February 3, 2015
This Week
Wednesday, February 4 (7:05 PM) – Worcester Sharks @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Post-Game Skate with the Phantoms! Bring your skates to the game and take the ice with your favorite players after the game.)
($2 Beer Night! $2 Coors Light drafts from the time doors open until the start of the 2nd period. Available behind Section 108.)
Saturday, February 7 (7:05 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Binghamton Senators
Sunday, February 8 (5:00 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hershey Bears
Upcoming
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms get an early start to their action this week with a Wednesday collision at home before hitting the road for a pair of games this weekend.
First, Lehigh Valley (21-18-4-1, 47 pts.) kicks things off tomorrow when the Phantoms welcome the Worcester Sharks to PPL Center for the final time this season. Wednesday’s contest marks the third of four total meetings during the 2014-2015 regular season between the Phantoms and Sharks. Lehigh Valley is 1-1 against Worcester this year after a 4-3 setback at DCU Center on November 5th followed by a convincing 4-0 triumph in downtown Allentown on November 21st. The Phantoms enter the week in sole possession of third place in the East Division and are presently just five points back of second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with two games-in-hand on the Penguins. Meanwhile, Worcester (23-16-3-2, 51 pts.) enters the week is sole possession of third place in the Atlantic Division. The Sharks are two points behind the second-place Portland Pirates but just one point clear of the fourth-place Providence Bruins.
Wednesday’s showdown also features yet another opportunity to meet the Phantoms up close and in person as the team hosts a post-game skate with the players following the game. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to the game and then take the ice with their favorite Phantoms players afterwards.
It’s also another $2 Beer Night with $2 Coors Light drafts from the time doors open until the start of the second period. $2 beers will be available behind Section 108.
Tickets for Wednesday’s action are available now at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (701 Hamilton), by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or online at pplcenter.com.
Lehigh Valley then caps its week with a pair of road outings as the Phantoms head to Binghamton on Saturday before invading Hershey on Sunday.
First up for Lehigh Valley is a trip to Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday and a showdown with the Senators. Binghamton (17-20-5-1, 40 pts.) enters the week fifth among the five teams in the East Division and has dropped 10 of its last 12 tilts overall (2-7-3). Saturday’s contest marks the sixth of 10 total meetings during the 2014-2015 regular season between the Phantoms and Senators with Lehigh Valley holding a 3-2 record head-to-head against Binghamton. The home team has claimed each of the last four get-togethers with the Phantoms earning a 5-1 win at PPL Center on January 17th in the most recent meeting.
Lehigh Valley then heads to Hershey on Sunday for another rivalry showdown with the Bears. Hershey (25-13-4-2, 56 pts.) enters the week atop the East Division and is one of the hottest teams in the entire AHL having won 11 of its last 13 games overall (9-1-0-1). Sunday’s meeting marks the ninth of 12 total tilts this season between the Phantoms and Bears with Lehigh Valley holding a 3-5 mark against its Pennsylvania state rival.
Phantoms By The Numbers
No player produced more points during the month of January than Lehigh Valley’s Nick Cousins. The Phantoms’ leading scorer put forth a herculean effort during the team’s 13 January outings in which he produced a league-best 17 total points (seven goals, 10 assists). Thanks to his surge during the first month of the new year, the 21-year-old forward from Belleville, Ontario now leads all Phantoms in points (34) and is tied for the team lead in goals (14).- With a goal in last Saturday’s 6-2 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Jason Akeson moved into a tie with Boyd Kane for 10th place on the Phantoms’ all-time list for goals scored. With 67 goals, 127 assists and 194 total points in 234 career games with the Phantoms, the 24-year-old forward from Orleans, Ontario is sixth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list and is just six points away from becoming just the fifth player to ever record 200 points in a Phantoms sweater.
- Lehigh Valley is 19-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season. The Phantoms enter the week having won nine straight games in which the team has netted at least three conversions. Meanwhile, Lehigh Valley is 20-6-3-1 when limiting its opposition to three goals or fewer and has claimed eight of its last nine such outings.
- The Phantoms finished the month of January with a 7-6 mark overall in 13 games during the calendar’s first month. It was the most productive month both in terms of wins (seven) and standings points (14) for Lehigh Valley this season. The Phantoms’ previous high for wins in a single month was five (November, December) while the team’s previous high for standings points in a month was 13 (December).
Last Week
Thursday, January 29: Albany Devils 4 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1
Zack Stortini netted his seventh goal of the season and Rob Zepp returned to the Phantoms goal crease after a 17-day call up with the Philadelphia Flyers but the Albany Devils were able to spoil the netminder’s return with a 4-1 win at PPL Center.
Brandon Manning, fresh off representing the Phantoms at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, registered an assist as did Jason Akeson who continued to climb up the franchise’s all-time scoring list. Lehigh Valley out shot the Devils 36-32 and the Phantoms netted the only power play conversion in the game but Albany’s Scott Wedgewood was stellar in goal recording 35 saves on 36 Phantoms shots.
Friday, January 30: Hershey Bears 6 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1
Taylor Leier became the fourth Phantoms player this season to reach double-digits in goals but the Hershey Bears earned a 6-1 win in front of 8,743 fans at PPL Center. Nick Cousins and Jason Akeson picked up assists for Lehigh Valley as the Phantoms enjoyed their 11th standing room-only sellout this season and fourth-largest crowd at PPL Center this year.
Anthony Stolarz and Rob Zepp combined for 29 saves on the evening while Hershey’s Philipp Grubauer registered 24 saves on 25 Phantoms shots. Connor Carrick (goal, assist) and Casey Wellman (two assists) paced the balanced offensive effort for the Bears.
Saturday, January 31: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 6 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2
Taylor Leier and Nick Cousins each tallied a goal and two assists Saturday evening and the Phantoms recorded six consecutive unanswered goals in earning a critical 6-2 road win at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Andrew Gordon, Adam Comrie and Jason Akeson also found the back of the net for Lehigh Valley while the first career professional goal for Jesper Pettersson proved to be the eventual game-winner.
Rob Zepp notched his 12th win of the season with 27 saves on 29 total shots while the Phantoms’ power play went 2-for-8 in the triumph as Lehigh Valley improved to 15-6 this season when notching a man-advantage marker. The rivalry showdown featured a team-high 67 penalty minutes and a combined 160 minutes in penalties.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 17 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! 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 Pallett Countdown to Faceoff begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all of the Phantoms’ 17 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).
