October 21, 2015
This Week
Friday, October 23 (7:05 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Providence Bruins
Saturday, October 24 (7:05 p.m.) – Providence Bruins @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Magnet Schedule Giveaway! Free magnet schedule to first 8,500 fans in attendance presented by Capital BlueCross and Pita King.)
Sunday, October 25 (5:05 p.m.) – Toronto Marlies @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Youth Jersey Giveaway! Free Phantoms youth jersey to first 2,500 kids 14 and under presented by Capital BlueCross, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Velaspan.)
Upcoming
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-2-0, 2 pts., T-6th Atlantic Division) will experience their first three-game week of the 2015-2016 regular season this weekend as the team prepares for a home-and-home series with the Providence Bruins before closing out the busy stretch with a visit from the Toronto Marlies.
The action resumes this Friday when the Phantoms close out a three-game road swing with a stop at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence for a 7:05 p.m. showdown with the Bruins. Providence (1-2-2, 4 pts., T-4th Atlantic Division) dropped all three games in its first three-game week of the year last week. The Bruins’ tough stretch started with a 4-3 overtime setback at the Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday before a 5-3 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at home on Friday before being handed a 3-1 defeat at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport on Saturday.
After Friday’s contest, the two sides head to downtown Allentown on Saturday as they close out the home-and-home set with a 7:05 p.m. clash at PPL Center. Saturday’s game features a magnet schedule giveaway in which the first 8,500 fans in attendance will receive a FREE Phantoms magnet schedule presented by Capital BlueCross and Pita King. Saturday’s tilt also kicks off a four-game home stand for Lehigh Valley that will see the Phantoms skate in front of their home fans four times in a seven-day stretch.
Lehigh Valley’s busy weekend then wraps up on Sunday when the Phantoms welcome the Marlies to town for the first and only time this season. Toronto (3-1-0, 6 pts., 1st North Division) is coming off a split in its weekend series with the Albany Devils last week. The Marlies opened with a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday before suffering a 3-2 regulation defeat just 24 hours later. Toronto hits the road this week for the first time this season and will make stops in Rochester on Friday and Binghamton on Saturday before invading PPL Center Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s contest features a Youth Jersey Giveaway where the first 2,500 kids 14 and under will receive a free youth hockey jersey presented by Capital BlueCross, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Velaspan. Tickets for both highly-anticipated games at PPL Center this weekend, along with each of the Phantoms’ 37 remaining home games, 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 Street).
Phantoms By The Numbers
Chris Conner is off to a scorching start for the Phantoms having produced six points (2 goals, 4 assists) through the team’s first three games. A 31-year-old forward from Westland, Mich., Conner is coming off his third 50-point AHL campaign and a year in which he matched a career high with 19 goals.- Nick Cousins, Lehigh Valley’s leading scorer last season, enters the week second among all Phantoms in scoring with four points (goal, 3 assists). A 22-year-old center from Belleville, Ont., Cousins paced all Lehigh Valley skaters a year ago with 34 assists and 56 total points.
- With last Friday’s 4-1 triumph at the Springfield Falcons, Scott Gordon earned his first win as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and his 222nd career AHL victory. This weekend, Gordon will face his former team, the Providence Bruins, where he was head coach for five-plus seasons and was named AHL Coach of the Year in his final season at the helm (2007-08).
- This Saturday’s contest at PPL Center kicks off a four-game home stand for Lehigh Valley which will see the Phantoms skate in front of their home fans four times in a seven-day stretch.
Last Week
Friday, October 16: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 – Springfield Falcons 1
Chris Conner notched a goal and two assists and Petr Straka added a goal and an assist as the Phantoms earned the first win of the 2015-16 season with a 4-1 victory at the Springfield Falcons. Danick Martel netted the game-winner for Lehigh Valley while Tyrell Goulbourne capped the scoring with his first professional conversion.
The Phantoms outshot the Falcons 33-20 on the night as Anthony Stolarz earned his first victory of the season with 19 saves on 20 Springfield shots.
Saturday, October 17: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 6
Nick Cousins tallied a goal and an assist and the Phantoms received goals from four different skaters but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were able to overcome Lehigh Valley’s offensive outburst in claiming a 6-4 decision at Mohegan Sun Arena. In addition to Cousins, Petr Straka, Jay Rosehill and Tim Brent all found the back of the net while Mark Alt, Cole Bardreau and Chris Conner collected assists in the contest.
The special teams for both sides were on display as the Phantoms and Penguins combined for five power play conversions in the first of 12 rivalry showdowns between the in-state foes this season.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 37 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, 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 (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. “Countdown to Faceoff” begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all of the Phantoms’ 37 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).
