February 29, 2012

Upcoming Games

Friday, March 2 (7:00pm) - Adirondack Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Saturday, March 3 (5:00pm) - Adirondack Phantoms at Albany Devils
Sunday, March 4 (3:00pm) - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Adirondack Phantoms

Phantoms Results

Friday, February 24 - Rochester Americans 2 - Adirondack Phantoms 0
Saturday, February 25 - Adirondack Phantoms 2 - Binghamton Senators 1
Sunday, February 26 - Adirondack Phantoms 4 - Syracuse Crunch 3

Coming Up

The Phantoms play another three-in-three stretch this weekend capped by a home game on Sunday afternoon against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Leading into the home game, the Phantoms have a couple more key games against teams right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff battle with Adirondack.

Adirondack has had successful back-to-back weekends posting wins in two out of three each time. The Phantoms have now won four of their last six games and have notched points in five of their last seven to close to within just five points of a playoff spot in the AHL Eastern Conference.

It will really be a Sunday Family Fun-Day for this Sunday's game! Scooby Doo will be making a big Glens Falls Civic Center appearance at the game to join in the fun on Dax's Kids Club Day. The game also features a post-game skate with the Phantoms players courtesy of Glens Falls Hospital. Fans MUST be wearing skates to go on the ice with the players. The deadline for fans to order their Sunday Family 3-Pack is at the end of business Friday. The package includes 3 tickets, 3 hot dogs, 3 sodas, one large popcorn and one program all for only $39 which is a savings of $26.

Friday night's game is at at the Providence Bruins, who sit just three points ahead of the Phantoms in the standings. Saturday's game is at the Time Warner Cable Cup rival Albany Devils at 5:00. Albany currently holds down the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference and sits just five points ahead of Adirondack in the standings. The Time Warner Cable Cup Series is even at three games apiece with just four games remaining in the 2011-12 rivalry. The Phantoms are looking to change the trend of the home team having won each game so far.

For Sunday's game, the Phantoms are looking for their 18th win on home-ice this year. It is their first meeting of the season against the Penguins who are one of the best road team in the AHL.

Adirondack stands just five points back of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 21 games remaining in the regular season. The playoff push is on! Let's Go Phantoms!!

Phantoms Ticket Specials

The Adirondack Phantoms have announced a couple of great ticket specials. Get 'em while they're hot!

Get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit and feel the luck of the Irish and the O'Phantoms! Two tickets plus a specially designed green Adirondack O'Phantoms T-Shirt are only $30.

The Northway 2-Pack including two tickets to each of Adirondack's upcoming Time Warner Cable Cup rivalry games on March 10 and April 6. The package also includes a hockey stick autographed by an Adirondack Phantoms player. The whole package is a great bargain at $65.

Call the Phantoms to find out more and order your great ticket packages today. 518-480-3355.

Whites Jerseys Auction

The Phantoms will be holding a live auction for the game-worn white jerseys following the game on Friday, March 9. Get ready to bid! All of the white jerseys will be available for bidding. Dan Miner will serve as emcee for the big event.

Roster Moves

Eric Wellwood has been returned to the Adirondack Phantoms from the Philadelphia Flyers. He came back to the team on Tuesday and has been practicing with the Phantoms all week. On this recent call-up, Wellwood played in three games with the Flyers and scored his first career NHL goal on February 18 against Pittsburgh.

Now that Michael Leighton and Jason Bacashihua are healthy again, Brad Phillips has been loaned back to Trenton (ECHL) after winning his AHL debut this past Sunday. Way to go Brad!

Northeast Division Standings

1. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (66 pts)
2. Connecticut Whale (66 pts)
3. Albany Devils (60 pts)
4. Springfield Falcons (58 pts)
5. Adirondack Phantoms (55 pts)

Week in Review

Friday, February 24 (Rochester 2 - Adirondack 0)

The Phantoms began their All New York weekend in the western part of the state and ran into red-hot David Leggio on Friday night who made 27 saves in recording the Rochester shutout. Adirondack had several close calls but never got the bounce they needed as they sustained their first regulation loss to the Western Conference this year to move to 4-1-2.

Michael Leighton played very well on the Phantoms' side and gave up just a couple of goals to David Whitmore and Dennis Persson.

Adirondack is now 2-1 against Rochester in 2011-12 with one game remaining in the season series.

Saturday, February 25 (Adirondack 2 - Binghamton 1, SO)

In one of the most entertaining games of the year, goaltenders Michael Leighton and Mike McKenna put on a spectacular show against two hard-working and frustrated offenses. The Phantoms cranked out 52 shots in the game, including 29 in the first period, and finally were able to close out a 2-1 win in the shootout on the road.

Adirondack's 29 shots in the first period had McKenna diving and scrambling and saving in every possibile direction. It was the most shots on goal in a period by any AHL team since January, 2007 when Hartford had 30.

Rob Bordson, in just his second game back with the Phantoms, chipped in a loose puck on a scramble in the slot on the 29th of those shots for the Adirondack 1-0 lead with just :08 remaining in the period. he woudl go on to score the clincher in the shootout in the fourth round as well after Michael Leighton made saves on all four shootout skaters he faced.

The Phantoms hit the post at least three times in the game including big blasts by Shane Harper in the first, Tye McGinn in the second, and Erik Gustafsson in the third.

Adirondack killed off a late third period and early-overtime power play to stay alive. And the rest of overtime turned into a virtual game of shimmy with both teams getting some more tremendous odd-man rush opportunities including a near-winner for Harry Zolnierczyk with 15 seconds left in the extra period that was stoned by McKenna.

The two teams combined for an amazing 94 shots in the game.

Sunday, February 26 (Adirondack 4 - Syracuse 3)

Brad Phillips found out when he arrived to the arena that he would be getting the start in goal and making his AHL debut. He came through in a big-time way and the second-year pro out of Notre Dame posted an exciting victory.

Michael Leighton had joined Garrett Roe and Marc-Andre Bourdon on the sidelines as the latest to fall victim to the flu-bug.

The Phantoms staked the new netminder to a 3-0 lead in the first period on a pair of goals by Andrew Rowe and another by Tye McGinn. Then Matt Ford stretched it to 4-0 with his power play goal in the second period for his sixth goal since joining the Phantoms at the beginning of February.

Kyle Palmieri, a former teammate of Phillips at Notre Dame, lit the lamp on a penalty-shot late in the second period for his league leading 31st of the year. And J.F. Jacques scores a pair of goals in the third including one with 1:05 remaining to make it a one-goal game. But Adirondack was able to hold off the late surge and hang on for the win.

The Phantoms improved to 4-2 against Syracuse this season with still four games remaining between the two teams. Adirondack recorded their 17th home-ice win this year, the most in the Eastern Conference.

Phantoms Breakdown

-- Michael Leighton is sixth in the league in total minutes (2146) and fourth in saves (1014). His 30 career shutouts are 6th all-time in AHL history and are the most of any AHL goalie since 1975. He has one shutout this season (at Portland on October 21, 3-0) and had five shutouts with the Phantoms last year.

-- Jason Akeson leads the team in points with 42 including 10 goals and 32 assists. He is third among AHL rookies in helpers and is seventh in points. Akeson led the OHL in assists (84) and points (108) last year with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL.

-- Denis Hamel is tops on the Phantoms in goals with 16 and is second in points with 33. The 34-year-old veteran is 11th all-time in AHL history with 331 career goals. He played his 1000th career professional game on December 31st which included 192 NHL games mostly with Buffalo and Ottawa. He is in pursuit of an amazing 10th AHL season with 20 or more goals.

-- Matt Ford led the team in scoring in February. The new acquisition had 10 goals this year with the Hershey Bears prior to coming over to the Phantoms in a trade for Kevin Marshall. Last month, the 27 year old from West Hills, CA had six goals including a pair of multi-goal games against Manchester on February 17 and 19.

-- Hamel has taken over the league lead in shots with 224. He is two ahead of Chris Bourque of the Hershey Bears.

-- Tyler Brown has scored six of his seven goals in 2012.

-- Adirondack has moved up to 12th in the league in shots per game at 30.4. After starting a bit more slowly, the Phantoms have posted games recently of 53 shots and 52 shots in a game which are both among the top 5 in the AHL this year. On February 24 at Binghamton, Adirondack recorded 29 shots in the first period which is the most in a period for any AHL team since January of 2007 when Hartford had 30.

-- The Phantoms are 20th in the league in total offense at 2.73 goals per game. They are 18th in total defense at 2.89 goals allowed per contest.

--The Phantoms are 19-1-1 when leading after two periods and are an impressive 16-2-1 when leading after one period.

--The Phantoms are 22-8-2 when they score first. The Phantoms are 14-9-3 in one-goal decisions.

--Adirondack is 17-9-1 at home this year which is the second most home wins in the AHL.

Phantoms Leaders (Goals - Assists - Points):

Jason Akeson 10-32-42
Denis Hamel 16-17-33
Ben Holmstrom 11-20-31
Garrett Roe 7-21-28
Mike Testwuide 8-15-23
Eric Wellwood 9-12-21
Shane Harper 9-11-20

Michael Leighton - 17-20-0, 2.76, .911
Jason Bacashihua - 8-8-1, 2.81, .909

Upcoming Opponents

Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins) -

The Bruins sit just three points ahead of Adirondack in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race with a record of 26-25-6. On February 4, Providence came into a sold-out Glens Falls Civic Center and escaped with a 3-2 win in the first game played between the two teams in two years. Denis Hamel had appeared to tie the game with a miraculous goal from the red-line with just one second remaining, but the goal was disallowed due to offsides.

Providence is led by rookie Carter Camper, who just scored his first NHL goal last week with Boston. the Miami (Ohio) product has a team leading 24 assists along with 14 goals and 38 points.

Josh Hennessey and Jamie Tardiff had 15 goals each to lead the team.

Anton Khubodin has received the bulk of the playing time in goal going 19-17-3, 2.60, .919.

After a 6-0-1 stretch into early February, the P-Bruins have sputtered along a bit going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. Providence is last in the Eastern Conference and 28th (out of 30) in the AHL in total offense at just 2.5 goals per game. The defense is 14th at 2.8 goals allowed. The Bruins' power play is 30th out of 30 at just 13% while their penalty kill is 16th at 82.5%.

Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils) -

The 26-21-8 Devils currently hold down the eighth, and last, playoff spot in the Eastern Conference heading into the last six weeks of the regular season. Albany has battled their way up the standings by going 7-3-0 in their last 10 games.

Adirondack and Albany are tied in their Time Warner Cable Cup rivalry series at three games apiece with four games remaining between the two. The home team has taken the victory in the first six games of the season series.

Vladimir Zharkov is tops in points with 32. There is a four-way tie for the team's goal-scoring lead on the balanced offense as Zharkov, Joe Whitney, Steve Zalewski and Eric Gelinas all have 12 goals this year.

Rookie Keith Kinkaid out of Union College posted a 3-0 shutout win against the Phantoms on January 28 and has gone 15-14-1, 2.77, .907 this season.

Albany's power play is 14th (out of 15) in the conference and 28th (out of 30) in the league at just 14.3%. Their penalty kill is only 23rd at 80%. Their offense rated 25th at just 2.6 goals per game and the defense is middle-of-the-pack at 16th allowing 2.9 per contest.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) -

Adirondack and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton meet for the first time in the regular season and their only encounter this year in Glens Falls. The Penguins are fourth in the conference and second in the difficult East Division with a record of 32-18-7 for 71 points.

WBS has thrived on the road while struggling at home this season. Their 20-6-3 mark on away ice is second best in the league. In their home building their are only 12-12-4.

The Penguins have been struggling a bit of late, partly due to callups to Pittsburgh. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and recently had last year's AHL Goalie of the Year, Brad Thiessen, called up to the NHL where he won in his Pittsburgh debut last Sunday.

Scott Munroe is taking over the bulk of the goaltending duties in Thiessen's absence. He has an impressive 12-4-3 record despite a lowish .898 saves percentage and decent 2.75 goals against average.

The Penguins get it done with team defense. They limit opponents to a league best 26.2 shots on goal against them per game. Even with that impressive statistic, they are only 21st in total team defense at 3.02 goals allowed per game.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 11th in shots taken at 30.61 and their overall offense is among the best in the league, rating fifth at 3.21 goals per game.

Brian Lerg leads the way with 22 goals and 22 assists. Second year pro Ben Street has 18 goals and 22 helpers. Colin McDonald has 31 assists to go along with his 12 tallies.

Transactions

Feb 21 - Rob Bordson (F) Signed to SPC with ADK from Trenton (ECHL)
Feb 25 - Brad Phillips (G) Recalled by ADK from loan to Trenton (ECHL)
Feb 27 - Eric Wellwood (F) Loaned to ADK by Philadelphia (NHL)
Feb 28 - Brad Phillips (G) Loaned to Trenton (ECHL)

Phantoms Day-by-Day

Thursday, March 1 - Practice at Rec Center (10:00am). Bus to Providence
Friday, March 2 - Practice at Providence (11:00am). Game at Providence (7:00pm)
Saturday, March 3 - Practice at GFCC (10:30am). Bus departs (2:00pm). Game at Albany (5:00pm)
Sunday, March 4 - Game vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at GFCC (3:00pm)
Monday, March 5 - Coach's discretion. Practice TBD
Tuesday, March 6 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am)
Wednesday, March 7 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am)

Upcoming Events

Friday, March 2, 7:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Providence Bruins

Saturday, March 3, 5:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Albany Devils

Sunday, March 4, 3:00 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Adirondack Phantoms. Scooby Doo appearing at Dax's Kids Club game and post-game open-skate with the Phantoms players presented by Glens Falls Hospital. Sunday Family 3-Pack for only $39: 3 tickets, 3 hot dogs, 3 sodas, 1 large popcorn and 1 program.

Friday, March 9, 7:00 - Norfolk Admirals at Adirondack Phantoms. $2 draft beer specials. Live post-game auction for Phantoms' game-worn white jerseys.

Saturday, March 10, 7:00 - Albany Devils at Adirondack Phantoms. Time Warner Cable Cup rivalry. Faith and Family Night. Post-game concert with Isaiah 6.

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.

Get your Adirondack O'Phantoms T-Shirts! Two tickets for any game in March plus a St. Patrick's Day O'Phantoms logo T-Shirt all for only $30.

The Northway 2-Pack is on sale now. Get 2 tickets for 2 games between the Phantoms and the Albany Devils on March 10 and April 6 PLUS a player autograph stick all for only $65. Call the Phantoms to order yours! (518) 480-3355

Follow the Phantoms at facebook.com/ADKhockey and on twitter @phantomshockey