ONE AND DONE

Phantoms Blank Penguins 1-0; Boucher Bests Fleury In Goalie Duel

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Lars Jonsson’s power play goal with 6:36 remaining in the second period stood up as the game-winner as the Philadelphia Phantoms beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1-0 in a crucial East Division match-up on Friday night at Wachovia Arena. Brian Boucher made 23 saves for the shutout, which was Philadelphia’s fourth win in a row and gave it a 12-point lead over the Penguins and the Hershey Bears in the division.

The goal came with Wilkes-Barre’s Paul Bissonnette in the box for tripping. Stefan Ruzicka was in the lower part of the left circle and threaded a nifty pass to Jonsson high in the right circle. The defenseman’s bid from there beat Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for the only scoring of the night.

Boucher’s shutout was his fourth solo blanking of the season and the fifth in which he was involved, including a team shutout on Nov. 3 at Worcester. Fleury, who was in Wilkes-Barre on a conditioning assignment from NHL parent Pittsburgh, absorbed the loss with 26 saves on 27 shots.

The win gives Philadelphia a record of 35-17-1-2 for 73 points. a dozen ahead of the Penguins and Hershey, which lost to Rochester on Friday.

The Phantoms continue their two-game weekend road trip tomorrow night in Albany against the River Rats at 7;00 PM. They’ll return to the Wachovia Spectrum for a President’s Day special on Monday, February 18 at 4:05 PM against the same River Rats. The Phantoms will wear special President’s Day-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. Tickets are available at the Wachovia Complex box office, online at ComcastTIX.com or phantomshockey.com, or by phone at 1-800-298-4200.

Friday, February 15, 2008