December 13, 2016
This Week
Wednesday, December 14 (7:05 p.m.) – Bridgeport Sound Tigers vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Military Appreciation Night. Post-Game Photographs with Phantoms Players.)
Friday, December 16 (7:05 p.m.) – Hershey Bears @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Ball Cap Giveaway Presented by Service Electric Cable TV & Communications. Free to First 8,500 Fans in Attendance.)
Saturday, December 10 (7:05 p.m.) – Providence Bruins @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Post-Game Holiday Jersey Auction.)
Upcoming
Winners of 15 of their last 19 games overall, the red-hot Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-7-1, 35 pts., T-2nd Atlantic Division) continue their season-high six-game home stand this week with three more tilts at PPL Center. Entering the week, no team in the entire AHL boasts more wins (17) and standings points (35) than the Phantoms.
Lehigh Valley returns to action this Wednesday, December 14 when the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, come to town. Bridgeport (16-8-0, 32 pts., 4th Atlantic Division) split a pair of games last weekend earning a 4-3 overtime victory at the Binghamton Senators on Friday before falling in a 4-1 decision to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday. The Sound Tigers enter the week having claimed four of their last six games overall.
Wednesday’s contest, which will be the fifth of eight total meetings between Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport this season, is Military Appreciation Night at PPL Center and features a Post-Game Photograph Session with Phantoms Players on the ice. Tickets for Wednesday’s showdown are available now and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
The Phantoms are then back on the frozen surface this Friday, December 16 when the rival Hershey Bears invade PPL Center. Hershey (15-5-5, 35 pts., T-2nd Atlantic Division) won two of three games last weekend and enters this week having claimed seven of its last nine games overall. The Bears earned a 5-2 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last Friday and captured a convincing 6-1 triumph over the Rochester Americans on Sunday around a 6-2 defeat in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.
Friday’s game will mark the fifth of 12 total meetings during the 2016-17 regular season between the Phantoms and Bears with the Pennsylvania rivals having split the first four get-togethers. Friday’s game also features a Ball Cap Giveaway presented by Service Electric Cable TV & Communications where the first 8,500 fans in attendance will receive a FREE Phantoms ball cap courtesy of Service Electric. Tickets for Friday’s game can be purchased by clicking HERE.
Lehigh Valley’s action this week then wraps up on Saturday, December 17 when the Phantoms play their final game before the holiday break when they welcome the Providence Bruins to town for the first time this season. Providence (12-6-7, 31 pts., 5th Atlantic Division) won all three of its games last weekend and enters the week having earned victories in eight of its last nine games overall. Over a three-day span last weekend, the Bruins grabbed a 5-3 win over the Toronto Marlies on Friday, a 3-1 win at the Albany Devils on Saturday and a 2-1 triumph over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday.
Saturday’s game, which will feature a Post-Game Holiday Jersey Auction, is the third of six total meetings this season between Lehigh Valley and Providence with the Phantoms having claimed each of the first two showdowns. Tickets for Saturday’s contest are available now by clicking HERE.
- Phantoms By The Numbers
The Phantoms enter the week as the third highest-scoring team in the AHL averaging 3.52 goals per game.- Lehigh Valley’s power play is currently tops in the Eastern Conference and fifth among all AHL clubs at 24.4 percent. The Phantoms enter the week having tallied the most man-advantage markers to date in the entire AHL (29) and have already produced 11 multi-power play goal games this season.
- Forwards Colin McDonald and Greg Carey enter the week leading all Phantoms and tied for third among all AHL skaters with 11 goals this season. Carey continues to lead all AHLers with 8 power play goals this season.
- Forward Jordan Weal enters the week leading all Lehigh Valley skaters and is tied for fifth among all AHLers in scoring with 26 total points (10 goals, 16 assists). Weal has already registered eight multi-point games this season and enters the week having notched nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) over his last seven games.
Last Week
Wednesday, December 7: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 – Syracuse Crunch 4
Cole Bardreau scored twice (3rd, 4th) and the Phantoms recorded a season-high 50 shots on goal but the Syracuse Crunch were able to hang on for a 4-2 win at the Onondaga County War Memorial Arena. Corban Knight collected a pair of assists in the effort for Lehigh Valley while goaltender Alex Lyon turned aside 30 of Syracuse’s 33 shots on goal.
Yanni Gourde (goal, assist), Erik Condra (3 assists) and Adam Erne (2 assists) paced the offensive effort for the Crunch while netminder Adam Wilcox earned the victory between the pipes with an impressive 48-save performance.
Friday, December 9: Rochester Americans 3 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4
Chris Conner tallied a goal and two assists while Andy Miele added a goal and an assist as the Phantoms opened their weekend series with the Rochester Americans with a 4-3 win in front of 7,208 fans at PPL Center. Greg Carey (11th) and Travis Sanheim (1st) also found the back of the net for Lehigh Valley while T.J. Brennan added a pair of assists.
Lehigh Valley’s power play notched its 11th multi-goal performance this season with a 2-for-5 showing while goaltender Alex Lyon earned his ninth win of the season after 21 saves on 24 Americans shots.
Saturday, December 10: Rochester Americans 2 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4
Jordan Weal and Nic Aube-Kubel each recorded a goal and an assist as the Phantoms completed a sweep of their weekend series with the Rochester Americans thanks to a 4-2 victory in front of 7,830 fans at PPL Center. Radel Fazleev (2nd) and T.J. Brennan (8th) also converted for Lehigh Valley but it was Aube-Kubel’s goal just 59 seconds into the contest that was the most memorable tally of the evening as it set off a downpour of 4,125 teddy bears and stuffed animals that were donated as part of the team’s Teddy Bear Toss.
Goaltender Alex Lyon picked up his 10th win of the season thanks to a 25-save performance as the Phantoms captured their 15th victory over the team’s last 19 games overall.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 27 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, Todd Fedoruk, 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 1470-AM WSAN, 790-AM WAEB 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 each of the Phantoms’ 27 remaining regular season home games are available now online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the PPL Center Box Office [7th & Hamilton].
RISE UP! Another thrilling season of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey at PPL Center is underway! Reserve your season tickets and group outings for the 2016-2017 season of Phantoms hockey today. For more information on how to reserve your seat at PPL Center to the hottest ticket in town, call the Phantoms front office today at 610-224-GOAL [4625].
And for the latest Phantoms news, visit www.phantomshockey.com or follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lehighvalleyphantoms), Twitter (@lvphantoms), Instagram (@lehighvalleyphantoms) and Snapchat (lvphantoms).
The Phantoms are thrilled to host the 2017 Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic at PPL Center January 28-30. The Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic includes a Phan Fest during the day on Saturday, January 28 and a Tailgate Party that evening, followed by the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 29 and the 2017 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 30. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. Packages starting at just $67 for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic weekend are on sale now and include admission to Saturday’s Phan Fest & Tailgate Party, Sunday’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition and Monday’s All-Star Game. To purchase tickets, please visit www.phantomshockey.com or www.pplcenter.com .
The Phantoms are coming off their 20th Anniversary Season and are currently in their third campaign in the Lehigh Valley 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 20 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).
