October 27, 2015
This Week
Wednesday, October 28 (7:05 p.m.) – St. John’s IceCaps @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Pink in the Rink presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network.)
Friday, October 30 (7:05 p.m.) – St. John’s IceCaps @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Ball Cap Giveaway & John Walson, Jr. Night presented by Service Electric Cable TV & Communications. FREE Phantoms ball cap to first 8,500 fans in attendance.)
Sunday, November 1 (5:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hershey Bears
Upcoming
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2-4-0, 4 pts., 7th Atlantic Division) continue their four-game home stand this week as they welcome the St. John’s IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, to PPL Center for a pair of games.
After a busy three-game weekend, the Phantoms get right back to work this Wednesday as they host the IceCaps for the first of four total meetings during the 2015-2016 regular season between the Eastern Conference foes. St. John’s (5-1-1-1, 12 pts., 1st North Division) is coming off a busy stretch of its own in which the IceCaps claimed six of a possible eight points during a packed four-game week. After a 5-4 overtime setback to Binghamton last Tuesday, St. John’s responded with a 3-2 regulation win over the Senators just 24 hours later and a 5-4 victory over Bridgeport on Saturday before closing the week with a 3-2 shootout defeat to the Sound Tigers.
Wednesday’s game is Pink in the Rink presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network. Pink Packs, which include four tickets to the Wednesday, October 28 or Friday, October 30 game along with a commemorative pink Phantoms puck, are available now with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the John & Dorothy Morgan Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Health Network. For more information or to secure a Pink Pack, contact the Phantoms at 61-224-GOAL [4625].
Lehigh Valley then closes its four-game home stand on Friday when it welcomes the IceCaps back to downtown Allentown for a rivalry rematch. Friday’s contest is John Walson, Jr. Night and features a Phantoms ball cap giveaway to the first 8,500 fans in attendance courtesy of Service Electric Cable TV & Communications.
Tickets for both Wednesday and Friday’s games, along with each of the Phantoms’ 35 remaining games at PPL Center, are available now at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX or in person at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (701 Hamilton).
The Phantoms then close this week’s action on Sunday when Lehigh Valley heads to Giant Center in Hershey for a 5:00 p.m. showdown with the Bears. Sunday’s contest will mark the first of 12 total meetings during the 2015-16 regular season between the Phantoms and Bears. Hershey (3-2-0-1, 7 pts., 5th Atlantic Division) won two of its three games last week earning a 1-0 win at the Utica Comets on Friday before claiming a 3-2 overtime victory against Hartford on Saturday in the team’s home opener. The Bears closed their three-game weekend on Sunday with a 3-2 shootout defeat to the Wolf Pack.
Be sure to catch Sunday’s action with Voice of the Phantoms, Bob Rotruck, on 790-AM, 790WAEB.com or via the iHeartRadio app beginning with “Countdown to Faceoff” at 4:15 p.m.
Phantoms By The Numbers
Forwards Nick Cousins (1 goal, 5 assists) and Chris Conner (2 goals, 4 assists) enter the week tied for the team lead in scoring with six points each. Cousins paced all Phantoms a year ago with 56 total points while Conner matched a career high with 19 goals as part of his third career 50-point AHL campaign.- Petr Straka enters the week first among all Lehigh Valley skaters with four goals. A third-year winger from Plzen, Czech Republic, he had his four-game goal-scoring streak snapped in Sunday’s 3-1 setback to the Toronto Marlies. The four-game streak is the longest goal-scoring stretch of Straka’s professional career as the 23-year-old winger has now compiled 27 goals in just over two seasons with the Phantoms.
- Second-year goaltender Anthony Stolarz is off to a solid start between the pipes. The 21-year-old goaltender enters the week 2-1 in three starts having surrendered just five goals against during that time. What’s more, Stolarz has turned aside 64 of the 69 shots he’s faced, equating to an impressive .928 save percentage.
- The Phantoms have surrendered 29 or fewer shots in five of the team’s first six outings. Lehigh Valley allowed just 75 total shots in its three games last weekend and enters this week averaging the seventh-fewest shots against (25.8) in the entire AHL.
Last Week
Friday, October 23: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 – Providence Bruins 5
Taylor Leier, Petr Straka and Tim Brent all found the back of the net for Lehigh Valley but the Providence Bruins were able to hang on for a 5-3 win in the first of six head-to-head meetings this season between the Atlantic Division rivals. Colby Cave (2 goals) and Seth Griffith (3 assists) led the offensive effort for the Bruins while Zane McIntyre earned the victory in goal with 25 saves on 28 Phantoms shots.
Saturday, October 24: Providence Bruins 1 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3
Lehigh Valley exacted a little revenge against Providence Saturday evening as the Phantoms grabbed their first win at PPL Center this season with a 3-1 triumph over the Bruins. Tyrell Goulbourne opened the scoring, Petr Straka netted the eventual game winner and Aaron Palushaj added an empty-net insurance tally.
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz earned his second win of the season thanks to 23 saves on 24 Providence shots while Lehigh Valley’s special teams (1-for-4 on the power play, 4-for-4 on the penalty kill) provided a huge lift throughout the night.
Sunday, October 25: Toronto Marlies 3 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1
A resilient effort by the Phantoms came up just short on Sunday as the visiting Toronto Marlies hung on for a 3-1 win at PPL Center. Taylor Leier picked up his second goal of the weekend and second conversion of the year while Anthony Stolarz turned in another solid performance between the pipes with 22 saves on 25 shots. Leier’s tally was the first shorthanded conversion of his professional career and Lehigh Valley’s first shorthanded marker this season.
Nikita Soshnikov (2 goals) and Richard Clune (2 assists) led the offensive effort for the Marlies while Antoine Bibeau picked up the win in net with 21 saves on 22 Phantoms shots.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 35 remaining regular season home games. If you can’t make it out to the rink, be sure to catch all the exciting action live in HD quality with Steve Degler, Doug Heater and Kristi Fulkerson! Pre-game coverage begins with “Phantoms Front and Center” 30 minutes before puck drop. And don’t miss “Phantoms – Breaking the Ice” every Monday from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. throughout the season live at Chickie’s & Pete’s at PPL Center!
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. “Countdown to Faceoff” begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all of the Phantoms’ 35 remaining regular season home games are available now online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (7th & Hamilton).
RISE UP! 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 and groups for the 2015-2016 season of Phantoms hockey by calling 610-224-GOAL [4625].
In the midst of their 20th season of operation, the Phantoms are coming off their Inaugural Season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms playing at the state-of-the-art 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).
