February 10, 2015
This Week
Friday, February 13 (7:05 PM) – Binghamton Senators @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Free Phantoms Hat Giveaway presented by Service Electric! All fans in attendance this Friday will receive a FREE Phantoms hat.)
Saturday, February 14 (7:05 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Sunday, February 15 (5:00 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Springfield Falcons
Upcoming
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms brace for a trio of critical Eastern Conference showdowns this week as the Phantoms prepare for their sixth 3-games-in-3-days stretch of the 2014-2015 season.
First, Lehigh Valley (22-20-4-1, 49 pts.) returns to PPL Center this Friday as the Phantoms renew their East Division rivalry with the Binghamton Senators. Friday’s contest marks the seventh of 10 total meetings during the 2014-2015 season between Lehigh Valley and Binghamton with the Phantoms holding a 3-3 record head-to-head against the Senators. The East Division foes have alternated wins through the first six outings with Lehigh Valley earning a 5-1 triumph at PPL Center on January 17th only to be handed a 4-1 setback at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton last Saturday in the most recent get-together. The Senators’ Shane Prince leads all scorers in the season series to date with nine points (four goals, five assists) while Nick Cousins (six goals, two assists) leads all Phantoms with eight points through the first six games.
Lehigh Valley enters the week in sole possession of third place in the East Division and is presently just six points back of the Portland Pirates for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Binghamton (18-22-5-1, 42 pts.) is fifth among the five teams in the East Division and currently holds the lowest standings point total in the Eastern Conference. The Senators enter the week having dropped six of their last seven games overall (1-4-2).
Friday’s contest also features another tremendous giveaway for Phantoms fans as all fans in attendance will receive a FREE Phantoms hat courtesy of Service Electric. A limited number of tickets for Friday’s highly-anticipated showdown 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 heads to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday where there will be love lost during a Valentine’s Day showdown between the Phantoms and Penguins. Saturday’s tilt will mark the seventh of 12 total meetings this season between Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with the Phantoms holding a 3-2-1 record against their in-state rivals. Lehigh Valley claimed the most recent get-together with a convincing 6-2 triumph at Mohegan Sun Arena on January 31st. Saturday’s showdown is the only head-to-head collision between the Phantoms and Penguins for nearly six weeks before the two division foes face off five times in a 29-day period to close out the campaign.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (26-18-2-3, 57 pts.) enters the week in sole possession of second place in the East Division and currently trails the first-place Hershey Bears by four standings points. The Penguins enter the week having won six of their last eight games overall and will host Binghamton and Portland before welcoming the Phantoms to town on Saturday.
Lehigh Valley then concludes its busy weekend on Sunday when the Phantoms head up to Springfield for their final meeting of the year with the Falcons. Lehigh Valley’s third-period comeback fell just short in the only prior meeting between the two squads as the Falcons eked out a 3-2 win at PPL Center back on November 26th. Springfield (28-17-4-0, 60 pts.) enters the week second in the Northeast Division and fourth overall in the Eastern Conference. Despite their impressive record overall, the Falcons have scuffled of late having dropped eight of their last 10 games overall (2-7-1).
Phantoms By The Numbers
- Fresh off being named CCM/AHL Player of the Month for January, Nick Cousins hasn’t slowed down one bit in the calendar’s second month. After a league-best 17 points in 13 January outings, Lehigh Valley’s leading scorer has already amassed four points (goal, 3 assists) in his first three February contests. All told, Cousins has produced 15 goals, 23 assists and 38 points in 47 games this season.
After a goal in each of the Phantoms three games last week, Jason Akeson now stands alone in fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list for total scoring with 197 points. With seven points in his last six games, the 5’10”, 190-pound winger is now only three points shy of becoming just the fifth player in Phantoms history to amass 200 points. Akeson also enters the week in eighth place on the franchise’s all-time list for goals scored with 70 total conversions and is currently in the midst of a four-game goal scoring streak.- Andrew Gordon enters the week in the midst of a four-game point streak. The 29-year-old winger has produced a goal and four assists over his last four outings and is currently second among all Phantoms with 14 goals and third on the squad with 30 total points.
- Taylor Leier is currently playing some of his best hockey of the season. The first-year winger has amassed six points (3 goals, 3 assists) over his last seven games and enters the week tied for fourth among all Lehigh Valley skaters in goals (11) and fifth on the team in total points (23).
- Lehigh Valley is 20-2-1 when scoring three or more goals this season. The Phantoms enter the week having won 10 of their last 11 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.
Last Week
Wednesday, February 4: Worcester Sharks 4 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3
Brandon Manning and Zack Stortini both scored with just under two minutes left in regulation but Lehigh Valley’s ferocious third-period comeback came up just short as the Phantoms were handed a 4-3 setback against the Worcester Sharks at PPL Center. Manning’s conversion was part of a three-point night as the All-Star blueliner notched a goal and two assists while Nick Cousins chipped in a pair of helpers as well for Lehigh Valley. Jason Akeson also found the back of the net for the Phantoms as he became the fifth Lehigh Valley skater to reach double-digit goals this season.
Goaltender Rob Zepp recorded 40 saves on the evening as he produced his third-highest save total of the 2014-15 campaign. Ryan Carpenter (goal, assist) and Matt Taormina (2 assists) led the offensive charge for the Sharks.
Saturday, February 7: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1 – Binghamton Senators 4
Jason Akeson opened the scoring just over five minutes into the contest but the Binghamton Senators were able to regroup en route to a 4-1 win at home over the Phantoms. Rob Zepp registered 23 saves on 25 total shots in just over 41 minutes of action before leaving the game with an injury. Anthony Stolarz denied the five Binghamton offerings he faced before the Senators landed a pair of empty-net tallies.
Andrew Gordon and Taylor Leier both garnered assists in the outing while Shane Prince (goal, assist) and Alex Grant (2 assists) paced Binghamton’s offensive effort. Peter Mannino earned the victory in goal for the Senators after 29 saves on 30 Lehigh Valley shots.
Sunday, February 8: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5 – Hershey Bears 4 (OT)
Kevin Goumas netted the game winner 2:40 into overtime as the Phantoms earned a critical 5-4 triumph over the Hershey Bears. Jay Rosehill scored twice for Lehigh Valley while Nick Cousins and Jason Akeson also found the back of the net for the Phantoms. Rosehill’s was one of three multi-point efforts for Lehigh Valley last Sunday as Cousins (goal, assist) and Robert Hagg (2 assists) also produced multiple points as the Phantoms claimed their 22nd victory of the season.
Anthony Stolarz earned the victory in goal after 36 saves on 40 Hershey shots. With the win, Lehigh Valley improved to 4-4 in games decided in overtime this season and is now an impressive 12-4-4-1 in one-goal tilts this year.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 16 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’ 16 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).
