Phantoms ahead 2-1. Akeson was once again the finisher, launching a howitzer past Poulin from just inside the left point, after dipsy-doodling around a Sound Tigers penalty killer during a four-minute high-sticking double-minor to Scott Howes.

Howes earned retribution by depositing the rebound of a Tim Wallace shot just under the crossbar, less than two minutes after the Phantoms took the lead with him in the penalty box.

A minute later, Harvard University alum. Dylan Reese beat Leighton with a short-side side shot, to give the Sound Tigers a lead they would never relinquish.

Micheal Haley made the score 4-2 by finishing off a 2-on-1 with Rhett Rakshani, midway through the third period, for what proved to be the game-winning goal.

Olivier Lauridsen rifled a hard shot from the left point to beat Poulin with seven minutes left in the game, drawing the Phantoms to within a goal in the final minutes.

Although the Phantoms continued to push for the tie, Tim Wallace sealed a 5-3 Sound Tigers win by scoring an empty-net goal in the game's final minute.

Sunday's game, perhaps the most intense Phantoms game of the season, featured four fights and escalated the growing rivalry of two new division rivals. Tom Sestito dropped the gloves with the notorious Trevor Gillies in a true heavyweight battle. Garrett Klotz and Brett Gallant peppered each other with bushels of haymakers, with both combatants showing little regard for defending themselves. Marc-Andre Bourdon and Tyler McNeely fought late in the second period, while Olivier Lauridsen and Benn Olson finished the day's fight card early in the third period.

"It's two teams in the same division who both want to make the playoffs and played hard against each other. There's a lot of physical play and hitting, and it was a hard battle for both teams," said Paterson.

The Phantoms and Sound Tigers play three more times this season; twice in Glens Falls and one more time in Bridgeport.

The Sound Tigers finished Sunday with a 26-22 shots advantage.

Adirondack was 1-of-7 on the power play. Bridgeport was 1-of-2

The Phantoms' scratches were Shane Harper and Luke Pither.

Upcoming Events

Monday, November 21, 7:00 - Phantoms Power Hour LIVE from McGinny's
Tavern, 193 Glen Street. Player guests, #18 Tyler Brown and #38 Jason
Akeson. Ticket and t-shirt giveaways for fans live at the show. Live
broadcast on Q101.7.

Thursday, November 24, 6:00 - Phantoms at Binghamton Senators

Friday, November 25, 6:00 a.m. - Orange-and-Black Friday Sale! Great discounts on select game tickets and merchandise. The earlier you arrive, the more you save. Runs throughout the day.

Friday, November 25, 7:00 - Springfield Falcons at Phantoms. Annual Black Friday game. '80s Night. $2 draft beer specials through first intermission, Bud Light and Labatt Blue Light.

Saturday, November 26, 7:00 - Albany Devils at Phantoms. Time Warner Cable Cup Rivalry Game #2. Phantoms Snow Cap Giveaway for first 1,000 kids (age 14 and younger) courtesy of UniFirst.

Wednesday, November 30, 7:00 - Syracuse Crunch at Adirondack Phantoms. $1 Hot Dogs. Free tickets with lightly used coat donation to Phantoms office this week.

Phantoms Holiday Socks are on sale now. $49 package for 4 tickets to a premium Phantoms game, an autographed puck, a program, all in a game-worn Phantoms hockey sock. $59 for an autographed stick with the 4 premium game tickets, program and game-worn Phantoms hockey sock.

Be sure to follow the Phantoms on twitter @phantomshockey and on facebook.com/adkhockey

Adirondack Phantoms 3 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5 - Status: Final
Sunday, November 20, 2011 - Webster Bank Arena

Adirondack 0 1 2 - 3
Bridgeport 0 1 4 - 5

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Cizikas Bri (tripping), 1:04; Bourdon Adk (cross-checking), 1:54; Colliton Bri (boarding), 8:04; Wallace Bri (high-sticking), 11:43; Gallant Bri (roughing), 19:40.

2nd Period-1, Bridgeport, Colliton 3 (Ness), 13:07 (PP). 2, Adirondack, Akeson 4 (Testwuide, Kessel), 17:07. Penalties-Sestito Adk (fighting), 9:58; Gillies Bri (fighting), 9:58; Klotz Adk (fighting), 10:00; Gallant Bri (fighting), 10:00; Brown Adk (slashing), 11:59; Bourdon Adk (fighting), 14:11; McNeely Bri (fighting), 14:11.

3rd Period-3, Adirondack, Akeson 5 (Testwuide), 2:48 (PP). 4, Bridgeport, Howes 1 (Wallace, Cizikas), 3:41. 5, Bridgeport, Reese 1 (Rakhshani, Colliton), 7:29. 6, Bridgeport, Haley 1 (Colliton, Rakhshani), 10:27. 7, Adirondack, Lauridsen 1 (Testwuide), 12:29. 8, Bridgeport, Wallace 6 19:13 (EN). Penalties-Lauridsen Adk (fighting), 0:04; Olson Bri (fighting), 0:04; Howes Bri (double minor - high-sticking), 0:21; Rakhshani Bri (holding), 5:15.

Shots on Goal-Adirondack 6-9-7-22. Bridgeport 12-6-8-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 1 / 7; Bridgeport 1 / 2.
Goalies-Adirondack, Leighton 6-5-0 (25 shots-21 saves). Bridgeport, Poulin 4-5-0 (22 shots-19 saves).
A-4,142
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Glen Cooke (6), Marty Demers (79).