October 18, 2016
This Week
Friday, October 21 (7:05 p.m.) – Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Ed Snider Specialty Jersey Tribute Night. WFMZ-TV Coat Drive.)
Saturday, October 22 (7:05 p.m.) – Hartford Wolf Pack @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Post-Game Autographs with Phantoms Players. Youth Hockey Night.)
Upcoming
Fresh off a season-opening victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds at PPL Center, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms return to action with a pair of games in downtown Allentown this weekend.
First, on Friday, October 21, the Phantoms (1-0-0, 2 pts., T-1st Atlantic) welcome the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, to town for the first time this season. Bridgeport (1-1-0, 2 pts., T-3rd Atlantic) opened the new season by splitting a pair of games last weekend with a 2-1 victory over the Providence Bruins on Saturday before suffering a 2-1 setback to Springfield on Sunday. Friday’s contest will mark the first of eight total meetings during the 2016-17 regular season between the Phantoms and Sound Tigers.
On Friday, the Phantoms will honor the legacy of the late Ed Snider, the co-founder and former owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, by wearing specialty jerseys. Friday’s game will also feature the WFMZ-TV Coat Drive where fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used coats to the game, which will then be donated to the Salvation Army’s Foster Care and Adoption Center.
Then, on Saturday, October 22, Lehigh Valley hosts the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, for the first time this year. Like Bridgeport, Hartford (1-1-0, 2 pts., T-3rd Atlantic) split a pair of games during the season’s opening weekend earning a 6-3 win at home over the St. John’s IceCaps on Friday before falling in a 6-2 decision at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday. Saturday’s rivalry showdown will mark the first of eight total meetings this season between the Phantoms and Wolf Pack.
Saturday’s game will feature a post-game autograph session with Phantoms players where fans are encouraged to stick around after the game for a chance to meet their favorite Phantoms players up close and personal.
A limited number of tickets remain for Friday and Saturday’s games at PPL Center and can be secured online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the PPL Center Box Office [701 Hamilton Street].
- Phantoms By The Numbers
With 2 goals in last Saturday’s 4-2 win over Springfield, Danick Martel registered the ninth multi-point game and fourth multi-goal effort of his professional career. Martel paced all Phantoms with 22 goals a season ago.- Reigning Eddie Shore Award winner as the AHL’s top defenseman, T.J. Brennan picked up right where he left off last year with a goal and an assist in Lehigh Valley’s season-opening win over the Thunderbirds. Brennan paced all AHL blueliners last year with 25 goals and 68 points and compiled 18 multi-point games during his impressive campaign.
- Forward Mark Zengerle followed in the footsteps of Scott Laughton (2014) and Aaron Palushaj (2015) by converting the season’s first goal at PPL Center. Zengerle finished third among all Grand Rapids Griffins with 47 points last season, including a team-high 38 assists.
- Goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who was named to the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic last season, was in fine form to start the new year as he turned in an impressive 31-save performance Saturday evening. In 47 games last season, Stolarz produced 17 starts with 30 or more saves.
Last Week
Saturday, October 15: Springfield Thunderbirds 2 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4
Danick Martel scored twice and Anthony Stolarz turned in an impressive 31-save performance as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms opened the 2016-17 regular season in fine fashion with a 4-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds. The victory came in front of 8,505 raucous fans at PPL Center as the Phantoms skated in front of their 47th standing room-only sellout since coming to the Lehigh Valley in the Fall of 2014.
Mark Zengerle opened the scoring for the Phantoms just 56 seconds into the contest while reigning Eddie Shore Award winner as the AHL’s top defenseman, T.J. Brennan, added a goal and an assist in the season-opening triumph. In all, nine different Lehigh Valley skaters registered at least one point in the victory.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 37 remaining regular season home games. If you can’t make it out to the rink, be sure to catch all the exciting action live in HD quality with Steve Degler, Todd Fedoruk, Doug Heater and Kristi Fulkerson! Pre-game coverage begins with “Phantoms Front and Center” 30 minutes before puck drop. And don’t miss “Phantoms – Breaking the Ice” every Monday from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. throughout the season live at Chickie’s & Pete’s at PPL Center!
Be sure to also catch each and every Phantoms game this season live on 1470-AM WSAN, 790-AM WAEB or via the iHeartRadio app! Join Voice of the Phantoms, Bob Rotruck, for all of the heart-pumping action of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey whether the team is at home or on the road. “Countdown to Faceoff” begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.
Ticket Information
Tickets for each of the Phantoms’ 37 remaining regular season home games are available now online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the PPL Center Box Office [7th & Hamilton].
RISE UP! Another thrilling season of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey at PPL Center is underway! Reserve your season tickets and group outings for the 2016-2017 season of Phantoms hockey today. For more information on how to reserve your seat at PPL Center to the hottest ticket in town, call the Phantoms front office today at 610-224-GOAL [4625].
And for the latest Phantoms news, visit www.phantomshockey.com or follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lehighvalleyphantoms), Twitter (@lvphantoms), Instagram (@lehighvalleyphantoms) and Snapchat (lvphantoms).
The Phantoms are thrilled to host the 2017 Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic at PPL Center January 28-30. The Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic includes a Phan Fest during the day on Saturday, January 28 and a Tailgate Party that evening, followed by the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 29 and the 2017 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 30. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. Packages starting at just $67 for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic weekend are on sale now and include admission to Saturday’s Phan Fest & Tailgate Party, Sunday’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition and Monday’s All-Star Game. To purchase tickets, please visit www.phantomshockey.com or www.pplcenter.com .
The Phantoms are coming off their 20th Anniversary Season and are currently in their third campaign in the Lehigh Valley playing at the state-of-the-art PPL Center. Established in 1996, the Philadelphia Phantoms spent their first 13 seasons at the Spectrum before re-locating to Glens Falls, New York in 2009 where the team spent the next five seasons as the Adirondack Phantoms. A new era of Phantoms hockey began in the fall of 2014 when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms began play at the state-of-the-art PPL Center. Through 18 incredibly successful campaigns, the Phantoms have captured two Calder Cup Championships (1998, 2005), two Conference Championships (1998, 2005), two Regular Season Titles (1996-97, 1997-98) and four Division Championships (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04).
