February 1, 2011

Upcoming Games

Friday, February 3, 7:00 - Norfolk Admirals at Adirondack Phantoms
Saturday, February 4, 7:00 - Providence Bruins at Adirondack Phantoms

Phantoms Results

Wednesday, January 24: Manchester Monarchs 5 - Adirondack Phantoms 1
Friday, January 26: Bridgeport Sound Tigers 6 - Adirondack Phantoms 2
Saturday, January 27: Albany Devils 3 - Adirondack Phantoms 0

Coming Up

The Phantoms play back-to-back home games this weekend as they host the high-flying Norfolk Admirals and then take on the Providence Bruins for the first time in two years.

Friday night features $2 draft beers through the first intermission. Then the Saturday night game stands to be one of the biggest of the year on Jimmer Fredette Bobblehead Night for the first 3,000 fans. The Phantoms are expecting fans to be lined up well ahead of time for the premium Saturday giveaway. It's the first ever bobblehead of the local basketball star and is sure to be an extremely popular item. First come, first served! Please plan ahead for this event. Get your tickets ahead of time and save. Call the Phantoms for more information at 518-480-3355.

Adirondack has 29 standings points at home for the second highest total in the AHL and most in the Eastern Conference. The Phantoms are 14-8-1 on home-ice as they look to build on that mark this weekend.

The Friday game against Norfolk is the first of three that the Phantoms will play against the Admirals over a nine day stretch. Adirondack travels to southeast Virginia for a pair of games on February 9 and 10 as well.

The Phantoms are looking to get back on the winning track following their toughest stretch of the season. Adirondack stands at 21-21-2 overall for 44 points. The Phantoms are just three points behind Portland and Connecticut for the coveted eight spot in the conference race. And they are only five points behind Bridgeport in the division race. Their opponent on Saturday, Providence, stands just one point ahead of the Phantoms in the conference race.

The Phantoms stand at 21-21-2 for 44 points and are looking to get back on the winning track against their opponents this weekend. It's 45 games down and 31 games to go for Adirondack as they come closer and closer to the stretch-run aiming for an April date in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Outdoor Classic Jersey Auction

The Phantoms Outdoor Jersey Auction continues online at ebay. Many of the great uniforms that the team wore in their thrilling January 6 overtime victory in front of over 45,000 crazed fans at Citizens Bank Park are on sale on the internet through this Friday evening at 10:00pm. Get your bids in now and good luck! You could win the game-worn jersey from the Outdoor Classic of one of your favorite Phantoms players. For more, go to phantomshockey.com and click on the Jersey Auction link.

More Jersey Auctions

Some more Phantoms jerseys will be available via LIVE auction from down on the ice immediately after the big Saturday night game against Providence on Jimmer Bobblehead night. Get ready to bid! Select Pink in the Rink jerseys and others will be available exclusively in this live auction happening right after the Saturday game.

Congrats Leights!

Michael Leighton played in his third AHL All-Star Classic and represented the Phantoms extremely well. He allowed only two goals in his one period of work as the starting goalie (a good total for an All-Star Game) and left with a 6-2 lead for the Eastern Conference. Leighton was clearly the most popular player in Atlantic City and drew the loudest ovation for the pregame introductions.

Leighton also played in the AHL All-Star games in 2002 with Norfolk and in 2008 with the Albany River Rats.

Former Philadelphia Phantoms standout and head coach John Stevens was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame over the weekend. And another Calder Cup winning Phantoms coach, Bill Barber from 1998, served as one of the team's honorary captains and enjoyed the game standing along the bench.

Many Phantoms fans could be seen proudly wearing their team's gear throughout the nationally televised game.

Roster Moves

Ben Holmstrom, Tom Sestito and Harry Zolnierczyk all were recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers at the beginning of this week. Holmstrom was loaned back to the Phantoms following Philadelphia's game on Tuesday and will be eligible to play with Adirondack on Friday night.

Andrew Rowe has returned to the Phantoms following two games with Greenville in the ECHL and Luke Pither comes back to the team following four games with Trenton in the ECHL.

Phantoms Impact

Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette has relied heavily on his prospects from his AHL team in Adirondack this season.

No fewer than eight Phantoms from late last year and earlier this season have been in the lineup during the Flyers past few games. Those Phantoms getting the recent Philly ice-time have included; Marc-Andre Bourdon, Erik Gustafsson, Ben Holmstrom, Matt Read, Zac Rinaldo, Brayden Schenn, Tom Sestito, Harry Zolnierczyk.

Players currently with the Phantoms who have also spent time with the Flyers this season have included Kevin Marshall, Matt Walker and Eric Wellwood.

Northeast Division Standings

1. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (49 pts)
2. Connecticut Whale (47 pts)
3. Albany Devils (46 pts)
4. Springfield Falcons (45 pts)
5. Adirondack Phantoms (44 pts)

Week in Review

Wednesday, January 25 (Manchester 5 - Adirondack 1)

The Monarchs were able to avenge a 5-3 loss at the Glens Falls Civic Center just 11 days prior to even the season series with the Phantoms at one game each. Manchester scored three goals in a 2:22 stretch of the second period to break-open a 1-0 game and stretch it to a 4-0 lead.

The Phantoms trailed only 1-0 midway through the game and had several chances on Manchester goalie Jeff Zatkoff to tie the score but were unable to do so. Right when the Phantoms power play ended, the Monarchs hit Jordan Nolan right out of the box on a breakaway to start the quick spurt of goals.

Mike Testwuide's eighth of the year got the Phantoms on the board. Manchester was led by Brandon Kozun with his 11th and 12th of the season.

Friday, January 27 (Bridgeport 6 - Adirondack 2)

The Phantoms blasted away for 53 shots on goal but only were able to push two of them past Sound Tigers goalie Kevin Poulin as they fell to Bridgeport.

Adirondack opened with 25 shots in the first period, the most of any AHL team in a single period this year, but the score was tied at 1-1 after those first 20 minutes. Tom Sestito scored on a backhander to give Adirondack the lead while Poulin made several remarkable saves. The home team easily could have scored three or four goals (or more) in the period were it not for Poulin's acrobatics.

Adirondack's 53 shots in the game was the second most in the AHL this year. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a 54 shot game in November and Norfolk also had a 53 shot game in November.

Bridgeport scored back-to-back power play goals early in the second period for a 3-1 lead. Harry Zolnierczyk scored his first Phantoms goal since October to cut the Bridgeport advantage lead to 4-2 in the third period but the Sound Tigers quickly answered and then were able to close out the win.

The Phantoms were in good company by being victimized by Bridgeport. The Sound Tigers have had the most dramatic turnaround as the hottest team in the AHL and have gone unbeaten in regulation so far in 2012 with an amazing 10-0-1 run.

Saturday, January 28 (Albany 3 - Adirondack 0)

The Phantoms stepped up their defense and played an improved game from the night before but were not able to land the victory at the Albany Devils.

Albany held a 1-0 lead for most of the game as they were barely able to hold off the Phantoms attack. The Devils scored a hugely valuable insurance goal with five minutes remaining and then tacked on an empty-netter in the final seconds of the game.

Tom Sestito's older brother, Tim, scored on a big one-timer rushing up the ice to give the Devils the 1-0 lead a few minutes into the second period. Jason Bacashihua played well for the Phantoms but took the loss allowing two goals. Rookie Keith Kinkaid recorded his third shutout of the season for the Devils.

It was only the second time this season the Phantoms have been shutout and the first time since December 6 when they lost a 1-0 overtime battle at the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Albany benefited from their largest crowd in franchise history with 8,200 fans on hand including many Phantoms fans as is always the case when the Phantoms head down the Northway to take on their area rivals.

The Devils evened the Time Warner Cable Cup series at three games apiece with four more games remaining in the season set. Adirondack and Albany do not meet again until March.


Phantoms Breakdown

-- Jason Akeson leads the team in points with 33 including 10 goals and 23 assists. He is fourth of among AHL rookies in helpers and is sixth in points. Akeson led the OHL in assists (84) and points (108) last year with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL.

-- Denis Hamel has heated up again with four goals in his last eight games and leads the Phantoms with 15 goals. He is well on his way to an amazing 10th season with 20 or more goals.

-- Tyler Brown has scored four of his five goals in 2012.

-- Mike Testwuide has two goals in his last three games and Jon Kalinski has three goals in his last five.

-- Michael Leighton is fifth in the league in total minutes (1730) and saves (792).

-- The Phantoms have outshot their opponents in 10 of their last 11 games.

-- The Phantoms are 4-1 in overtime games this year and are 2-1 in shootouts for a combined record of 6-2 in games decided past regulation. All four Adirondack overtime wins have come on home-ice although the most recent one was at their home game played at Philadelphia in the outdoor game on January 6. Since an overtime loss at Hamilton on December 6, the Phantoms have won four straight games decided past regulation.

-- Adirondack is 17th in total offense at 2.8 goals scored per game. They are 20th in total defense at 3.0 goals allowed.

-- ADK's power play is 17th at 17.3%. The penalty kill is 18th at 81.7%.

-- Adirondack is 4-0-1 against the Western Conference (games against Rochester, Toronto and Hamilton) and are 2-0-1 against Canadian teams.

--The Phantoms are 15-1-1 when leading after two periods and are an impressive 11-1-1 when leading after one period.

--The Phantoms are 17-7-1 when they score first. The Phantoms are 12-7-2 in one-goal decisions.

--Adirondack is 14-8-1 at home this year and have the most points at home of any Eastern Conference team and second highest total in the AHL . The Phantoms are 17-4-1 when they score three or more goals.


Phantoms Leaders (Goals - Assists - Points):

Jason Akeson 10-23-33
Denis Hamel 15-13-28
Ben Holmstrom 11-13-24
Mike Testwuide 8-15-23
Garrett Roe 5-16-21
Eric Wellwood 9-11-20
Tom Sestito 9-8-17
Shane Harper 6-9-15

Michael Leighton - 14-16-0, 2.84, .906
Jason Bacashihua - 7-6-1, 2.98, .902


Upcoming Opponents

Norfolk Admirals (Tampa Bay Lightning) -
The Phantoms are 1-1-1 against Norfolk so far this year. In Norfolk's last visit to the GFCC on October 26, the two teams hooked up for a wild and entertaining battle which saw Adirondack fall in a shootout 5-4 after Denis Hamel was able to tie the game with 30 seconds left in regulation with an amazing tip-in deflection goal from the side of the cage.

Second-year head coach Jon Cooper has a talented corps that stands at 26-16-3 for fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. The high-flying Admirals are second in the league (out of 30 teams) in scoring at 3.5 goals per game trailing only the Hershey Bears. They are second in the league in shots and first in the conference with 33.4 per game. Impressively, their shots allowed is also second best at 26.7. Norfolk's D is 13th at 2.9 goals allowed.

Rookie sensation Cory Conacher leads the league with 25 goals and is fourth in points with 49. Another tremendous rookie, Carter Ashton, is 4th among league rookies with 17 goals and second in assists with 24. Conacher and Ashton both represented Norfolk in the AHL All-Star Classic as did defenseman Mark Barberio who has 32 assists which paces all American League blueliners.

Yet another rookie, Tyler Johnson, has 15 goals including a couple in a late comeback win Norfolk notched against the Phantoms on December 3 at Scope Arena.

Dustin Tokarski has seen the bulk of the playing time in goal going 18-10-0, 2.50, .900.


Prpovidence Bruins (Boston Bruins) -
The Phantoms and P-Bruins are meeting for the first time in almost two years. The last game between the two was March 13, 2010 when Jeremy Duchesne notched a 28 saves shutout a 4-0 Phantoms triumph. David Laliberte, Jared Ross and Stefan Legein were among the goal scorers that night at the GFCC.

Providence is 20-20-5 for 45 points and is just one point ahead of Adirondack in the conference standings in this key battle for teams fighting to get back into the top eight. The Bruins have gone 4-0-1 in their last five to battle their way out of the cellar.

Rookie Carter Camper out of Miami (Ohio) is the team's leading scorer with 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points. Camper represented the Bruins at the AHL All-Star Classic in Atlantic City last Monday where he was teammates with Michael Leighton.

Josh Hennessey has 13 goals to lead the team.

Former Minnesota Wild prospect Anton Khubodin is usually in net for Providence in his first full season with the team after coming over from Houston in a late season trade with the Minnesota organization last year. He has played in 33 of the team's 45 games going 16-14-3, 2.63, .919. He is second in the league in total minutes with 1960 and is first in total saves with 980.

Providence is struggling offensively. They are dead last in the AHL (out of 30) in both total offense at 2.3 goals per game, and on the power play at only 13.1%. Their penalty kill is 5th overall and 2nd in the conference at 84.7% and their total defense is 12th at 2.84 goals allowed per game.

Transactions

Jan 27 - Harry Zolnierczyk, Ben Holmstrom and Tom Sestito all loaned to ADK from Philadelphia
Jan 29 - Andrew Rowe loaned to Greenville (ECHL)
Jan 29 - Luke Pither loaned to Trenton (ECHL)
Jan 31 - Harry Zolnierczyk, Ben Holmstrom and Tom Sestito all recalled by Philadelphia
Jan 31 - Andrew Rowe recalled from Greenville (ECHL)
Feb 1 - Ben Holmstrom loaned to Adirondack
Feb 2 - Luke Pither recalled from Trenton (ECHL)

Phantoms Day-by-Day

Wednesday, February 1 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am)
Thursday, February 2 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am)
Friday, February 3 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am). Game vs. Norfolk (7:00)
Saturday, February 4 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am). Game vs. Providence (7:00)
Sunday, February 5 - Practice To Be Determined
Monday, February 6 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am)
Tuesday, February 7 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am)
Wednesday, February 8 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am). Afternoon bus departs for Norfolk, Va.

Upcoming Events

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

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 from McGinny's. Player Guests Dan Jancevski and Matt Walker. Airs live on 101.7

Friday, February 10, 7:30 - Adirondack Phantoms at Norfolk Admirals

Saturday, February 11, 7:15 - Adirondack Phantoms at Norfolk Admirals

Tuesday, February 14, 7::00 - 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