Phantoms Weekly – Fan Appreciation Night Caps Busy Week at PPL Center

April 7, 2015

This Week

Wednesday, April 8 (7:05 PM) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Allentown Police Department Night! Phantoms will wear specialty jerseys to benefit the Allentown Police Department.)
($2 Beer Night! $2 Coors Light drafts available from the time doors open until the start of the 2nd period.)

Friday, April 10 (7:05 PM) – Norfolk Admirals @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Free Shirt Friday! All fans in attendance will receive a FREE “Phan Nation” shirt.)

Saturday, April 4 (7:05 PM) – Norfolk Admirals @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Fan Appreciation Night! Hundreds of prizes to be given away throughout the game.)

Upcoming

With just seven regular season games remaining, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms return to PPL Center to kick off a four-game home stand that begins with a trio of games in downtown Allentown this week.

JustSports PhotographyThe Phantoms get their week started a little early as Lehigh Valley welcomes the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to town for a mid-week showdown on Wednesday, April 8th. Wednesday’s game will mark the 11th of 12 total meetings during the 2014-2015 regular season between the Phantoms and Penguins with Lehigh Valley holding a 5-4-1 mark head-to-head against its Pennsylvania rival. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton claimed the most recent get-together with a 3-0 win at Mohegan Sun Arena last Saturday but the Phantoms enter the week having claimed four of the last six showdowns with the Penguins.

Lehigh Valley (31-31-6-1, 69 pts.) enters the week in sole possession of third place in the East Division and is presently 12 standings points back of the Portland Pirates for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (40-23-3-4, 87 pts.) is fourth overall in the Eastern Conference and seven points back of the Hershey Bears for the top spot in the East Division. The Penguins claimed two of three outings last week and will enter Wednesday’s tilt having won four of their last six games overall.

Police JerseyWednesday’s game is Allentown Police Department Night as the Phantoms will wear specialty jerseys during the game. The jerseys will then be raffled off throughout the three games this week with the proceeds benefiting the Allentown Police Department. It’s also $2 Beer Night with $2 Coors Light drafts available from the time doors open until the start of the 2nd period.

The Phantoms then return to action on Friday, April 10th and Saturday, April 11th as they welcome the Norfolk Admirals for a weekend series in downtown Allentown. Friday and Saturday’s collisions will mark the sixth and seventh meetings respectively of eight total get-togethers this season between Lehigh Valley and Norfolk. The Phantoms are a perfect 5-0 against the Admirals this year and have won each of the first five gatherings by a single goal, including a 3-2 triumph in Norfolk last Wednesday in the most recent clash.

Norfolk (24-38-6-3, 57 pts.) enters the week fifth among the five teams in the East Division and currently holds the lowest standings points total in the Eastern Conference. The Admirals earned just one win in three games last week and have earned victories in just two of their last 17 outings overall going 2-13-2 during their recent slide.

LV_Phantoms-2015_Phan_Nation_Tee-3_25_15.jpgFriday’s game is the final Free Shirt Friday of the 2014-2015 season as all fans in attendance will receive a FREE “Phan Nation” shirt. Fan Appreciation Night then comes Saturday as hundreds of prizes will be given away throughout the game in celebration of the best fans in the entire AHL.

Tickets for all three highly-anticipated showdowns are available now at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or in-person at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (701 Hamilton).

Phantoms By The Numbers

  • Lehigh Valley enters the week having successfully thwarted 15 straight penalty kills at PPL Center. The Phantoms haven’t allowed a power play goal at home since the 16:52 mark of the second period in Lehigh Valley’s 5-4 setback to the Portland Pirates back on March 7th. In fact, the Phantoms have surrendered just one man-advantage marker over their last eight home games going an impressive 28-for-29 (96.6 percent) during that stretch.
  • JustSports PhotographyJason Akeson enters the week just one goal shy of tying Paul Healey and Jon Matsumoto for fifth on the Phantoms’ all-time list with 81 total goals. What’s more, the 24-year-old winger from Orleans, Ontario is just two points away from passing Kirby Law for sole possession of fourth place on the franchise’s all-time list for total points.
  • Rob Zepp enters the week having started seven consecutive games in goal for the Phantoms. During that time, the 33-year-old netminder has produced a 2.70 goals-against average coupled with a .914 save percentage. All told, Zepp has compiled a 19-17-4 overall record this season with the Phantoms to go along with a 2.69 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
  • Eight of the Phantoms’ last nine games at PPL Center have been played in front of standing room-only sellout crowds. In all, Lehigh Valley fans have produced 20 standing room-only sellouts through 33 home games as the Phantoms enter the week boasting the AHL’s fourth-highest average attendance (avg. 8,169 fans/game).

Last Week

Wednesday, April 1: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 – Norfolk Admirals 2

Scott Laughton netted the game-winning goal just past the midway point of the third period as the Phantoms kicked off their three-game road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Norfolk Admirals. Laughton’s goal was part of a multi-point effort as the blossoming center notched his fifth and sixth points over an extremely productive three-game stretch. Andrew Gordon landed his 18th goal of the season for Lehigh Valley while Jason Akeson chipped in his 21st tally of the year in the victory.

Rob Zepp earned the victory in goal with 30 saves on 32 Norfolk shots as each team went 1-for-2 on the power play in a game that featured just 10 combined penalty minutes.

Friday, April 3: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 – Binghamton Senators 4

JustSports PhotographyJason Akeson tied the back-and-forth contest just prior to the midway point of the third period with his team-leading 22nd goal of the season but Binghamton’s Ryan Dzingel was able to break the deadlock with just under two minutes left in regulation as the Senators outlasted the Phantoms 4-3 in the regular season finale between Lehigh Valley and Binghamton. Blair Jones (8th goal of the season) and Mark Alt (2nd goal of the year) also converted for the Phantoms while Akeson paced the offensive effort with a goal and two assists.

Rob Zepp recorded 31 saves between the pipes for Lehigh Valley while Chris Driedger earned the win for the Senators with 28 saves on 31 Phantoms’ shots. The rivalry showdown featured three fights, including two between Derek Mathers and Guillaume Lepine, and 74 combined penalty minutes.

Saturday, April 4: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 0 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3

WBS1Lehigh Valley’s two-game winning streak at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came to an end Saturday as Matt Murray backstopped the Penguins to a 3-0 victory over the Phantoms. Despite the setback, Lehigh Valley has still claimed four of the last six head-to-head meetings between the in-state rivals.

Rob Zepp turned in his fifth straight 30-save performance for the Phantoms as he denied 35 of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 38 total offerings in the game. Meanwhile, Murray recorded his league-leading 11th shutout with 21 saves on 21 Lehigh Valley shots.

Broadcast Coverage

Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ five remaining regular season home games. If you can’t make it out to the rink, be sure to catch all the exciting action in high definition with Steve Degler and former Flyers and Phantoms goaltender Brian Boucher! Pre-game coverage begins with “Phantoms Front and Center” with Doug Heater and Kristi Fulkerson 30 minutes before puck drop. And don’t miss “Phantoms – Breaking the Ice” every Monday from 7:00 – 8:00 PM throughout the season live at Chickie’s & Pete’s (701 Hamilton Street)!

Be sure to also catch each and every Phantoms game this season live on Fox Sports 1470 AM, online at Fox1470.com 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. Nazareth Pallet Countdown to Faceoff begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.

Ticket Information

Tickets for all of the Phantoms’ five remaining regular season home games are available now at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (7th & Hamilton), by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or online at pplcenter.com.

Check it out! Don’t miss the action and fun of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey at PPL Center in downtown Allentown! Contact the Phantoms Front Office for information on season tickets for the 2015-2016 season of Phantoms hockey by calling 610-224-GOAL (4625).

In their 19th season of operation, the Phantoms are currently in the midst of their Inaugural Season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms playing at the brand-new 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).