IT’S NECESSARY

Albany Forces Game 7 With 1-0 Overtime Victory Over Phantoms

PHILADELPHIA – Kirk MacDonald scored with 9:22 remaining in the first overtime period to lift the Albany River Rats to a 1-0 win in Game 6 of the East Division Semfinals on Saturday afternoon at the Wachovia Center. The win ties the series at three games apiece and forces a Game 7 on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

MacDonald was the first to solve the puzzle put forth in two outstanding goaltending performances by Michael Leighton and Scott Munroe, who each made 40 saves. The Rats forced a turnover in the neutral zone and regained the Phantoms line. MacDonald ended up pulling the puck off the boards and beating Munroe top shelf to the stick side through a partial screen.

Until that goal, Munroe had weaved a scoreless streak of 176 minutes, 22 seconds going back to the last goal he allowed in Game 5, which came at 17:14 of the second period. Munroe stopped 80 consecutive shots during that time period, which stretched over the third period, four overtimes, 2:58 of the fifth overtime, and all three periods of regulation in Game 6 plus 10:38 of that game’s overtime period. He was named the game’s second star.

Leighton, meanwhile, stopped all 40 shots the Phantoms fired at him for his second shutout of the series. Leighton has stopped 102 of the 103 shots the Phantoms have taken on him since the end of regulation in Game 5, which is a save percentage of .990. He was named the game’s first star.

The teams will conclude the series on Tuesday night, April 29 at 7:05 at the Wachovia Center. The winner moves on to play Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the East Division Finals. Tickets for Game 7 are available at the Wachovia Complex box office, online at ComcastTIX.com or phantomshockey.com, or by phone at 1-800-298-4200.

Saturday, April 26, 2008