January 30, 2011

The Adirondack Phantoms have announced that three forwards have been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers after a brief loan to the AHL last week according the Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. Ben Holmstrom, Tom Sestito and Harry Zolnierczyk are returning to the big club after playing last Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with the Phantoms during the NHL All-Star Break.

The Phantoms also announced that Andrew Rowe has been recalled from his loan to Greenville of the ECHL. Luke Pither, who is on loan to Trenton of the ECHL, will remain with the team for their upcoming home game on Wednesday.

The three players headed to the NHL will all be eligible to skate for Philadelphia in their next game, Tuesday night, against the Winnipeg Jets at Wells Fargo Center.

Harry Zolnierczyk is in his first full season of professional hockey after completing his collegiate career at Brown University and joining the Phantoms last season for the team's last 13 games. The Ivy League Player of the Year made his NHL debut on October 18 and scored a highlight-reel caliber goal at Ottawa that was featured on ESPN SportsCenter and other highlight shows in his first game with the Flyers. He was called up again on October 30 and stayed with the Flyers for 34 games scoring three goals and two assists. "Harry Z" scored one goal last week with the Phantoms and has six goals in 12 games this season for Adirondack.

The 24-year-old Holmstrom is in his second season of professional hockey and is the captain of the Phantoms. He has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points this year in 38 games. He is also second on the team in penalty minutes with 105. For Holmstrom, this is his fourth call-up to the Flyers this year. He played for Philadelphia on December 19 in his home state of Colorado against Avalanche. He also played on November 2 at the Buffalo Sabres and also played in two games with the Flyers last year in March and in April. His most recent call-up saw him log action on January 22 vs. Boston and January 24 at Florida.

The UMass-Lowell product from Colorado Springs was named the Phantoms' Team Most Valuable Player last year,as a rookie, with 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points.

Sestito is in his first full season in the Flyers organization and fifth year as a pro. Sestito has played five games with the Flyers this year. Three were from December 19-23 and the most recent two were Janaury 22 and 24. Prior to this season he had played 13 games in the NHL, all with Columbus. Nine of those NHL games came last year with the Blue Jackets where he scored two goals and two assists.

He spent his first four seasons in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization primarily with their AHL clubs in Syracuse and then in Springfield. He came to the Phantoms when Philadelphia traded Greg Moore for Sestito on February 27, 2011.

The big guy from Rome, NY is the younger brother of Tim Sestito who was just sent down to Albany after a stay with the New Jersey Devils. Tom Sestito has nine goals and eight assists for 16 points and a team-high 120 penalty minutes.

Andrew Rowe played in two road games with Greenville last week and got to enjoy the sunny weather in Ft. Myers where they took on the Florida Everblades. The second-year pro out of Michigan State began this season on the shelf for a couple months with an upper-body injury. He has played in 14 games with Adirondack scoring three goals and one assist. Last year, he played in 55 games with the Phantoms in his rookie season scoring seven goals and 12 points. He also played in 10 ECHL regular season games with Greenville and 11 post-season games scoring a total of nine goals and 14 points in his combined 21 games with the Road Warriors.

Pither has played in three games with the Trenton Titans so far recording one assist. He has played in 24 games with the Phantoms this year scoring two goals, including an important tally at the Outdoor Classic on January 6. These are his first ever games at the ECHL level. Last year, the former Barrie Colts standout scored nine goals and 20 points in 67 games with Adirondack in his rookie season.

Upcoming Events


Friday, February 3, 7:00 - Norfolk Admirals at Adirondack Phantoms. $2 draft beer specials

Saturday, February 4, 7:00 - Providence Bruins at Adirondack Phantoms. Jimmer Fredette Bobbleheads (first 3,000 fans).

Monday, February 6, 7:00 - Phantoms Power Hour LIVE at

Friday, February 10 - Adirondack Phantoms at Norfolk Admirals

Saturday, February 11 - Adirondack Phantoms at Norfolk Admirals

Tuesday, February 14 - Adirondack Phantoms at Toronto Marlies

Get great savings with the Phantoms when you bring your group of 15 friends or co-workers to a game. Group-rates available as low as $13 per person. Call the Phantoms to find out more at 518-480-3355.

Check out the Half-Price Discount Outlet at phantomshockey.com for great savings from some of our awesome Phantoms corporate partners. Get half-off cards to local restaurants and other stores!

Catch all the action of Phantoms hockey all season long on the team's flagship station, Classic Hits Q101.7 and on phantomshockey.com. Bob Rotruck has the broadcast coverage 30 minutes prior to game-time with Countdown to Faceoff.. Be sure to follow the Phantoms on twitter @phantomshockey and on facebook.com/adkhockey